A reflection on learning at a distance.

Learning is a natural process; horses learn to pull a plow, dogs learn not to urinate on the carpet, and high school students learn algebra –in most cases anyway.  Learners gain knowledge and new skill sets to use.  For generations, learning was done in person with a face-to-face approach, as seen through the example of oral tradition.  Geographical shifts and technological advancements have created both a need and opportunity for people in unique circumstances to be able to learn, even at a distance from whatever is considered the source for knowledge.

Distance learning has taken many shapes.  This is the case because as Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek (2012) explain, the word “distance” can include geographical, time, or intellectual aspects (p. 9).  As people move to new places, have new time constraints placed on their daily lives and schedules, and encounter new scenarios where new knowledge is necessary, life can require new and spontaneous ways of learning.

When I was younger I used to think of distance learning differently than I do now.  When I was in fifth grade, I wanted to take a creative writing class for elementary school students sponsored by Purdue University’s School of Education.  Since my parents were late in submitting the registration materials, I was unable to participate in the actual class.  I was, however, able to take the class by having the instructor send to my house packets of worksheets with directions which I completed and sent back to get feedback.  This correspondence course format closely resembled the way that Issac Pitman would offer shorthand writing courses in England during the 19^th century (Simonson et al., p. 37).  Up until recently, this was the only thing that came to mind when I thought of the term “distance learning.”

 I still see distance learning as opportunities for learning that happen when the learner is unable to be in a setting that involves direct contact with an instructor.  Advances in technology have made great strides to remove some of those barriers created by distance to create virtual learning scenarios for learners.  In the past, instructors would send pre-recorded video tapes of lessons; this was a good plan until the learner might have a question for the instructor or have a special need which the basic video could not address.  With new telecommunications tools such as YouTube and Skype, instructors can post videos in one location for learners to access and converse with learners to work with the learners to ensure knowledge transfer. 

As telecommunications technology improves and learner needs change, the look of distance learning will continue to change and develop.  The need of professionals to continue their education while remaining in their job setting was the catalyst for universities to develop degree programs through distance learning settings which could provide an equivalent education experience where “the distance education course is effectively designed…(so) potential learners will reach the course’s instructional objectives” (Simonson et al., p. 52).  While I cannot see into the future with my crystal ball of instruction design, learner needs will drive innovations in technology and instruction design so that distance learning continues to move towards providing the learner with the best learning experience available.

Above is a visual example of the distance learning web of which I am a part.  As a professional educator, innovations in distance education affect me, even though the only distance learning program in which I am actually enrolled is my higher education degree through Walden University.  If the reader of this blog post takes a minute to reflect upon his or her own learning, I feel certain that he or she will quickly realize that the changes that have occurred in distance learning also impact them on a daily basis.  As we look to the future, let us not be quick to dismiss distance learning, but instead ask how it can fill a need for learning and how well that need can be met.

References

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a

distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.