Distance Learning: A Student’s Perspective
Distance Learning is an important topic for educators interested in expanding educational opportunities. Many programs and courses are now available on-line, via time-compressed intersession formats, employing individualized study arrangements, and through video conferencing. The attributes of a quality distance learning experience are presented by a student who is also an educator in an attempt to open a dialog on course design and delivery methods.
This paper will review options
for syllabus development and organization, delivery of course material, student
attributes, and testing methodologies.
Outside the “classroom” topics such as the need for faculty contact and
support systems that provide the underlying infrastructure of a distance
learning environment are also discussed.
Finally, future research recommendations that seem to flow from the
distance learning literature are outlined for the audience.
The
world of education and the roles of faculty and students are ever
changing. While distance learning is not
a new concept, it is finally coming into its own with improvements in
communication made possible through the use of technology. With recent advances in technology we have an
opportunity to increase access to education.
It is interesting to note that distance education has been available in
the
Delivery of Distance Education
According
to Blotzer (2000), distance learning is any learning
environment where the teacher is physically separated from the student and
information transfer occurs via some communication(s) medium. This definition is broad and all encompassing,
and it captures three readily recognized models of distance learning course
delivery:
* Remote Classroom -
Synchronous Verbal Communication with Technology (High Tech a.k.a. “The Sage on
the Stage”)
* Web Based - Semi-Synchronous Typed Chat
(Video, Online Lecture, and Intranet)
* Individualized
Study - Asynchronous Written Communication with or without Computer Technology
(E-mail, Fax, Snail Mail a.k.a. “The Guide on the Side”)
While educators are currently embracing the Internet for
the delivery of distance learning, it is a misconception that the web must be
the delivery medium. At the present
time, video can not be reliably streamed on the web, and sometimes even audio
delivery is problematic. The synchronous
delivery models have classes that typically “meet” at scheduled times via
satellite or real-time chat. Distance
learners prefer asynchronous delivery methods, because of the lack of a firm
schedule. The anytime and anyplace
learning option is what draws many busy people with full-time employment to
distance learning in the first place.
The
asynchronous “individualized study” method is both student oriented and student
centered by its very design and delivery.
In the traditional classroom, the instructor lectures and is the source
and mechanism for disseminating information (Markel
1999). In the distance learning
environment, the instructor is the source of information and serves as a
mediator between the student, the material, and the technology (Inman, Kerwin, & Mayes, 1999). Students note many benefits of the
individualized study model including:
flexibility – any time, any place study, ability to stay in their
current job; higher productivity – no commute; and higher levels of interaction
with members of the faculty. For the
student who fits the distance learning profile, the advantages of distance
education significantly outweigh the disadvantages. Some disadvantages reported include computer
literacy requirements, technological problems, unclear syllabi and
expectations, communication delays and misunderstandings, and feelings of
isolation. Each of these problems can be
overcome by a well-designed course with a comprehensive syllabus coupled with a
motivated and knowledgeable faculty member and adequate support systems.
Impact on Student Learning
Do
students in distance learning courses perform better than their traditional
classroom counterparts? In a study by Sonner (1999), the students with distance learning course
credit performed better in the business management capstone (delivered on
campus in a traditional format) than their traditional classroom peers. According to Sonner
(1999), “The results indicated that those students who had earned credit in at
least one distance learning class had a significantly higher average in the
capstone class than did those students who had taken only traditional
courses.” Obviously replication of these
findings is needed to further validate them, but they do show promise for
students interested in business management courses delivered in a tele-course format. Sonner (1999) speculates that greater student involvement
(hands-on learning) in the earlier courses delivered via distance learning
provided a better foundation for taking the largely hands-on capstone class.
Regarding the issue of hands-on
activities in distance learning courses, Rapheal
(1999) notes that greater emphasis is placed on hands-on learning, real-world
problem solving, and critical thinking skills than on rote memorization in
distance learning courses. Markel (1999) finds that “Asynchronous or synchronous chat
can, in fact, give students a more powerful voice than they had in their
teacher-centered courses.”
Other
studies (Ellram & Easton 1999, Cheng, Lehman,
& Armstrong 1991, and Phelps, Wells, Ashworth, & Hahn 1991) show no
significant differences in pre and post scores on tests measuring course
content and learning between distance learning students and traditional
students delivered at the same institution at the same time. Therefore, from a student learning and course
content mastery standpoint the, distance learning and traditional environment
students seem to be performing equally.
The delivery mode was shown to have little or no impact on learning
outcomes. However, caution must be
exercised in evaluating these results, because other confounding variables may
be present that were not controlled for such as class size, expertise of the
instructors, and quality and quantity of interactions.
Student Keys to Success
For students to be successful distance learners they need
to be focused and disciplined self-starters (Berkey,
Personal communication
Faculty Member Keys to Success
According
to Berkey (Personal Communication, April 3, 2000),
“the successful faculty member (in an asynchronous distance learning
environment) needs to understand the increased amount of time spent on the
computer reacting to students, to understand technology/software and be able to
learn to use it, have the ability to explain technology to students and talking
students through until they too understand, and above all to remain
flexible”. Ellram
& Easton (1999) concur and further indicate “it was important to have very
clear learning objectives that could be reiterated several times to the
students”.
A detailed syllabus is a must for a distance learning course
(Ellram & Easton 1999). According to Kearsley
& Lynch (1996), ambiguity is the syllabus will result in student anxiety,
which is a barrier to effective learning.
They indicate that “because of the uncertainty involved in a distance
learning environment, students typically want all the details of a course to be
very clearly defined at the beginning – much more so than in a traditional
class”. If ambiguity is present the
result will be frequent requests for clarification and increased workload for
the instructor.
The impact on faculty members is summed up nicely by John
Dory, Professor of Management at Pace University as interviewed by Greco (1999)
“First we can no longer emphasize individual teaching content and styles as
much. We need to become a coaching team
that works as one. Second, he continues,
we have to move from being the center of learning to being the facilitator of
learning.”
Future Research Recommendations
Distance learning research is still in its infancy; much
work remains to determine the long-term viability of the various delivery
models. Longitudinal research designs
and studies are needed to strengthen, support or refute the findings reported
to date. Most current studies report
findings comparing distance models of all types with traditional classes. Future researchers will want to consider
comparing the various distance learning models with each other to determine if
differences in student outcomes occur.
In addition, methods other than final course grade must be considered
for the post-treatment measure due to the variability in raters and rating
mechanisms.
Conclusion
In
summary, my experiences with distance learning mirror the findings of Inman, et
al. (1999) whose study focused on both instructors and students in distance
learning environments. While I have
found asynchronous distance learning courses very beneficial to me as a
student, I would prefer to teach my classes face-to-face. The interaction with my students and “seeing”
learning occur are the intangible benefits that attracted me to teaching in the
first place. I suspect that future video
technology that enables real-time, clear, two-way “face-to-face” interactions
through actual video or virtual reality will blur the lines between the
traditional classroom and distance learning approaches. However, as there are obviously still
students that feel the pull of the traditional classroom, distance learning
will remain an augmentation to traditional education rather than a replacement
for it, regardless of technological advances.
References
Berkey, C. (2000) Personal
communication.
Blotzer, M. J.
(2000) Distance
learning, Occupational Hazards, 62, 53
- 55.
Cheng, H-C., Lehman, J., & Armstrong, P. (1991) Comparision
of performance and attitude in traditional and computer conferencing classes, The Journal of Distance Education, 5, 51
- 64.
Elram, L. M.,
&
Inman, E., Kerwin, M., & Mayes, L. (1999) Instructor and
student attitudes toward distance learning, Community
College Journal of Research and Practice, 23, 581 - 591.
Kearsley, G. & Lynch, W. (1996) Structural issues in distance
education, Journal of Education for
Business, 71, 191 - 197.
Markel, M. (1999) Distance education
and the myth of the new pedagogy, Journal
of Business and Technical Communication, 13, 208 - 222.
Phelps, R. H., Wells, R. A., Ashworth, Jr., R. L., & Hahn, H. A.
(1991) Effectiveness and cost of
distance education using computer-mediated communication, The American Journal of Distance Education, 5, 7 - 19.
Raphael, T (1999)
Learn HR online? One student’s experience, Workforce,
78, 6.
Sonner, B. S.
(1999) Success
in the capstone business course - Assessing the effectiveness of distance
learning, Journal of Education for
Business, 74, 243 - 247.
513-732-5257
jeff.bauer@uc.edu
Assistant Professor Jeffrey C. Bauer, coordinates the Health Care Management Program at the