The need to evolve distance education to the next generation has proven to be a concern. There is a need for more research about the effectiveness of distance learning or virtual schools. Teaching strategies our always criticised and change is always just around the corner. I have been a professional educator for thirteen years and have seen different theories about how students learn. Every year or two new research has been conducted to address the different ways to deliver instruction, what works, what no longer works, etc. Until we find a one size, fits all approach to teaching, there will continue to be new theories, ideas, and suggestions on how students learn. Distance education is no exception to this criticism. Huett, Moller, Foshay, and Coleman suggest that improvements need to occur in distance education in order for it to be successful. They suggest that K-12 virtual schools utilize a collaborative team between educators and Instructional Design professionals to design the programs for learning success. However, they also noted that the few studies conducted suggest that online instruction is just as effective as classroom instruction. “Comparison studies in both higher education and k-12 environments appear to show no significan difference based on the delivery medium.” (2008). The newness of online instruction could definitely use more research about its effectiveness.
Resources
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 1: Training and Development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, July/August). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 2: Higher Education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.
Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W. & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution ofdistance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.
Good summation of the articles and you make a valid point about the abundance of instructional theories. I have only been teaching for about four years and during my continued schooling I have been amazed by the assorted theories and studies all trying to establish a "one -size fits all" solution to education. Do you think it is possible that there is a single solution out there that will address all learners? I find it paradoxical that there is an emphasis with learners as individuals yet we use standardized assessments. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
ReplyDeleteI don't think that there is a "one size fits all" solution to education. Scholars continue to look for a single solution or type of solution by convincing others that their solution is the best one for all or most. The fact that we admit students learn differently and then give them all the same assessment and expect the same results is unfair to the learner. I have students who do very well at verbally explaining how to solve a problem, but when they are given a multiple choice test they fail miserably. It's not that they don't understand the material, they just don't test well. Perhaps, the focus should be on alternate forms of assessment instead of standardized tests.
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