Distance Education….Possibilities and Problems December 2, 2009

After reading Distance Learning Promises, Problems and Possibilities, pick one sub-topic to focus on and describe one or two potential Problems associated with that sub-topic.  You can pick any sub-topic to discuss.

 

One of the most important subtopics discussed by Valentine in Distance Learning Promises, Problems and Possibilities is the quality of instruction.  Although the type of distance learning described in this article – compressed video – is different from what I believe most distance learning has become –courses managed online – the quality of instruction is still the most vital piece of the puzzle.  I see a potential problem in instructional quality at the design stage.  If distance courses are designed to replicate face to face courses, I think that the quality of instruction could suffer.  As it is stated in the article, “distance education as a mode of education in its own right has very different consequences (than viewing it as a substitute for face-to-face instruction)” (p. 6).  I think that the quality of instruction will vary depending on whether the instructor designs the course to reproduce a traditional classroom setting or to create a new and innovative learning environment for students.  There is certainly an opportunity to improve instructional quality in a distance learning situation, but instructors need to be willing to rethink how they design and implement their instruction. 

Another potential problem related to the quality of instruction is assessment.  Determining how to assess in a distance learning environment has to be challenging.  I have participated in classes where the quantity of posts to online discussion boards was assessed, and I have also participated in classes where the quality of an online discussion was assessed.  In some ways, assessing textual discussion posts may be easier than assessing face-to-face discussion participation, but I am sure that it takes a great amount of time to determine how to do so.  I also think that providing informal feedback to students is more difficult in a distance learning environment.  Although this may not actually fall under the umbrella of assessment (perhaps it could be considered a type of formative assessment), the kind of invaluable verbal feedback that an instructor can provide in a face-to-face class at the moment when a comment or question is raised is unique to that traditional classroom setting.  I think that an instructor in a distance learning setting will need to consider how to best provide similar feedback to students. 

Ultimately, I think that the possibilities for distance learning outweigh the potential problems.  As instructors continue to modify their course designs, teaching styles, and assessment techniques to fit online courses, distance learning will evolve and improve.

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