The definition of distance learning is always changing due primarily to the political aspirations, economics, Internet, communication technologies, and to the application of learning theories to some extent. Persons’ profession and experiential technical knowledge influence changes in definition of distance learning, though Simonson et al (2009) considered technology as a ‘mere vehicle’. In 1980, my cousin used to come to me with some printed materials entailing some problems in mathematics. I was in high school then and he was working; he would finish the study and mail it back to the institution. He was taking ‘cours par correspondance’ in French (correspondence courses). Distance learning helped my cousin to both work and to educate himself; today he is running his own school.
Distance learning provides an amazingly interactive learning platform that makes it possible for me to pursue my education on my own terms wherever and whenever it is convenient for me to do so. As a teacher, though I had a BSc in mathematics and a MBA in International Business Management, I had no credits in education courses. Online distance learning from the University of Phoenix and American Intercontinental University, coupled with courses from Queens College helped me to gather the necessary required credits in 2005 to remedy my deficiency. Facts revealed that distance learning provided the opportunities to complete most of the classes in less time than at a traditional college.
The asynchronous learning experiences encountered with the University of Phoenix online and Walden University online, coupled with both synchronous and asynchronous methods of learning gained from the American Intercontinental University online characterize the following definition of distance learning. Distance learning is a system that provides learning synchronously and asynchronously. The instructional environment is composed of learners, regardless of culture, time, and space, interacting with their facilitators, where materials include but are not limited to text, video, audio, wikis, and blogs that make learning more interactive and rewarding.
Learning takes place in ordinary communication, so a culture could define, accept, and justify knowledge when the society culturally shares that knowledge. Individual’s philosophy characterizes education and determines the course of each individual’s life. The Aristotelian philosophy of education based on the intellectual basis for the living and the future gives rise to constructivism, which “is a philosophy of learning founded on the premise that, by reflecting on our experiences, we construct our own understanding of the world we live in. Each of us generates our own rules and mental models, which we use to make sense of our experiences” (Siemen, 2004, p.1). Moreover, through mobile computing, Internet, and communication technologies, information is readily available at any time and any place. Access to virtual libraries is easier than ever. I was browsing with my Samsung Epic 4G and accessed Walden library; it was amazing to see how technology is making learning easier. Right tools and right policies will help shape the way we learn.
Like my own needs, distance education accommodates many students' individual circumstances and educational needs. Asynchronous environment (different time, different place) characterizes my definition of distance learning where pedagogy (teacher-centered method) gives way to andragogy (adult learner-centered method). The teacher becomes the facilitator. The revised definition is as follows: Distance learning consists of asynchronous internet- based learning, where connectivism permeates the shift of power from instructor-centered to learner-centered favorable learning, thanks to the available and emerging technologies. Learning, the process of adjusting mental models to accommodate new experiences, becomes a way of life (Vaill, 1996). The pervasiveness of technology and the characteristics of andragogy help learners to experience lifelong learning and equip them to interact in the global market.
By now, it should be clear to everyone that too many traditional schools are failing to provide lifelong learning opportunities to learners (Moller, Foshay, and Huett, 2008). This week’s readings suggest that even the developing countries that lack the technological and financial resources sense the need for distance learning (Simonson et al., 2009). The real future of distance learning lies on the institutions’ ability to analyze the global market systems where the competitions lie to detect what works and what does not. The policy makers’ vision and wisdom to release the appropriate and suitable technology that fuels effective and efficient education has a great impact on the future of distance learning. Many factors will play an important role in the survival of distance learning. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the nation’s political aspirations in interacting in the global market, the ability of institutions to communicate effectively the benefits of distance education, the vision, and emancipation of institutionalized culture to respond to the needs and demands of the society. The understanding and application of the innovative and emerging technologies, the effective and efficient use of these vehicles for the highest common goal play an important role in sustaining the effectiveness and the survival of distance learning.
References
Brown, J. S., (2002). Growing Up Digital: How the Web Changes Work, Education, and the Ways People Learn. United States Distance Learning Association. Retrieved from http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/FEB02_Issue/article01.html.
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). 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.
Siemen, G. (2004). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age.
Retrieved from http://www.funderstanding.com/content/constructivism.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Vaill, P. B., (1996). Learning as a way of being. San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Blass Inc.
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