Experience with Distance Education |
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Distance education has become a large part of my life since beginning my Ed.S. at the University of Montevallo one year ago. I completed my Master’s almost 15 years ago in a traditional classroom environment, and have since only had limited exposure to any type of distance education, just a professional development session here or there. As a busy high school teacher and a soccer coach, my initial reaction to the opportunity for online education was very positive. I was hesitant about the educational experience I would have, and how it would compare to what I was used to in terms of instruction, but the convenience of online coursework and limited required face-to-face meetings appealed to my larger concerns about time restraints.
My experience of distance education within the Ed.S. program has been very positive. In all of the individual examples I have of activities and opportunities for learning that have helped me achieve, the uniting theme has been open communication. Simonson, Smaldino, and Zvacek (2015) advocate for personalized communication, claiming that “effective instructional messages are designed according to the situation, experiences, and competencies of the learners” (p. 78). I can attest that when it is apparent a professor considered the perspective of the student in selecting activities and outcomes, learning increases. This interaction is addressed in Perraton’s (1981) synthesis of existing distance education, which includes elements with the purpose of increasing dialog. One such suggestion that is engaged in frequently and has helped augment learning in online courses at the University of Montevallo is group discussion. Karatas, Bagriacik, Dikmen, Ermis, and Gurbuz (2017) identify interaction as a key element to achievement in distance education. The majority of communication between my professors in individual and group interaction has been supportive and shown purpose, following prescribed practice.
Identifying an activity or interaction with flaws in my distance education is a difficult task. The very few negative experiences I have had learning through distance education have dealt with scheduling and planning. Simonson, Smaldino, and Zvacek (2015) explore barriers to distance education, a list which includes a lack of strategic planning. For the rare instances when my experience has been negative, it has been tied to a lack of information in enough time to complete the assignment to the quality I like to maintain. Every one of my colleagues in graduate school leads an extremely busy life, one that requires strict time management in order to achieve. The only times I have felt at a disadvantage because of the online status of my course have been when I did not have adequate time to prioritize work. I have to assume a certain amount of responsibility for these few negative interaction because of a large number of personal demands; however, there are prefered time spans between assigning work and collecting it, and that requires advanced planning.
References
Karatas,, S., Yilmaz,, A., Dikmen, C., Ermis, U., & Gürbüz, O. (n.d.). Interaction in Distance Education Environments: A Trend Analysis. Quarterly Review of Distance Education,18(1), 63-82. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
Perraton, H. (1981). A theory for distance education. Prospects,11(1), 13-24. doi:10.1007/bf02254290
SPICDT, J. (2015, March 18). Three types of interaction. Retrieved June 10, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OVAzfxAd9A
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
It is amazing to me the different experiences that we each have with forms and methods of distance education. I completely agree that communication and interaction are two key aspects to making distance learning a positive experience! According to Simonson, Smaldino, and Zvacek, 2015), "interaction is the a primary component of any effective distance education program" (p. 67). Group discussion in our courses has certainly facilitated our learning, not only with our instructors, but learner to learner, as well. We have experienced this via many platforms and methods. All of which stray very far from the traditional discussion board posting (and I am so thankful).
ReplyDeleteSimonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. M. (2015). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education. Charlotte, North Carolina: IAP.
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteOur experiences are very similar. I to completed my masters about 12 years ago and had little to no online course experience until I began my Ed.S. at the University of Montevallo. I was very skeptical about taking my first online class. I question whether the quality of the instruction would match that of my traditional education back ground. I have sense realized that the quality of the classes is equal or better in some cases. Additional, I feared that I did not have the discipline it takes for an online class. I have struggled with that but feel that taking the online classes has improved my time management and discipline.