Sam Bachert's Library tagged distance → View Popular, Search in Google

Apr

2008

Thirty-two Trends Affecting Distance Education: An Informed Foundation for Strategic Plannning

www.westga.edu/...howell63.html

- Preview

trends distance education

Apr

2008

Distance Learning: Promises, Problems, and Possibilities

www.westga.edu/...valentine53.html

- Preview

distance learning promises problems possibilities

Palloff and Pratt (2000) remind us that “technology does not teach students; effective teachers do”(pg. 4). They make the point that the issue is not technology itself, but how it is used in the design and delivery of courses. Too often instructors do not design their lessons to take advantage of the technology presented. This affects the quality of the instruction.
Research suggests that the effectiveness of distance learning is based on preparation, the instructor’s understanding of the needs of the students, and an understanding of the target population (Omoregie, 1997).
8 more annotation(s)...
- Sherritt (1996) found in her survey of higher education administrators that many of the decision makers view distance programs as second rate, a “necessary but deficient form of education” (pg.2). She writes that this attitude also was found in academic departments that “have no strong mandates to adjust their curriculum and instruction to fit distance learning beyond cursory cooperation” (pg. 2).
- Much of the quality of instruction depends on the attitude of the administration and the instructor.
- Many times it seems that the administration believes the technology itself will improve the quality of the class.
- If the administration and instructors are lacking in true commitment, it is bound to have a negative influence on the entire distance learning experience.
- The startup costs, maintenance costs, and personnel costs should also be factored in to arrive at a true cost for a distance-learning program.
- Holmberg (1989) also discusses these two schools of thought and concludes that 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). The instructor must decide which attitude they will adopt because it has a profound impact on their approach to instruction.
- Instructors worry about putting their course materials online because once there, the knowledge and course design skill in that material is out of their possession. This puts the administration in a position to hire less skilled, and cheaper, workers to deliver the technologically prepackaged course (Noble, 1998 cited in Dibiase, 2000).
- Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2000). Making the transition: Helping teachers to teach online. Paper presented at EDUCAUSE: Thinking it through. Nashville,Tennessee. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 452 806).