E-Learning Guidebook Chapter 2 – Learning Theory and Scholarship of Distance Education
“Good education, whether face-to-face or online, should be meeting the needs of the individual learners; connecting them with content, resources, and the ideas of others; “making it real” by providing authentic assignments and projects; and providing guidance with independent leaning skills.” (Kachel, Henry, Keller (2005) 17)
When looking at what kind of learning and training we would be setting up for Fithian, there are several things that comes to mind. The most important questions, we believe is what kind of learners and instructors are we going to be dealing with? By answering this question we will be better able to design a distance educational program and structure that will meet the needs of your students.
As one looks at the different theories with and ideas about distance education, we must always keep in mind that we are dealing with people, not objects. With this in mind we must realize that each student and each teacher brings their own knowledge, skills, and attitudes to the learning environment. (Boettcher, 2007) This is why no two learning experiences are exactly alike. Each student will take with them different knowledge. One way we can adapt what is done within the learning environment to make it more individualized for each student is to simply ask them what they already know and then as teachers try to build off of this knowledge that the student already has.
As we design a program of distance education, we must realize that many of the students will turn to this alternative due to the convenience. Education is becoming “any time, any place, any path, any pace” this is the kind of program we are hoping to design. (Russell, 2005) By doing this, more of our target audience will be willing to continue their education and work in classes that may never have thought of sitting in before, but due to the chance to do it on their time and at their pace, they are more likely to try it.
I propose that when designing the specific program for Fithian that we look at setting up a program that is based upon a combination of a Learner Centered and Assessment Centered approach. By doing this, we can we take the aspects of the learner centered where we would have the capacity to support individualized and community centered learning activities and combine it with the assessment centered where we can take multiple time- and place-shifted opportunities for formative and summative assessment by self, peers, and teachers. (Anderson, Elloumi, 54) By doing this we can create a program that will be more flexible for the learners. They will be able to work on things at their own pace and in their own time. The will not be restricted to one specific time and place to do their learning.
By having an approach such as this, we would be able to offer multiple learning opportunities for the students. We would offer within each course individual components along with group or collaborative components. The collaborative components would vary based upon the course, but would include items such as discussion groups, writing as a group, and online meetings where the students are able to ask questions of the instructors and get feedback from other students.
With an approach such as this, we believe that the students will be working in an environment that will be as close to a traditional classroom setting as possible, but without a physical classroom. In doing this, the students will be able to still learn about the other students in the course but be able to work on assignments when it is convenient for them.
Bibliography
Anderson, T. & Elloumi, F. (2004).Theory and Practice of Online Learning, Canada: Athabasca University. Please note, this book can be retrieved athttp://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/.
Boettcher, J (2007). Ten core principles for designing effective learning environments: Insights from brain research and pedagogical theory. Retrieved September 10, 2008, from Innovate 3 Web site: http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article
Kachel, D E, Henry, N L, & Keller, C A (2005). Making it real online: Distance learning for high school students. Knowledge Quest. 34, 14-17.
Russell, G (2005). The distancing question in online learning. Retrieved September 10, 2008, from Innovate 1 Web site: http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=13