For over 100 years distance education has been society’s answer to bridging the gap of time and space and connecting students with teachers when they, for a variety of reasons, cannot be in a traditional, face-to-face learning environment together. For that same amount of time, we have learned that students can learn at different times and different places from the instructor. Simonson (2003, as cited in Albright, Simonson, Smaldino & Zvacek, 2012, p. 8) says this type of asynchronous distance education approach is the purest form of distance education because learners get to choose when and where they learn. Although this is not the only type of distance education approach we will be studying, it is helpful to understand, that in its most basic form, learners continue, decade after decade, to successfully learn through distance education programs.
Effective distance education programs do not just happen by chance however. They are carefully planned with a direct focus on the needs of the learner, the instructional goals for the course and the goals of the organization administering the program. Effective distance education programs evolve over time through the constant effort of many dedicated individuals in an organization. These dedicated stakeholders, students, teachers, instructional designers, administrators, tutors, facilitators, and skilled support staff are what keeps a successful distance education program in a position to continue bridging the space and time between the learner and the instructor.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance, (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
(Can be purchased as paperback, ebook or rented.)
Palloff, R., Pratt, K. (2003). The virtual student : A profile and guide to working with online learners.
This course was designed to create opportunities for you to learn about the subject of distance education from several perspectives and also be able to apply this knowledge in your own life. Education is very personal in terms of needs and interests. You will find in this course many opportunities for you to personalize your work and / or make choices about which direction to take an assignment. Although the course and the assignments are presented the same way to all students, what you do with the assignments and how you apply your knowledge will be up to you. You are expected to be creative in your work. At each step in the course, think of how the information best suits your learning goals. When you complete this course you will have accomplished the following:
Your course is divided into 11 Lessons. Each lesson has its own set of readings (and sometimes videos) and reader / video response (RR / VR) assignments. RR assignments are scored based on the rubric provided in RR Assignment 1 in Lesson 1. Each set of readings is designed to help open your mind to a particular issue or characteristic of distance education, and each RR is designed to help engage you in the subject matter and allow you a chance to reflect on and connect with the topic. They are also designed to provide you an opportunity to communicate your thoughts, knowledge and understanding to me. You are asked to do this in a particular format.
Your RR format should be one in which you practice your APA style writings. As you may have studied in our Foundations of IDT course, there are particular ways to increase our ethical approaches to writing. In this program, using APA style formatting for documenting our sources is one of the ways. It also encourages originality and creativity. For more APA style advice and tutorial guidance, you can use your APA Handbook (if you own one) or use the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL), as it is very helpful with every aspect of writing. Also, THIS 11 minute video on “Paraphrasing: The Basic Steps” applies to the type of writing you might find yourself doing in your reflections.
Many of the lessons have, in addition to the RR’s, a task or an additional assignment for you to participate in. They are all designed to help you master the course content and have all the tools you need to not only complete the course and the final project but also carry your new knowledge into further studies and your professions. Your final project description link can be found on the bottom of the “Assignment Due Dates and Grading” page shown as a dropdown after clicking “Assignments” in the upper right hand corner of this page. Your lessons and assignments may be viewed by clicking on their associated dropdown “Lessons” and “Assignments” tabs located on this page.
I suggest you look over all the Lessons, all the Assignments, and the Final Project. Take a moment to try to set some goals that will help you to approach the course in bite size chunks. There are suggested due dates. These dates are not mandatory, but if met, will get you through the course on time. Some lessons have more readings then others depending on the subject matter. Some have videos. There is some creative work in this course as we move from distance education in general to your own distance learning lesson/module. Give yourself time. Ask questions.
NOTE: Please do not turn 3 or 4 assignments in at one time – the feedback I provide may cause you to have to go back and adjust them all and that will cost you time. 1 or 2 at a time would be better for you.
Each learner is expected to abide by the Virginia Tech Graduate Honor System Pledge, as stated below. All assignments and activities in this course are expected to be the learner's own work; no outside assistance may be used.
The tenets of the Virginia Tech Graduate Honor Code will be strictly enforced in this course, and all assignments shall be subject to the stipulations of the Graduate Honor Code. For more information on the Graduate Honor Code, please refer to the GHS Constitutions at: http://ghs.graduateschool.vt.edu