Online Education: A Summary

INST 5240 Mimi Recker Utah State University

Overview

o o Many confusing terms o o o o o o o o Online learning e-learning Flexible learning Open learning Telematics Web-based education Distance education Others Consider (dis)advantages, design issues, reusability, diversity issues, future.

Debate

o o o The future of online learning: o o Pros Cons Consider age, location, content, impacts, appeal, effectiveness, access, dropout rates Clearly a key area for instructional technology o [2.2 million online learners in 2002 -- 33% growth]

Designer Viewpoint

o Advantages o o o o o Lower delivery cost Faster training Fewer facilities No travel Refine and reuse o Disadvantages o o o o Costs more to develop Requires new skills Demonstrated value?

Requires redesign

Learner Viewpoint

o Advantages o o o o o Anytime, anywhere Less travel Self-paced, self directed Increased accessibility Multimedia o Disadvantages o o o o Intimidating tech Costs of technology Isolating and lonely More self-discipline required (motivation, metacognition, and collaboration)

Design Issues (1)

o o Technology: o o o Fluency Reusability (later) Usability Teaching: o o o o o o Use media appropriately Support close student interaction Communicate expectations up front Provide timely feedback Emphasize time-on-task Maintain consistent standards

(Chickering & Reisser, 1993)

Design Issues (2)

o o Learning: o o o Support active learning Support flexibility Support peer communication & collaboration Evaluate: o o o o o Effectiveness (assessment) Effectiveness (transfer) Appeal Usability Cost-benefit

Design for Reusability

o o Opportunity for o increased productivity o reduced cost o improved quality Consider the following 3 ‘objects’: o In what ways are they different? o Are they reusable?

o Do they support learning?

Example One

o An online module containing instruction on how to create and save documents in Microsoft Word o Examples of the concepts o Assessment to measure mastery of the concepts

Example Two

o o o “Move mouse over ‘File’ menu item” “Press left mouse button” “Select ‘Open …’”

Example Three

o An online course containing instruction on how to write an annual report for Company X.

o In what ways are the objects different? o Are they reusable? o Do they support learning?

Reusability Issues

o Granularity o Instructional content/strategy o Context

Diversity Issues

o o o o o o o o o o Age Gender Disability Literacy Culture Socio-economic status (digital divide) Privacy Filters and censorship Copyright Intellectual property ...

The Future?

o Ubiquitous computing (‘m-learning’) o Intelligent agents o Virtual reality o Others?