The Impact of Open Source

The Walden EDUC 6135 course has been progressing well and I have been busy creating and populating a content management system with information about technology tools (i.e. wikis, streaming video, etc.) and effective distance learning practices (i.e. technology knowledge, time management, etc.). 

This is Week 5 of the Walden course, a portion of which includes a review of an online course.  I reviewed the course:  The Art and Science of Negotiation offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) through the free Open Courseware Consortium (OCW) web site (Laws, 2006).  Having concluded my review, I will be responding to the questions outlined below with my analysis findings beginning with an overview of planning instruction.

Overview:  Planning Instruction

When planning for instruction, the process involves critical components of the:  learner; content; method and materials; environment; and, technology which must interact both efficiently and effectively to produce quality learning experiences.  Additional elements to keep in mind for distance education include (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012):

·         Courses previously taught in traditional classrooms may need to be retooled where the focus of the instruction shifts to visual presentations, engaged learners, and careful timing of information.

·         Plan activities that encourage interactivity and allow for student group work.

·         Be prepared in the event that technical problems occur.

·         Examine issues associated with the separation of instructor and students such as time constraints for class delivery, lack of eye contact, visualization of materials, and interaction.

Course Analysis Findings

Does the course appear to be carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance learning environment? How so?

Learner satisfaction in distance learning is determined by “the attention [the learners] receive from the teachers and from the system they work in to meet their needs - what distant learners want and deserve” include: 1) relevant content; 2) clear directions; 3) as much control as possible of the learning pace; 4) a means of drawing attention to individual concerns; 5) a way of testing their progress and receiving instructor feedback; and, 6) materials that are useful, active, and interesting (Simonson et al, 2012, p. 176). 

The seven elements framework for negotiation, developed by
Roger Fisher, is one of the topics discussed in the course.
(Image by Prof. David Laws).

For the MIT course, I found the above determinants of learner satisfaction to possess varying degrees of effectiveness as outlined below.

Relevant Content – The content is relevant and combines skill-building with social theory which includes reading, problem sets with required participation in discussions and simulations as well as a final project.

Clear Directions – The format of the course is easy to navigate with all web pages associated with the course listed on the left side of the web page for easy access.  A course syllabus is provided as well as directions for each section’s topic. Assignments and the final project were clearly explained.  A calendar of activities with applicable key dates is included.  There are links to information for Getting Started using OCW materials, technology, etc. These FAQs pages provide answers to common questions learners may have about the course.  There is even a link that provides the in-text citation reference for the course.

Learning Pace Control – The learner has full control over the pace of this asynchronous course.

Addressing Individual Concerns – An email link is available to send feedback to the MIT site administrators.

Test Progress & Receive Feedback – This information is not available with the free course.

Useful, Active, and Interesting Materials – Materials are separated into four general areas which are of interest to me:  1) Bargaining and Strategic Interaction; 2) Cooperation and Mutual Gains; 3) How Can We Shape the Game We Play?; and, 4) Big Cases. 

In my opinion, the materials, discussions, exercises and simulations would be more effective using the blended learning approach of the tuition-based course; however, for a foundational understanding of the topic the asynchronous free course is useful and interesting.

Does the course follow the recommendations for online instruction as listed in your course textbook?

MIT faculty and instructors publish only as much content as they are comfortable providing on a Web site that is freely accessible worldwide.  In some cases, solutions to homework assignments, quizzes, and exams are only discussed and presented in a classroom setting and not made available in print or electronic format.

The resources in the Walden course caution designers to avoid “dumping” a face-to-face course onto the Web (Simonson et al, 2012), and for the blended MIT course, that is exactly what was done.  However, being that it is a free course;  the method is a cost savings measure for the school.

This being said, it is apparent the designers of the MIT course followed many of the best practices for online instruction including (Simonson et al, 2012, pp. 135-136):

·         Organizing the course and making the organization and requirements clear to the learner.

·         Keeping learners constantly informed.

·         Including learner interaction through discussion boards.

·         Incorporating simulations for practicing negotiating skills.

·         Applying adult learning principles (self-directed assignments).

·         Training learner to use the course site (FAQs pages).

 

Did the course designer implement course activities that maximize active learning for the students?

Active learning for instructional designers is described as incorporating strategies which involve learners doing things and having them think about the things they are doing (Austin, n/d).  Best practices for instruction also involve providing for “real “ experiences.  For both children and adults, “real” experiences provide the foundation for learning; however, more “realistic” forms of learning can be less efficient in terms of resources and/or distractions.  The critical job of educators and designers of distance education is to be only as realistic as is needed in order for learning to effectively occur (Simonson et al, 2012).

The MIT free course provided active learning activities by including a beginning and end to each activity; stating a clear purpose, providing clear directions, and including instructions for utilizing the site contents (Austin, n/d).  Realistic instruction is incorporated in the tuition-based course in the form of simulations.

References

Austin, D. (n/d). Strategies to incorporate active learning into online teaching. Retrieved from http://www.icte.org/T01_Library/T01_245.pdf.

Laws, David. 11.011 The Art and Science of Negotiation, Spring 2006. (Massachusetts 
              Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), http://ocw.mit.edu (Accessed 27
              Nov, 2012). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a
              distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Selecting Distance Learning Technologies

Overview

This is Week 3 of the Walden EDUC 6135 course, and class members are asked to consider the needs and requirements of the learning context as well as distance learning technologies which may provide solutions for one of three examples:  1) Collaborative Training Environment; 2) Interactive Tours; or, 3) Asynchronous Training.

The asynchronous training example seems to most closely resemble a situation I may encounter as a designer in my current work environment and it reads as follows:

In an effort to improve its poor safety record, a biodiesel manufacturing plant needs a series of safety training modules. These stand-alone modules must illustrate best practices on how to safely operate the many pieces of heavy machinery on the plant floor. The modules should involve step-by-step processes and the method of delivery needs to be available to all shifts at the plant. As well, the shift supervisors want to be sure the employees are engaged and can demonstrate their learning from the modules.

Distance Learning Technologies

This week’s Walden resources state that the key to success in an online classroom is how technologies are used and what information is communicated using them.  As such, it is important to follow the necessary steps in selecting technologies for online instruction (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012):

1.    Assess available technologies.  For the safety training described above, an Internet-based survey can be created to determine lowest level of common technologies for the learners.

2.    Determine the Learning Outcomes. Once appropriate technologies are identified, there are a variety of technology-based activities that can be incorporated for ensuring the course(s) is/are authentic and learners can demonstrate desired outcomes.  Activities may include:

o    Graphics/pictures

o    Animations

o    Hyperlinks to discussion boards (used by both the employees and their managers)

o    Simulations and/or scenarios

o    Audio and video

o    Knowledge check questions

3.    Identify Learning Experiences and Match Each to the Most Appropriate Available Technology.  Organize the content into logical sections of information and create the instructional delivery strategies.

4.    Prepare the Learning Experiences for Online Delivery.  There are four strategies for organizing instruction for online delivery:

o    Linear-programmed instruction – All content is organized into concepts that are presented in blocks or chunks.  Learners review the content, take a self-test, and if successful move to the next chunk/block.

o    Branched-programmed instruction – Similar to linear except that self-tests are more sophisticated to learners can branch ahead if they are proficient or are directed back to more remedial content as needed.

o    Hyper-programmed instruction – Content is organized into modules and concepts, but permits learners to move through learning activities at their own rate and pace in a route they determine themselves. 

Note:  The hyper-programmed instruction model is nicely explained in an article by Tom Kuhlmann called Are Your E-Learning Courses Pushed Or Pulled?

o    Student-programmed instruction – Only the framework of the content is provided to online learners who are expected to provide the structure, outcomes, and sequence of learning activities.

DeAnn’s Choices

For the Biodiesel assignment, the technologies to use for the asynchronous training modules would include a “Pull” strategy as described in the Tom Kuhlmann article referenced above; audio narration; videos of the process (maybe even an opening video of one of the leaders explaining the importance of safety); and, interactive scenarios where employees could choose the steps involved in the process of safely operating heavy machinery on the plant floor.

The courses would ideally be housed in an Intranet-based learning management system with unlimited access and before launch would be beta-tested by the managers.  Hyperlinks to knowledge check quizzes as well as Intranet discussion boards would be embedded in the courses with a requirement for completion.

Quizzes would model the scenarios/simulations in the courses and the discussion boards would have pre-populated topics for employees to respond to and engage their peers.  Managers would also have access to the discussion boards to monitor as well as offer additional questions and comments.

Showcasing Technologies

A decent example of an asynchronous course on Biofuel Production Operations which incorporates graphics, animations, and knowledge checks can be found here: http://www.gatlineducation.com/bio_fuel_demo.html

Some excellent examples of free online e-learning courses that successfully incorporate technological strategies can also be found here:  http://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/01/22/15-inspiring-examples-of-free-online-education/

References

Kuhlmann, T. (2009). Are Your E-Learning Courses Pushed Or Pulled? The Rapid E-Learning Blog. Retrieved on November 14, 2012 from http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/are-your-e-learning-courses-pushed-or-pulled/

Onlinecollege.org. (2012). 15 Inspiring Examples of Free Online Education. Retrieved on November 14, 2012 from http://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/01/22/15-inspiring-examples-of-free-online-education/

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and Learning
           at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education, (5th ed.). Boston, MA:
           Pearson.

Defining Distance Learning

This post is for the EDUC 6135 Distance Education week 1 application assignment and will focus on: 1) my personal definition and observations of distance learning prior to beginning this course; 2) my revised definition considering the information in this week's course readings; and, 3) a summary of my vision for the future of distance learning.

Previous Definition

My definition of distance education has grown primarily from terms used to describe it in the corporate work environments at which I have been employed for the past six years. One of the first projects I was assigned to at a global organization was that of using previously developed content of approximately 15 new hire orientation PowerPoint presentations used for new hire orientation and transitioning it to a facilitator-led webinar. A year later the webinar content was transitioned into a web-based, self-paced narrative.

With my limited perspective, my previous understanding of what constituted distance learning was that it was a physical separation between learner and facilitator/instructor and also known as a "virtual" delivery method. For instance, a web-based eLearning (self-paced) course was classified as distance learning as was a facilitator-led webinar, and both were virtual learning experiences.

The reason web-based and self-paced courses have become so popular is because they are: 1) cost effective by off-setting travel, classroom overhead and loss of employee productivity; 2) provide "on demand" learning accessibility; and, 3) scalable - once developed, learners can immediately use it (Moller, Foshay & Huett, 2008).

Revised Definition

After reading through and watching this week's course resources, I quoted one of the more accurate definitions of distance learning in my introductory blog post for this course. To expound on the meaning of distance learning: it must possess each of the four components listed below or it is not true distance education (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012.

·         Institutionally based, meaning that schools and businesses can offer education to learners at a Distance.

·         Separation of teacher and learner.

·         Interactive telecommunications.

·         The learning experience consists of the sharing of data, voice, and video.

Visual Representation of Distance Learning

The Future of Distance Learning

As a subscriber to online instructional design forums through web sites such as Linkedin.com, Twitter, and miscellaneous blogs, I align with consistent themes of ID and learning professionals which include gaming as a tool of the future for distance learning.  An article that was referenced in the online discussions describes how the Army is using video game technology for training soldiers (Carroll, 2011).

I also believe that traditional classroom instruction is still important and there is every reason for instructional designs to include both F2F and online tools that allow for discussions inside and outside of the classroom

Additionally, future ID needs as described by authors Moller, Foshay, and Huett (2008) include:

For Corporate Training (Part 1):  New ISD methodology is needed based on the principles of rapid prototyping, iterative design and development, and incorporating frequent learner trials in a learner-centered approach to design and development (p. 73).

For Higher Education (Part 2):  There is a need to develop new processes with clear guidelines that support a “systematic examination of our pedagogical underpinnings” and take care of faculty concerns (pp. 68-69).

For K-12 (Part 3):  Ideally, ID professionals would play a key role in researching and designing K-12 distance education environments to carefully accommodate diverse learners with varying degrees of maturity.  There is a strong need for instructional designers, specifically trained in distance education technologies and design, which are ready to tackle distance education challenges at all levels (p. 65).

References

Carroll, C. (2011). Army will use cutting-edge video technology for soldier training. Stars and Stripes. Retrieved from http://www.stripes.com/blogs/stripes-central/stripes-central-1.8040/army-will-use-cutting-edge-video-game-technology-for-soldier-training-1.144585

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008). The Evolution of Distance Education: Implications for Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–6 7.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The Evolution of Distance Education: Implications for Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The Evolution of Distance Education: Implications for Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.