The Study of Distance Education

Internet Sites
Required Readings Outline
Bibliography/Summaries

• Masters of Distance Education, Athabasca University A complete guide to program, including course description, schedule, hardware/software
  
• Master of Arts in Open and Distance Education, Open University of the UK
  
• Certificate in Distance Education, Penn State
  

Distance Education Courses

• Research Seminar in Distance Education, University of Florida Includes syllabus and related distance education links
  
• Designing Distance Education Courses, Ohio State University
  
• Intro to Distance Education, University of Iowa
  
• Distance Education, San Diego State University Taught by Fahad Saba
  
• Teaching and Learning Online from the Institute of Educational Technology at Open University
  

Distance Education Centers on Campuses

• University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Division of Continuing Studies and Distance Education
  
• The American Center for the Study of Distance Education Pennsylvania State University
  
• Distance Education Center at Simon Fraser University, Canada
  
• Independent Learning at the University of Wisconsin
  
• AT&T Center for Excellence in Distance Learning (CEDL)
  
• Instructional and Technological Support ServicesA list of the services offered by the equivalent of the UF Office of Instructional Resources at Penn State College of Education
  
• Western Michigan University Department of Distance Education

Distance Education Universities

• The Open University of United Kingdom
  
• Open University/Open College Online (British Columbia, Canada) Take an online tour
  

Other Related Links

• Reinventing Education - The Technology is Now The National Academy of Science and Engineering's perspective on the role of technolgy and education
  
• Interactive Teacher On-Line ezine
  
• Complete List of Universities with Internet sites
  
• World Lecture Hall Provides a list of courses with web pages
  

• Holmberg, J. (1989) Part 1. Distance Education from three perspectives. Key issues in Distance Education: an academic viewpoint. European Journal of Education. 24(1): 11-23.
  Holmberg presents two elements in the Distance Education process: "on the one hand, subject-matter presentation by means of a pre-produced course, i.e. one-way traffic; on the other, communication between students and tutors in writing, on the telephone, by computer and/or other media." (11) This article has given me the basis for my expanded view of interaction. Holmberg refers to communication in Distance Education as a conversation and argues for involving the student on an emotional level.

  Interestingly, he believes that the presentation of verbal subject matter is best delivered in print (as opposed to screen.) His justification is that "...it is easier to read, it facilitates leafing and browsing and is open to all sources available, not only such as have been deemed suitable by decision-makers for computer storage." For this reason he argues that print will remain a viable medium for delivery of distance education courses.

  The key Distance Education issues expressed in this article are:

  1. Does D. E. favor cramming or is it a truly educational activity which promotes student autonomy?
  2. The potential of Distance Education - opportunities for truly individual instruction, adapting study time and the application of knowledge gained to real world experience.
  3. Empathy as a Characteristic of Distance Education - Holmberg believe this is a must in a learner centered environment.
  4. The need to develop a theory based approach to D.E.

• McKinney, Brian. "A Teacher's Farewell Address." Distance Education Clearinghouse: Success Stories. http://www.uwex.edu/disted/mckinney.html (Fall 1995)
  Brian McKinney teaches English at Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA. His end-of-course email message to his students is posted on the University of Wisconsin Extension's Distance Education Clearinghouse website under "Success Stories." McKinney admits he went in expecting disaster (on the advice of colleagues) but came out with (only) a 50% attrition rate and more A's than he normally gives. Those who dropped out of the course were either over-scheduled, needed a classroom situation, suffered from technology difficulties, or couldn't get along with the teacher (note that even DL can suffer this problem).
  He lists a few changes for next semester which give us some idea of what problems developed during the course [my comments in brackets]:
  * No early allowance for two-a-day journals. [This is probably a "daily" journal, which makes doing two at once either anachronistic, or 'procrastonistic.' Furthermore, online courses with syllabi given in advance might cause some energetic students to get ahead of a "step-by step" lesson plan.]
  * The class will be divided into seven deadline zones instead of one, to eliminate the dreaded Deadline Clog, which slows my response. [Teacher response/feedback timing is a highly correlated to student attrition rate.]
  * Clear statement early on of the last day when deadlines or rewrites will be accepted.
  McKinney ends his letter debunking the DL is impersonal myth. He states "I know you as well as, if not better, than I know most of my day students."

• Mitchell, I. (1993). Academic education of distance educators. In K. Harry, Distance education: new perspectives (pp. 292-304). London, England: Routledge.
  Mitchell discusses the development of formal course work for degrees in distance education. The program began with a Graduate Diploma in Distance Education (1983) one year in length and was available to professional distance educators. As of 1991, the program has expanded to also offer a Masters Degree in Distance Education, which takes eighteen months.
  Course content for the graduate diploma program originally included an introduction of distance education, program development, instructional design, technology, administration, student support, evaluation, and a project. The course content has undergone modification with the addition of the Masters program. Content is now broken down into introduction, management, distance teaching and learning 1 & 2, and critical issues. The program today is integrated with students progressing from one program to another if they choose, they are not subject to a different course content.
  The materials for the original graduate diploma used print, audio-cassettes, video cassettes, tape/color slide presentations and sample kits of print techniques. Student-tutor interaction was supported by phone and teleconferencing. Materials now are in print and audio-cassette only and student-tutor support are now by phone, teleconference, fax, and electronic mail. Evaluation showed positive student interaction with tutor to be more critical than a variety of presentations.
  Students in these programs are distance learners and are asked to become distance educators by learning all aspects of the distance education process. Course writers have to become administrators, administrators have to become course writers. This experience allows students to become more sensitive to all aspects of the distance education process.

  This very enlightening article addresses the processes behind the development of the first graduate program in DE in the world, first as a graduate diploma program and then as a Masters degree program. Mitchell opens by recounting the birth of the first at Deakin Univeristy in Adelaide, South Australia, and continues with its final version, a joint endeavor between Deakin and the University of South Australia. Among the "Value Positions" he details, of interest is his allusion to a particular discourse style in a course's written materials that would fit both those graduate students who have experience in DE and those who are fresh to the field. This style reflects an introduction to the subject matter, allowing the unitiated to be guided through while containing enough salient points which the more experienced student uses as take-off points for additional self-guided instruction. Finally, a very original component of one course for practicing DE personnel forced all students to play all roles, i.e., administrators had course design duties and vice-versa, teachers had to be technologists, etc., thus increasing the understanding and empathy each had for the others' roles.

• Rogers, E.M., (1983). Diffusion of innovations, 3rd ed. New York: Free Press. London: Collier Macmillan.
  We all know it takes time for any new idea to catch on with people even if it's a great idea. Diffusion of innovations addresses the adoption of new ideas by individuals and groups.
  Diffusion of new ideas is an innovation that is communicated through certain channels over time among members of a social system. What does all that mean?
  An innovation is an idea, practice or object that is new to an individual. The characteristics of the innovation determine its rate of adoption ie. relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, testing, and observability. An innovation may also be reinvented, meaning it is changed or modified by the adopter.
  Innovations are communicated through certain channels to the social systhere are five phases to adoption or rejection over time: knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation.
  A social system is a group of interrelated individuals. The particular structure of the social system may impede or facilitate adoption of a new innovation.

• Sauve, Louise. (1993) "Media and Distance Education: Course Description" in Harry, K. Distance Education: New Perspectives.

  &

  Bates, Tony "Theory and Practice in the Use of Technology in Distance Education" in Keegan, Desmond Theoretical Principles of Distance Education, NY: Routledge, 1993

  Sauve's article points out the important role of media in distance education. As the essential characteristic of distance education is the separation between the teacher and the learner throughout the length of the learning process, a systematic use of media is required. A system approach describes the step by step operations of systematic teaching and specifically the selection of media constitutes the heart of instructional design.
  A number of variables determine the choice of media to facilitate learning: the learner's characteristics, the knowledge to transmit, the task to achieve, and the media characteristics (technical attributes, production capacities, distribution modes, conditions of use, costs and legal aspects).
  Bates further explained the relationship between choice of media and acquisiton of a particular type of knowledge. Each medium represents knowledge differently and different technologies have different influences on student access, control and flexibility. For instance, media differ in their ability to handle concrete and abstract knowledge. TV can demonstrate processes or procedures, construct concrete examples of abstract ideas, demonstrate interpersonal communication, and dramatize or reconstruct events while print materials are powerful in dealing with abstract and theoretical ideas. Therefore, the best way of teaching a particular subject is the need for a different balance of media between different subject areas.
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  Page updated: Sunday, March 17, 1996