GOAL 7.2

Distance Education

 Understanding the Advantages and Disadvantages

Nowadays, the internet has become a vital tool in the professional and personal development of humanity. Information travels at a tremendous speed through the internet and provides individuals with documents, music, pictures, videos, software, and more. In education, this technology has been used to improve the life quality of individuals who want to acquire knowledge and complete their studies. In my personal experience Distance Education has given me the option to continue my studies at my own pace. Being a fulltime worker, student, and parent has not been easy, for me, but thanks to distance education I have been able to manage my studies and personal life with great results. I have taken several courses in this modality, and all of them have been very rewarding; they have given me the opportunity to do other things I like without interrupting my learning; the flexibility and methodology has worked great for me.  Distance Education has also helped me become a more autonomous person; I think that the amount of responsibility that this system places over the shoulders of the learners is, in no way, a joke. Even though distance education has worked well for me, it does not mean that it will for everyone. As we understand, there are many aspects about the way every person learns, and there are factors that impact, either, in a positive or negative way.

  

Distance Education, like any other modality, has many advantages; in this case I will mention some of the most important ones that, in my experience, are the most relevant and have worked for me since I started with distance courses. The first advantage is the flexibility it offers. The schedule flexibility allows learners to manage their time. By having flexibility, learners work in a less stressful environment since they are the ones deciding when and how much work needs to be done. Flexibility does not mean “turn in your work whenever” instead, it means “you have plenty of time to schedule and do your work”. Another great advantage of Distance Education is the conditions that this modality puts students throught in order to test their autonomoy. For some, this might not be that good, but in my case this helped me tremendously in becoming a more responsible, self-demanding, and secured student. Autonomy is a condition that helps a person become independent and enhances the concept of self-govern, this according to Kearsley (2011). If a learner acquires and recognizes his/her autonomy, then it could be said that this learner is a self-sufficient person, and on-line courses put this aspect in trial at all times. One more great advantage is the access to information at all times; this helps learners review material and information on the platforms assigned or on the internet at any required moment. Another great advantage that this modality of education offers is its financial low cost. In contrast to in-class courses, on-line classes are very affordable. This allows learners to save money not only on school payments, but also on transportation, food, time, and more. The advantages offered by Distance Education are meant to be taken, and they are there for the ones who want to take the chance and use them.

In every educational modality there are pros and cons, and some of the most notorious disadvantages of Distance Education are isolation, the demand of technological knowledge, and late feedbacks. It is obvious that working behind a computer for a long time could isolate a person from face-to-face encounters, which may impact in the way learners socialize with others. This isolation may even go further; it could also cause technological dependence and interrupt the interpersonal abilities of the learners. Another disadvantage is the demand of technological knowledge that a learner must have when enrolling in a Distance Education course. This is critical because getting accustomed to new technology, new platforms, and its issues may discourage students causing them to fail their courses and even drop their studies this according to Keeger (2009). As we understand, technology changes rapidly, and learners should have that in mind at all times.  Furthermore, another disadvantage of on-line education is the late feedbacks learners receive. Since this modality is open for students twenty four hours a day, but the instructor or coordinator is on a schedule, the waiting time for feedback may be disappointing and stressful. It is very exasperating that learners, sometimes, must wait hours or even days to receive feedback from their mentors; feedback is very important since it tells about the progress and performance that students have in their learning process. 

There are many things that coordinators, teachers, and students can do to improve the experience of Distance Education courses. For instance, coordinators and directives should definitely contemplate the impact that on-line classes have; one must always have in mind that the curriculum of any educational institution and its courses must reflect on the political, cultural, and technical needs that must be covered to satisfy a society; this means that if the activities in the curricular plan are not going to be constructive or useful, they should not be promoted. Simonson (2009) mentions that teachers of on-line courses should never forget that they are there to support and help the students accomplish objectives in regards of their academic formation and must understand that the lack of professionalism does not only impact the final grade of a student, but instead, it impacts the mentality of a society as whole. In addition; empathy should be practiced, and live sessions should be requested, at least via webcam or phone, in order to interact with the students and hear what they have to say; the analysis of texts (emails) will never replace a face-to-face or live conversation. Let us not forget that communication is the most important aspect about human affairs. The students have their share as well. In order to have a better experience with Distance Education courses, students must be in constant communication with their mentors and piers; this, with the intention of building a stronger and more solid relationship with them. Motivation goes three ways, teacher-students, students-teacher, and students-students. Opening up to others may help everyone understand what needs and options there are in the learning process; and understanding these aspects will lead to a better education; procrastination, in this case, should be totally dismissed; education is there for the ones who want to be educated. 

         References

 ‎Michael R. Simonson 2009, Distance Education: Definitions and Glossary of Terms

 ‎Greg Kearsley 2011, Distance Education: A Systems View of Online Learning

          Desmond Keegan 2013, Foundations of Distance Education 

GOAL 6.1

Evaluation in Distance Education

Understanding how learners react when teaching in-class courses is, up to a certain point, something understandable and likely targetable; however, the big dilemma is as to how would learners react to an on-line evaluation and what impact will this have in their education. According to Stufflebeam and Shinkfield (2007) cited from Ruhe (2009) “ Evaluation is a process giving attestations on such matters as reliability, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, safety, ease of use and probity. Evaluation provides evidence and evaluative claims with respect to the worth, value, and improvement of individuals, programs, projects, services, and organizations”. The authors infer that evaluation does not only imply how good a performance was, instead, evaluation leads to impact, in the most positive aspect, the life and development of individuals in regards to their learning process.

            When referring to the evaluation of studies, one must understand that that there are two major types, formative evaluation and summative evaluation. Formative evaluation is the kind of evaluation that gets done while the course is in progress. This has the purpose of identifying scope and potential improvement.  According to George (1999) “An assignment is formatively assessed when the comments that the teacher makes to the student are intended to bring about improvement in the next submitted work.” Formative evaluation is, indeed, an outcome of a list of suggestions and decisions for action, and for development. In the other hand, summative evaluation is, as its name implies, the final judgment that is given to the summative of reached goals at a particular time. In simpler words, summative evaluation could be understood as the final grade that a learner will receive for a given performance, task, or work. George (1999) gives an interesting metaphor about formative and summative evaluation; he says that “when the cook tastes the soup, it is formative evaluation; when the dinner guest tastes the soup, it is summative evaluation.  

            When speaking about difficulties evaluating on-line activities, one must say that the most significant issue that arises is the understanding and purpose of assessment. Learners and teachers tend to see assessment as an evaluation mechanism; both teachers and learners should use assessment as a teaching tool, and quizzes and tests, as mentoring opportunities. Evaluation must always be in favor of helping individuals understand the areas of opportunity that they have. Evaluation of on-line activities has the purpose of increasing the awareness and reflection on the learning progress of students. Difficulties when evaluating on-line course activities, tasks, and tests varies according to the curriculum. Well founded objectives in the curricular plan may decrease issues such as, information misunderstandings, rubric objectives, and implicit manipulations.

            The curriculum is a very important aspect in accomplishing the purpose of on-line evaluation. The curriculum deals with the objectives and purposes of education. The curriculum, according to the idea of Arnaz (1981) views education as a social, technical, cultural, individual, political, and futuristic impact in learners. Since evaluation is so closed related to overcoming, understanding, and dissipating issues in the learning process, the curriculum design needs the results of such evaluations to integrate new objectives and improvements to education. In this aspect, evaluation contributes highly to the future of education. Well-evaluated learners give trust and valid data to impact education in a positive way.

            Good evaluation in distance courses is essential; therefore, in order to carry on with this purpose, educational institutions need to invest in curricular planning. Investing in curricular planning assures a more complete analysis of the needs and purposes that learners have. Good investigation and data analysis is vital to understand what would be the best ways to evaluate learners’ performances and achievements, not only to give a grade, but to help learners achieve their personal, social, and cultural goals.

            Understanding how learners are impacted by evaluation leads to a better comprehension of their accomplishments and learning styles. This is a crucial aspect that teachers and educational systems must always seek to understand. Once again, evaluation, in- class or on-line, needs to be seen as a shaping tool and not as a determinant value;  evaluation does not only implies how good a performance was, instead, evaluation leads to impact, in the most positive aspect, the life and development of individuals in regards to their learning process.

References

Kim E.Dooley 2005, Advanced Methods in Distance Education: Application and Practices for Educators, Trainers and Learners

Lynnette R. Porter 2004, Developing an On-line Curriculum: Technologies and techniques.   

Valerie Ruhe, Bruno D. Zumbo 2009, Evaluation in Distance Education and E-learning: The Unfolding Model

Judith George and John Cowan 1999, A Handbook of Techniques for Formative Evaluation: Mapping the Students Learning Experience

Lynnette R. Porte 2004, Developing an Online Curriculum: Technologies and Techniques

José Arnaz 1981, La Planeación Curricular