Should DE systems be individualized for most learners, or is group learning a better way to go?
Distance education technologies are expanding at an extremely rapid rate. Too often, instructional designers and curriculum developers have become enamored of the latest technologies without dealing with the underlying issues of learner characteristics and needs. Although technology is an integral part of distance education, any successful program must focus on the instructional needs of the students, rather than on the technology itself. It is essential to consider their ages, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, interests and experiences, educational levels, and familiarity with distance education methods and delivery systems (Schamber, 1988). The most important factor for successful distance learning is a caring, concerned teacher who is confident, experienced, at ease with equipment, uses the media creatively, and maintains a high level of interactivity with the students.
I believe that the challenge for the DE educator today is to attempt
to produce a set of objectives, techniques, and testing devices that will take
into account the independence of learners.
Distance education should be a partnership of teachers and
self-directing learners. Adult learners
have different capacities for making decisions regarding their own
learning. Designers of distance
education programs should take into account those abilities and work with
them. As active participants in the
learning process, students affect the manner in which they deal with the
material to be learned. Learners must
have a sense of ownership of the learning goals (Savery and Duffy, 1995).
On the other hand, I believe that learner autonomy can still
be maintained when individual learners take part in group projects. Inquiry learning is one way in which learner
autonomy could be maintained, and at the same time, collaborative group
projects could take place. An excellent
example of this took place at the beginning of the 2000-01 school year when 12
seventh and eighth grade students from Highland School District, Illinois began
a virtual reality project. The project
attempted to present students with authentic tasks and professional-quality
software tools to enable them to pursue their own interests and guide their own
learning, while also allowing them to participate in social interaction and
collaboration. The first part of the
quarter was spent doing general instruction so that the students had the
knowledge and skills to complete the project, much like a traditional classroom. In the latter part of the class the teacher
effectively became a co-learner with the students and a resource person for
their self-directed learning activity.
I believe that activities such as this will help prepare students for
real-life jobs in which they will be forced to do independent work part of the
time, but also interact and collaborate with coworkers on projects at other
times.
An important variable in learning effectiveness is the
preference of the student for a particular mode of learning, such as
cooperative, competitive, or individualized learning. Effective learning requires both knowledge of learner styles and
advance preparation on the part of the teacher. Teachers are better able to make curricular decisions to suit the
preferences of their students, such as grouping certain students for project
work, or assigning particular students to individualized research projects, if
they can determine the prevalent learning modes within their own classrooms.
The study of learning and characteristics of learners engages
a large number of researchers. Research
reports that appear in the literature are often inconclusive. Reports in the literature suggest that some
combination of cognitive style, personality characteristics, and self-expectations
can be predictors of success in distance education programs. It appears that those students who are most
successful in distance learning situations tend to be independent, autonomous
learners who prefer to control their own learning situations.
The University of Alberta in their research, Learning
Technologies in Distance Education, studied a sample of adult learners over a
two-year period. Some of their conclusions
were:
Adult educators such as Sherry (1996) affirm a new teaching
and learning model that stresses student-centered instruction. Ultimately, it
will demand changing the traditional role of teachers from information transmitters
to guides who arrange meaningful learner-centered experiences (Salomon, 1992).
Many of today’s adult learning theories are built upon the
premise that teachers will assist students to become self-directed and
independent. Learners must assume
responsibility for their educational experiences, but they must receive
adequate teacher feedback and reinforcement.
Teachers are still considered knowledge experts who have a clear
understanding of their subject matter.
Yet, their new role involves promoting more self-directed learning
activities that also require genuine collaboration with other classmates.
Technology can enhance adult learning because it has the
potential to increase flexibility, provide access to expertise, facilitate
discussion among learners who can’t meet face to face, reduce feelings of
isolation often experienced by nontraditional learners, increase learner
autonomy, and support and promote constructivist and collaborative learning
(Burge 1994; Cahoon 1998; Eastmond 1998; Field 1997).
Open learning is another student-centered approach to
education that removes all barriers to access while providing a high degree of
learner autonomy. Some of the meanings,
which are commonly attributed to it, include:
·
Greater access to those previously denied access to
education;
·
Greater flexibility to the individual learner in the
form of autonomous self-directed learning;
·
Less restriction on the formalities of education.
Lewis and Spencer (1986) state that at the heart of open learning
is the individual learner and that traditional education has been inappropriate
for the individual learner. Open
learning lessens constraints and removes barriers for open learners by
promoting such qualities as autonomy, independence, and flexibility. It accordingly incorporates a stronger
learner centered philosophy. There are
two aspects that distinguish open learning from traditional distance learning. One is the provision of greater access to
the educational institution and the other is the opportunity for greater
flexibility of learning.
There are several problems that I can see for teachers of
student-centered approaches to education.
Teachers are often restrained by set curriculums, content standards, external
exams, and the existing educational backgrounds of the learners that are
contrary to a critical approach. Staff
development is crucial for those responsible for implementing open learning,
not only in the methodology and theory behind open learning, but also in
training of the latest technologies.
Most teachers are reluctant to lose control to the learner and to lose
corresponding control of timetables and assessment criteria. The time involved in teaching students at
different levels is another huge concern for teachers.
In conclusion, I believe that we must begin putting the
student in control of his/her own learning, with the teacher becoming the
facilitator and guiding the direction of learning. We can no longer teach students all of the information that
exists and therefore we must teach them to use the tools for information
gathering, researching, critical thinking and problem solving. Students must develop an intrinsic need for
learning. Even though there is an
independent process as students learn how to manage their learning and what
they want to learn, there will always be room for group interaction through
discussion, debates, and the gathering of information to share with other
students.
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Sherry, L. (1996). Issues in Distance Learning. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 1 (4), 337-365.
Basden, Jonathan C. November 2001. Authentic Tasks as the Basis for Multimedia Design Curriculum. The Journal. http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A3708.cfm
Miles, Tim. (1994). Open Learning and Critical Reflection: Implications for OTEN. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 10 (1), 19-26.
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Motteram, Gary. 1998. Learner Autonomy and the Web.
http://www.insa-lyon.fr/Departements/CDRL/learner.html
Gunawardena, Charlotte Nirmalani; McIsaac, Marina Stock. Distance
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http://earthvision.asu.edu/~laurie/mcisaac/distance.htm
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