EDUC 6145

I will be using this page to blog about my project management course. I look forward to learning a lot throughout this course.

My Reflection on Distance Learning

            Currently there are still employers, teachers, students, and parents who are skeptical of distance learning. The reason being is because successful conversion of course delivery method is not always guaranteed (Schmidt & Gallegos, 2001). Thus, consumers need to continue to be aware and research the distance learning programs that they are interested in. Make sure that the organization is accredited, look up the yearly costs, and graduation rate. A helpful tool to use would be the College Scorecard, which is an interactive tool the government developed to help inform potential college students about our nation’s colleges (The White House, 2013).

In 5-10 years…

            The future of technology is very promising for all degrees of educations. I believe that online learning will become mainstream. The delivery and the interface of distance learning will continue to be enhanced which will attract more people.  People will start to realize that the geographic distance is no longer a factor. The use of more multimedia will began alleviating those feelings of not having a physical instructor present. According to Dr. Siemens, distance education benefit corporations by allowing them to interact with different offices around the world. They will also become more susceptible to distance education if we continue to bridge the gap of comfort in online courses (Siemens).

In 10-20 years…

            Distance education will become more prominent in traditional universities and I think more blended course will arise. This will also help the traditional university by allowing them to accept more students by implementing blended courses. I would like to think that this would lower the cost of education in America, but for some reason I think the cost of education will continue to increase because we will be paying for the convenience. However, people will become better educated because of the growing diversity that is occurring in online courses. I have learned the majority of what I know through course readings, and peer interaction. Distance learners must remain open-minded; there are many people in the world who have valuable opinions that could potentially change our way of thinking.

            As I continue on to graduate from an online program, I can exhibit the skills that I have learned through my job opportunities. Showing the employer how well trained I am, being a graduate of an online university, will positively change their perspective on online degree programs. As an instructional designer, I will be introducing the potential of distance learning and how it can positively affect their company. Not only will it save them money, but also it is a better and faster means of communication.

            I will continue to look for ways to improve distance education, by using best practices in my training courses. By loosely following ADDIE process to build my training courses, and conversing with the SME will help me create effective training courses. According to Schmidt and Gallegos (2001), providing the student with the best possible scenario where learning outcome will be maximized is the goal of course development. As I continue to develop my skills and implement them into my job field effectively, I will have an everlasting effect on those familiar and unfamiliar with distance education. Hopefully persuading them to use it once again.

References

Schmidt, E., & Gallegos, A. (2001). Distance learning: Issues and concerns of distance learners. Journal of Industrial Technology, 17(31), Retrieved from http://atmae.org/jit/Articles/schmidt041801.pdf

Siemens, G. (Performer) (n.d.). The future of distance education. [Video podcast].

The White House (2013). College scorecard. Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/higher-education/college-score-card

Converting to a Distance Learning Format

                                                  Converting to a Distance Learning Format

            If you are planning to convert a traditional course to a blended learning course, there are a few things that you need to take into consideration. The first thing that you need to do is evaluate your lesson plans and course goals. The next thing would be to navigate and research the best course management system for your online course. Be sure to know how to use this CMS prior to the beginning of the course. Lastly, after beginning your course, you will need to know how to keep your learners engaged and how to communicate effectively with them. To find out more about converting to a traditional course into an online course, continue reading.

            You need to review the lesson plan to make sure you can incorporate all elements in a blended course. You should know that each learner learns differently and be willing to accommodate all learning styles. As the trainer you need to first formulate all of the course goals, and then create learning objectives from the goals, which turn into learning outcomes (Assignments, Projects, and Presentations). The example below is a representation of how your course goals should be broken down.

            The next step would be for you to decide on a course management system to assist in the management of this course, and other web 2.0 tools that will benefit his specific course. You need to become familiar with the software that he will be using in the course.

            This specific trainer should practice just-in-time learning, which provides instruction in the form of online modules specific to the content (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012). These modules can be easily accessed and are available at all times which would greatly enhance the learning. The trainer and trainee interaction can be enhanced as well through online discussion boards. Creating a learning community involves both the instructor and the students (Palloff & Pratt, 2007). Protocols on how to effectively communicate in an online discussion forum need to be taught to the learners.

            “Oblinger (1999) viewed the transformation between teacher-centered and student-centered as switching:

·      From lecturing to coaching

·      From taking attendance to logging on

·      From distribution of requirements to connected learning

·      From credit hours to performance standards

·      From competing to collaborating

·      From library collections to network connections

·      From passive to active learning”

            It is more difficult to make communication happen in an online environment, and feedback from the learner may be limited. Activities and applications are the heart of learning in an online environment (Piskurich). Make sure the learners understand how to complete assignments online. Be sure to respond to learner question in a timely manner and be prepared to expect a higher volume of questions via email. Make sure that feedback given is specific and constructive for the learner.

            Having the trainees respond to discussion questions by a certain day every week would create a community online. You will need to monitor discussion forums, and maintain communication with each of your trainees. The students need to know that you want them to learn the content. “Flexibility is critical to successful distance educational experiences, for both the instructor and the learner (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012).” Having a strong learner participation rate will drastically enhance the content being delivered in class and in online discussions.

References

Oblinger, D. G, (1999). Hype, hierarchy, and higher education. Business Officer,    33(44), 22-24, 27-31.

Piskurich, G. (Performer) (n.d.). Facilitating online learning. [Video podcast].         Retrieved from             https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=            _2_1&url=/webapps/blackboard/execute/launcher?type=Course&id=_2095        296_1&url=

Collaborative Training Environment

Challenge

Example 1: Collaborative Training Environment



            A new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented in six regional offices. Unfortunately, the staff is located throughout all the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. As an instructional designer for the corporation, you have been charged with implementing a training workshop for these offices. As part of the training, you were advised how imperative it is that the staff members share information, in the form of screen captures and documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration.



Instructional Needs

After reviewing the challenge, I have identified the following needs:

1.)    The instructional designer needs to simultaneous connect the six regional offices.

2.)    The instructional designer needs to implement the training workshop to each office.

3.)    Employees need to be able to share information, in the form of screen captures and documents.

4.)    Employees need to be able to participate in ongoing collaboration.

Technology Tools

Course Management Systems

            A Course Management System (CMS) would be very beneficial to this company because of its abilities to connect learners from various parts of the world. Course Management Systems are used to assist instructors with their course delivery. Instructors can manage assessments, resources, discussion boards, assignments, and activities through a CMS. This company would benefit from an open-source course management system which is a free educational software that is maintained by users who implement, modify, and ultimately support their system to meet local, specific needs (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012). The offices could use group project spaces to share information in the form of screen captures and documents, which can be easily uploaded. Employees can also use the discussion board or personal blogs to maintain ongoing collaboration. Content presentation for trainings can be in the form of audio, video, graphics, and Power Point presentations. “Certainly, a CMS is an essential tool of the distance educator. More generally, the CMS may be one of the most important technological tools now available to education and training (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012).”

         Adobe Connect is a web conferencing platform that can be used for web meetings, eLearning, and webinars. It can be used on multiple devices, from the traditional computer to a tablet, and possibly your phone. Adobe Connect enables you to screen share and collaborate in a far more effective way. Each meeting can be recorded and can be easily access at a later date in a content library for widespread access. According to Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek (2012), channels of communication that connect the teacher and the distant learner, should be appropriate for the learner and the instruction. The six regional offices would have no problem having synchronous communication using Adobe Connect. This would make the meetings much easier for the trainer and for the learners. If learners are unable to attend meetings there will always be a recorded version for the absent learner to refer to. Adobe Connect can be used for the sharing of documents, screen shots, and collaboration as well which were vital needs of the trainer.

Case Studies

         TheXerox Company that is known as the document technology leader started using Adobe Connect and had much success. Whereas the years prior, they spent lots of money on out-of-office training for travel experiences. Since switching to Adobe Connect they have achieved 100% ROI (Return On Investments) in just one quarter. According to Halle (2012) they were also able to enable customer support staff to interact with customers remotely, which accelerated problem resolution.

         TheUniversity of Wisconsin System, which consists of 11 different universities, have all attempted to use CMSs. The universities were able to choose between CMSs and amongst the ones chosen were LearningSpace, WebCT, Web Course in a Box, Blackboard, and Prometheus (Morgan, 2003). According to Morgan (2003), the faculty of the various Wisconsin Universities mentioned that they used a CMS to enable online discussion or increase communication with students, provide students with additional course materials, and addressed more complex pedagogical issues such as different learning styles among students. The benefits of CMSs that the universities recognized would benefit this company in the same ways.

References
Halle, J. (2012). Xerox case study highlight. Retrieved from http://www.getconnect.com/resources/conferencing- solutions/xerox-case-study-highlight/

Morgan, G. (2003). Faculty use of course management systems. Educause Center for Applied       Research, 2, Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ers0302/rs/ers0302w.pdf

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