The Next Generation of Distance Education

Many have reservations against distance education. Being a younger educator, I had to completed many courses in college that pushed me in this direction. I have worked at a traditional school for four years, but also decided to try being an online instructor for the past two and half years. I see the benefits and drawbacks of each environment. However, I believe, with the evolution of society, distance education is the way of the future.

After reviewing the articles presented by Moller, Huett, Foshay, and Coleman (2008), in addition to the article by Simonson (2000), I agree with the statement that distance education must evolve to the next generation. When distance education was in its beginning stages, it was very primitive. As quoted from the article "Implications for Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web" (2008), it is assessed correctly that the mentality was to "sake claim before all of the good territory [was] gone; ...worry about effectively mining it later' (Moller, Foshay, Huett, p.66). It was established in many areas but the details behind its functioning correctly was not established. It is apparent from all of the articles that the concept of applying "different but equivalent" learning experiences was the main goal. Upon evaluation detailed in the article, simple learner based strategies can accomplish this goal in an effective manner. For example, the idea that Simonson (2000) presents suggesting that one "identifies learning experiences and matches them to the appropriate available technology" (p. 32) or an emphasis on training and development (Moller, Foshay, Huett, 2008, p. 70).

Bottom line, as suggested in all of the articles, this is the way of the future. As high schools and colleges/universities adapt to this new style of learning, it can not just be established and not changed to keep up with the times. This means that constant evaluation, just like in a traditional classroom, is needed. I know from experience with GAVS, this is done often. We constantly redesign courses, differentiate instruction, and locate new sources of information to provide the best learning experience possible for our students.

Simonson, M. (2000). Making decisions: The use of electronic technology in online classes. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 84, 29-34.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). 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. Use the Academic Search Premier database, and search using the article's Accession Number: 33281719.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70. Use the Academic Search Premier database, and search using the article's Accession Number: 33991516.

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5). 63-67.