Distance education may be growing as a medium of instruction; however people and institutions are in different places regarding transitioning. In his video on the future of distance learning, Simonson (2008) notes that online education is “nearing that point” of critical mass in society. He also claims that distance learning will not function as a full replacement for traditional, classroom-based education. However, Moller, Foshay, and Huett (2008) bring up the idea that distance education is at a stage where quality control and quality assessment are concerns within higher education. If we do not gain a better understanding of the quality needs for online curriculum, then certainly Simonson is correct: traditional education is here to stay. On the other hand, there are different standards in place nationwide for traditional school systems, and quality of education is just as much of a concern for face-to-face classroom instruction as it is for online instruction. It is simply that online learning is still considered a “new” medium, whereas many educators may feel that they have a stronger background in their understanding of classroom-based instruction. I think that with time, as with many new developments, effective standards and quality-control measures will develop for online education.
References
Moller, L., Foshay, W. And Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web. Tech Trends, 52(4), 66-70.
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). “Distance education: The next generation” featuring Dr. Michael Simonson [Video]. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4449103&Survey=1&47=5970302&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
No comments:
Post a Comment