EDUC 7102/ EDUC 8842

After reading the three articles by Moller, Huett, Foshay, and Coleman, and listening to Simonson video programs, I decided that I agree that distance education still needs to evolve for it to be truly successful. As Dr. Simonson (2008) stated, distance education "just needs to be nurtured, supported, and inculcated into what we do." When I first experienced distance education, it was in a room at a local college. A group of teachers and I participated in an activity led by an instructor at another institution. We could see and hear the professor and the other participants and vice versa. However, we felt detached from the entire learning process, because we were separated from the learning environment. Although we could hear the instructions and had identical materials, it was almost like we weren't really there. Even though distance education classes have changed dramatically, there is always room for improvement.

One of the main arguments is that distance learning environments need to be taught differently yet equally to face-to-face environments. Simonson (2008) stated that there should be guidelines that should be considered to to distinguish between distance education and F2F environments. Moller, Huett, Foshay, and Coleman (2008) present a similar argument by identifying the need to restructure distance learning environments to improve instructional methods, assessment techniques, quality of programs, instructional design strategies, and methodologies. They also determine the need to integrate researched-based teaching practices with instructional design strategies, so the online environment is more effective. By improving these concepts, learning in an online environment is more effective.

After participating in Walden's online learning environment last quarter, I believe that they have made significant improvements to distant learning education. The communication techniques, instructional strategies, and performance assessments, and challenging curriculum allowed me to grow as a learner yet kept me motivated to continue my education process.

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.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore: Author.

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.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, July/August). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 2: Higher Education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.