Thoughts+and+questions+on+readings

//**MDE 601 Reflective Learning Journal**//

**//The Module- History and Principles of Distance Educaiton//**

Wow, this module is very informative. Readings, interactions among all in the discussion board and writing this in the journal has contributed to the changes in my understanding of DE. Moore and Kearsley clearly describe the generations of DE. Prof. Torstein Rekkedal shared his time and provided feedback to our learning as all worked in reaching the objectives. There is so much to learn about the history of DE.

Teacher friends of mine who are runners came up for a run this summer(they are taking hybrid classes in administration) and asked me about the program and what is DE. During these discussions of DE we looked at a few areas such as history and course interaction and why some goals for DE have stayed the same. For example, Since the 1800's DE institutions have been providing education in a nontraditional forma(taking a course from anywhere at anytime. Additional areas of discussion included the evolution of planning, course development and interactoin in DE. We could not believe how the history of DE impacted where it is today. For example, instructors used postal correspondence during the 1800s however now instructors can plan and develop interaction using that are computer based using the WWW with audio and video. DE has evolved and continues to do so at a moderate pace.

I was glad I had enough feedback from the instructor understanding of course objectives and opportunites to interact with students and content so I am capable of sharing this knowledge with others. When first asked what is the Defintion of Distance Education it seemed as though there were so many elements and connections to those two words. I recall thinking,what sources should I look to for accurate information? After reading Holmberg,Moore and Kearsley,Peters,Rekkedal and Walti, the evolution of DE became a little bit clearer and the overall picture became easier to define. The two constituent elements of DE along with the history of DE are a couple of examples of what I am referring to. When asked to come up with a definition for the discussion area the following came to mind. Distance Education- Distance Education is using various forms of communications or technology and collaboration for instruction and learning at a distance. This interaction may include computer or other media. Synchronous technology meetings such as audio conferencing are another example of structural exchanges between students and teachers to assist and accelerate learning and instruction. Will DE's definition change in a decade and how if so? Some Leaders of DE that impacted where it is today include Hermod( pace at your own speed) vs Harper( Pacing and Structure) and Rustin. Aha moments include lerarning about Anna Tickner and other pioneers of distance education from centuries ago. Also, Moore and Kearsleys text on generations of DE. Looking forward to learning more in the next module. This module provided many opportunities such as discussions and writing a paper to develop knowledge in the history and principles of DE. _

**//The Module- Pedagogy of DE and Theoretical Approaches//**

Theory and Pedagogy continue to change however past and present theory and pedagogy are impacting the future as institutions adopt new tpedagogy and theoretical approaches. . One reading that really stuck out in this module is Simonson, M., Schlosser, C., & Hanson, D. (1999). [|Theory and distance education. A new discussion]. //The American Journal of Distance Education, 13//(1), 60-75. They compare past, present and mention future theory of DE. Simonson and Schlosser find that technology will change,challenge and motivate DE educators and researchers to develop effective theories to meet the needs of learners worldwide. What a busy module! So many learning opportunites to better understand Pedagogy of DE and Theoretical Approaches. Otto Peters does a nice job of sharing feedback on how theory and pedagogy may be impacted by factors such as student population, culture, tradition or content area of a de course. Students shared good questoins and the instructors feedback on the second paper helped to develop an understanding of Pedadogy and Theoretical Approaches. Peters presented a thought provoking speech and seminar. The discussion board was full of interaction among students, instructor and guest expert. Assignment 2 allowed for reflection and connection on discussion board and reading topics. Not only did I enjoy the live synchronous session, another classmate shared this idea with my 603 class and the instructor gave positive feedback to holding synchronous sessions prior to assignments:) Finally, this journal entry is where I can write a few thoughts on how pedagogical structure of DE is being impacted by digitization. For example, students who once learned receptively have opportunites to learn autonomously. Experts who are have been studying DE theory play an important role in higher education institutions as the education paradigm changes. Otto Peters really opened my eyes a few times such as his thoughts on autonomous learning and his Industrial production Interpretation. Will he have more to say in the next decade?

Aha moments in this module are from a comment posted by Otto Peters and the book Learning and Teaching in Distance Education. Peters points out that Table 2.1 on page 28 shows categories that influence transactional distance. Also, different weight from institutions worldwide of Moore's categories are given because of different cultural backgrounds and learning cultures. Peters points out that some countries tradition demands oral communication has high priority( this impacts theory) yet some stress dialogue or written communications. Finally he says that designers of DE should see that all three categories are balanced due to equal relevancy.

One new DE topic for me that Otto Peters explains well is autonomous learning and DE in an institution. This is a real world situation. Many educators are working to develop objectives that provide students to gain skills and knowledge and move from receptive learning to learning in an autonomous way. Students who take DE classes often are given autonomous learning opportunities. As institutions change and digitalization increases, the majority of institutions may move from receptive learning towards autonomous learning. Depending on the location of the institution, there may be cultural and traditional factors to be aware of when designing DE courses to meet all learning styles and students needs. The industrial comparison by Peters may address cultural and traditional factors in a balanced way. DE instructors can provide a range of opportunities that use a balanced range of theory and pedagogy. This situation may occur as institutions grow in student enrollment and offer more DE course design. This would require development teams to compare the pedagogy used to teach face to face courses and digital education courses and to take a look at how tradition and culture may impact the pedagogy, theory and course design. Theory and Pedagogy play an important role in course design, instruction and learning.

**//The Module- Institutional Aspects of DE and E- learning//**

After completing this module and rereading my original definition of DE, aspects such as classifications and characteristics of DE have developed further and are at a deeper understanding of how to identify a qualityDistance Education institution. I would like to add a few parts to my original definition to revise it and include that distance education can be classified and identified by its characterisitcs. For example, some institutions use first generation technology only however some may use first through third generation technology. Also, pedagogy,communication and media used by a DE univeristy can indicate the quality of the institution. Finally, Otto Peters (2009) created classification models to explain DE. I changed the definition because I would like to specify the elements and connections of DE and give examples to further explain the structure of Distance Education.



 Objectives for this module were achieved while reading about and completing all activities for this module. During the group activity, students read and discussed the primary types of institutional structures that support DE. We used the study group area and took a look at how modes of distance education can be distinguished( single mode, dual mode, mixed modes and consortia. In the study group area, students posted DE institutions with different modes using google and communitywalk.com. One institution that I planned to post but was done by another student was The Open University. It is a large and wellknown DE institution with over 250,000 students. I was able to post The African Virtual University and Oxford University both however the address for South America and Thailand ( Universidad Nacional de Colombia and Assumption University of Thailand) could not be found. The light bulb went on when I was reading about all the DE institutions World Wide in Moore and Kearsley and during the online research for the final paper. There are so many DE institutions WorldWide. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When examining the differences between institutions such as Oxford University and Distance Open University, the first offers a dual mode approach while the other does not offer on campus learning. How many insitutions that do not offer DE at this time will offer DE over the next ten years? Also, the size for the second is larger. Finally, different types of educational models, pedagogy and instructional design are effected by these differences, because they they vary, there may be probably effects on course development, student services, instructional design and pedagogy. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Identify the primary types of institutional structures that support DE <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The study group experience for this module was effective and useful. It was amazing to read all the students postings in the disucssion board in the draft and final areas to gain further insight on conepts. Communication in the study group area took place to discuss understandings of DE institutions and collaboration to create a typology. Students reflected on prior module resources and objectives while applying them and further developing their understanding of aspects and characteristics of DE institutions. Feedback was exchanged among group members, this was a benefit in developing understanding and finding examples for this module. The interaction among students and quality exchanges of resources content discussion and feedback was a benefit of online collaboration during this activity.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">During this course, critical concepts such as skills and knowledge required by distance education were examined and discussed as well as theories and issues of DE. We took a look at History and Principles of Distance Education. Next, discussions over pedagogy of DE and theoretical Approaches developed during module activities such as the class discussion board. Finally we collaborated in small groups to identify institutional aspects of DE and Elearning. As new technology evolves, changes in theory, learning instruction, course design and other areas may be effected. By using a classification or typology to identify education structures, criteria for ways to address the strengths( such as using 1-3 generation technology) and areas of development or needs( the institution may have a high number of students enrolled with internet access and be in need of a LMS system) of the institution and make autonomous learning attainable. Distance Education is creating a positive change and providing a wide range of learning opportunites for institutions as student educational paradigms shift.