The role of distance education in professional training, higher education, and K-12 education is growing fast. Dr. Simonson (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008) along with Moller, Foshay, and Huett (2008) stressed the importance of adopting new pedagogical approaches when teaching online courses. When instructors transition to an online course environment they should have the equivalent learning experiences to meet outcomes (Simonson, 2008), but change their management and communication methods (Moller, Foshey, and Huett, 2008). I strongly agree with this position. Online tools to facilitate communication, collaboration, and interaction should be used to strengthen the course environment.
For more information on teaching strategies including online learning, visit.
Teaching Strategies - Blog by Ilham Marz Loebis
Teachers are reluctant to invest time and often resist changing their approach to teaching online courses. Teacher training, focused on adopting new pedagogical approaches, along with faculty support and incentives can be used to motivate the transition (Moller, Foshey, and Huett, 2008). Schools can offer teachers proper training, pay incentives, workload time support, limited class sizes, and promotion opportunities based on their buy-in. I agree that instructors are often reluctant to invest time in new endeavors that consume their time, and offer them no added benefit. Organizations and teachers together can promote value-added distance education by offering proper training and motivational incentives.
Looking for ways to deal with those instructors who won't budge:
The HyFlex World - blog by Dr. Brian Beatty
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Author.
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.
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeleteI suppose the situation for distance learning is the same as we deal with in grant proposals...how to get the resistors to change. Drives me crazy sometimes...always having to cater to those who just do not like change.
Debbie Stripling
Hello Mark,
ReplyDeleteYes, I have wandered outside of my grouping so, no worries there. I enjoyed your posting. Nice job! I have often wondered why we are not more formally taught to deal with/mangage change. We would all find life more manageable if we were given opportunity to develop and practice skills in managing our own response to changes. What do you think?
~CeCelia aka
CeCelia,
DeleteInteresting point about learning to manage change. I am a believer that are skills we develop from a young age, and later choose to accept or challenge change. As an educator, I am always more receptive to change on my own terms than mandatory guideline for change. That may be a way of developing these skills on our own terms.
-Marc
Marc,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your discussion on the next generation of distance education. In what ways can we use the online tools that you identified to strengthen the online course environment. What types of training do you feel can aid the online instructor in motivating the online student?
April
April,
DeleteI think we need to use tools familiar to our students. If they are comfortable, they will be more receptive to learning new material. Training for instructors should include how to use tools familiar to our students, and the motivation should follow.
-Marc