Defining Distance Learning

Personal Definition of Distance Learning
          In my personal life, I have experienced distance learning in various settings. As a student, distance learning helped me complete my undergraduate coursework during the 2020 COVID pandemic and now provides me with a flexible schedule as I undergo my master’s program solely online. Additionally, as an instructional designer for a K-12 curriculum company and school, I assist in developing digital assets for students engaging with distance learning. Personally, I define distance learning as flexible, student-focused, and full of technology features that assist the learner in reaching their learning objective. Although distance learning has some similar characteristics to traditional brick-and-mortar settings, its format and design are unique.

Revised Definition of Distance Learning
          This week's course readings taught me that distance learning is more complex than the term suggests. Although the term “distance learning” is an umbrella term to describe most non-traditional learning formats, distance learning has three unique sections: 1) e-learning, 2) online learning, and 3) virtual learning (Moore et al., 2011). I have used these terms interchangeably at work or in discussions because they seemed the same. However, I learned these terms describe specific learning situations. E-learning describes training in corporations with limited or no interactions (which is self-paced), online learning describes higher education with little interactions with others (which is instructor-led), and virtual learning describes K-12 education with sufficient interactions with others (which is also instructor-led) (Simonson et al., 2019). These three sections are used to more precisely define what takes place in distance learning.

          Through this week’s readings, I also discovered distance learning can be broken down into four fundamental components. These four components describe distance learning as institutionally based, always containing a level of separation between the instructor and the learners, demanding communication through determined features or mediums, and requiring instruction through predetermined resources (Simonson et al., 2019). Furthermore, the California Department of Education (2022) states distance learning is all about providing learning opportunities to others from a distance through print or digital forms. Despite my work in a company that caters to homeschool and charter school settings, I viewed distance learning as technology-based learning. However, I now know that distance learning simply means learning from a distance – even if learning uses paper and a pencil.
          Lastly, it was brought to my attention through this week’s readings that trainings and courses for distance learning are still poorly designed because very few people are trained in ID practices and principles needed to create quality instruction. As a 25-year-old, I have been surrounded by technology my whole life (and I have never known a world without distance learning opportunities). Therefore, I assumed professors, managers, and leaders knew what was required when developing distance learning opportunities. However, Moller et al. (2008) state that more poorly-designed trainings and courses are developed than well-designed ones simply because the developers have not been trained on ID principles. The same is true for the effectiveness of trainings and courses: its success does not lie in the medium used but in the instructor and learners involved (Huett et al., 2008). If developers, professors, and managers are not instructed on how to develop good distance learning opportunities, learners will be limited in their potential for learning.

Future Vision of Distance Learning
          Distance learning has evolved dramatically since its start in the mid-1800s, but it will continue to change as new technology advancements and cognitive understandings develop. However, every further improvement also brings potential complications. For example, with the recent development of AI features such as ChaptGPT, distance learning will experience benefits such as more integrative concepts and setbacks such as academic dishonesty (Mandelaro, 2023). Such developments cause individuals to reevaluate the content, medium of presentation, and assessment tools used in distance learning trainings and courses to ensure the learner gets the best learning experience possible. As an instructional designer, I have already been involved in many conversations about how AI features like ChatGPT will affect digit courses and how to lean into its benefits while controlling the disadvantages. In essence, that is the core of distance learning: utilizing the best tools and mediums available to provide quality and engaging learning opportunities to those participating in learning from any place in the world.

References

Distance learning. California Department of Education. (2022, June 21). https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/dl/
Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W. R., & Coleman, C. (2008). The Evolution of Distance Education:
          Implications for Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web. TechTrends, 52(5), 63-67. 

          https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/evolution-distance-educationimplications/docview
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Mandelaro, J. (2023, February 27). How will AI chatbots like chatgpt affect higher education? University
          of Rochester: News Center. https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/
          chatgpt-artificial-intelligence-ai-chatbots-education-551522/
Moller, L., Forshay, W. R., & Huett, J. (2008). The Evolution of Distance Education: Implications for
          Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to
          Improve Learning, 52(3), 70–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-008-0158-5
Moore, J. L., Dickson-Deane, C., & Galyen, K. (2011). E-learning, online learning, and Distance Learning
          Environments: Are They the same? The Internet and Higher Education, 14(2), 129–135.
          https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.10.001
Simonson, M. R., Smaldino, S. E., & Zvacek, S. (2019). Teaching and learning at a distance:
          Foundations of Distance Education. Information Age Publishing, Inc.