Issues Encountered by Distance Educators

Recurring Issues Encountered by Distance Educators in Developing and Emerging Nations is the full title of a very helpful article (first pointed out by Tony Bates) from the noble body entitled, The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning.

I must commend the willingness of authors to publish these articles for open access. There is a whole range of mandatory reading with which I must certainly catch up.

The abstract to the article, The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning reads:

"This article explores a number of challenges faced by e-learning or distance educators in developing and emerging countries, provides a context for many of the challenges, and outlines some measures devised to overcome them. These educators must determine a sound rationale for employing online learning, recognize that technology is only part of the educational transformation process, address the lack of infrastructure and the cost of Internet bandwidth and equipment, counter the cultural imperialism of courseware from Western nations, deal with limited educational resources, place a greater emphasis on quality assurance systems and change negative perceptions of distance education, respond to the needs and concerns of both students and faculty, access or develop up-to-date educational resources, and consider the implementation of mobile learning. The continued growth and success of distance education in developing and emerging nations will depend on the extent to which issues covered in this article are addressed as they bear on the quality of the learning experience provided to students. "

Perhaps a further note of caution need to be defined in terms of the actual Teaching and Learning culture. Perhaps where good VLEs have not yet been established, the place of the e-Portfolio becomes even more important. And yet the very climate in the classroom may still be that of "I teach, You listen." Yes, the e-Portfolio can be a good record of a student's learning, of their competencies and interests, all of which can be part of a traditional didactic approach. However, the e-Portfolio also lends itself to collaboration and peer review which might still be beyond the experience of some teachers and lecturers.

Although 'collaboration' is mentioned several times in the paper, it is in terms of institutions' collaborative efforts related to generally economic pressures. It is therefore time that, in such organisations, teachers and lecturers re-defined their curricula in order to build upon those beneficial processes of collaboration and peer review, sharing with mentors and building upon regular formative feedback from tutors. And this, of course is where the e-Portfolio is best able to support Teaching & Learning.

Beyond the Virtual?

'The loneliness of the long distance runner' came to mind as I first saw this article in eSN Today. The article by Christine Van Dusen raised the vision of the 'Home-Alone' learner - and soon expelled any thoughts that I might have had along these lines. She continues:

"This static, impersonal, anti-social school experience is the image that many parents, teachers, and school administrators continue to have in mind when they picture the world of online learning, even as more and more brick-and-mortar school districts explore full- or part-time virtual education. But this image is a flawed one, experts say. Not only are most online-education programs highly interactive, with students engaging in virtual discussions with teachers and their peers as they work on inquiry-based projects and activities, but often the learning takes place within—or is supplemented by—a traditional classroom experience."

Strong communication is key to effective online learning
In the same newsletter, Meris Stansbury comments on a new research paper (Sept 2009) by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning. In particular, I liked her analysis of 11 points: 'Characteristics of successful online teachers.' I commend this article as a good checklist for those involved in on-line tutoring or even those considering such a career. I list the brief headings of each of her main paragraphs and suggest that you read, reflect upon and inwardly digest the full contents of her list:

1. 
   
   Meets the professional teaching standards....
   


2. 
   
   Has the prerequisite technology skills to teach online:
   


3. 
   
   Plans, designs, and incorporates strategies....
   


4. 
   
   Promotes success through regular feedback, prompt response, and clear expectations:
   


5. 
   
   Models and encourages legal, ethical, and safe online behaviour....
   


6. 
   
   Has experienced online learning from the perspective of a student,...
   


7. 
   
   Understands and is responsive to students with special needs....
   


8. 
   
   Creates and implements assessments in ways that ensure validity and reliability.
   


9. 
   
   Develops and delivers assessments, projects, and assignments that meet standards-based learning goals:
   


10. 
    
    Uses data to modify instruction and guide student learning:
    


11. 
    
    Collaborates with colleagues; networks with others involved in online education.

For me, yes, as you might guess, this is yet another area where I would claim that a professional level and yet user-friendly e-Portfolio system such as eFolio is the perfect solution for making Distance-, Virtual-, or Home-learning a successful and enjoyable expereince for all concerned, teachers, parents, learners and peers; to name but just a few!

On-line Learning

The above company drew my attention to some challenging statistics concerning on-line learning. Obviously, I see on-line learning as the future for all ages and strata of society. And, as I've argued previously, mainstream schools need to start thinking about how 'the school without walls' will actually support teaching and learning and to what extent the curriculum will change.

Despite the statistics being American it gives us six significant pointers for discussion and how we should be arguing for on-line provision in our own countries or localities.

Again, for readers who might not have seen some of my previous posts, the benefits of having one's own e-Portfolio cannot be over stated. eFolio meets the needs of all learners, Lifelong and Lifewide (ie whatever one's abilities).

Citrix on-line also provides some very thought-provoking papers including 'Questions senior executives ask about eLearning' and 'Five Keys to getting started with interactive on-line training' and 'How to Market Training'. Again, very thought-provoking papers to be read in the context of schools and Virtual Learning.

Virtual Schooling ?

Following on from my previous post I wanted to explore with you the impact of 'Virtual Schooling' and came upon a post by Tony Bates commenting on the newsletter from ReViCa. This looks like a document that we should all be watching.

However, as a footnote to the newsletter was the link to Morten Flate Paulsen's book 'Online Education'. Although somewhat dated (pub 2003) and at 338 pages (.pdf) it is still a serious read. The following SlideShare brings out just a few of the salient points to whet appetites:

I make no excuse for quoting this academic document which deals primarily with 'Virtual Learning' across Higher Education in Europe. I believe that mainstream schooling can have much to learn from such documents. - It is just a pity that teachers in Secondary schools do not have the time to produce such works.

I quote, below, a number of key points identified as, ' Fourteen interventions to stimulate learner persistence and reduce dropouts.' Most of these points should be discussed in relation to on-line learning and virtual schools:

1. Students’ active participation should be sought in planning remedial or introductory courses.
2. Interviews with students while in their first year (or even before it starts).
3. Skilled diagnostic counseling to “help each applicant to explore his aims, motivation and commitment and comprehend how they might relate to the ... [institution]”
4. Counselling-out of high risk students.
5. “Conditional registration ... after students have taken advantage of the counseling service, every effort should be made by the University to ensure that they are able to follow the courses they really want... Students interested in courses which entail projects should be made aware of the volume of work involved and the type of library resources required (especially remote students)”.
6. “Counselors, academic advisors, course designers, and administrators of distance-taught programs should develop a diagnostic and remedial program to assist students in organizing their time and energy toward a successful completion of their study program”.
7. Regulate the study load of students.
8. Active tutorial assistance during the course. This might be provided either face-to-face or via mediated communications.
9. Examination of students’ completed assignments to analyze students’ cognitive learning styles, strengths and weaknesses, and affective responses to the instructional materials.
10. Provide option of longer time period for students with difficulty to complete the course.
11. Monitor the performance of participant instructors for needs amenable to improve via in-service training.
12. Distance education institutions should develop programs to enhance their academic status and social credibility so as to enhance student satisfaction and commitment.
13. Concentrate resources for student advising and other assistance on the more vulnerable first-year students.
14. Periodical redesign of courses and print (on line? -ed) materials. Cookson (1990)