Distance Learning and Learner Attitudes

Has there been an increase in learner achievement due to distance learning opportunities and has distance learning changed learner attitudes? Explain.

I took my first computer class in 1989, when I was a senior in high school. Printing a document with no typos was a huge success for me. If I didn’t understand something, I felt it was the teacher’s responsibility to help me understand better. Hey, computer technology was a new thing to the class of ’89!

10 years later, in 1999, I took my first telecommunications distance learning class. It was an interactive 2-way video and 2-way audio music research and bibliography class. Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell (2008) explain how this is achieved by equipping both the sending and receiving sites with cameras and microphones, which are interconnected by some means of 2-way transmission, which in my case was satellite. Since the class was live and I couldn’t go back and watch a video recording of my class, I took notes like a wild woman. I was only able to ask my professor questions and get immediate feedback on class night. I continued to take several distance classes, and appreciated the opportunity to develop my music career at night without interfering with my day job. Although expensive, I jumped at the chance to get graduate university credits while attending a local community college.

Now in 2009, here I am working on my first online Masters degree! When I thought it would be impossible to go back to school, the internet has made higher education a reality for me. At last, the internet is as common as the cell phone or television as a means of communication. It has certainly surpassed snail mail. According to Wegner, Holloway, & Garton (1999), the practice of using the internet to deliver coursework in higher education is sweeping the nation, and I can see why. Wegner, Holloway, & Garton (1999) establish that “computer-based instruction facilitates learning how-to-learn skills such as collaboration, problem solving, locating and using information, and communication skills” (p. 104). I have learned to be self-disciplined during my internet classes. The classes are fast-paced, and to stay on top of the game I have to stay caught up on my class readings. I have to allow time for technical difficulties. What if there is a storm and the internet is down? I’ve learned that I can’t wait until the last minute to turn in my assignments. Timeliness is important in distance education. Appropriate communication skills are a must. I gain a lot from the discussion boards, seminar, and email correspondence with classmates and professors. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve grown up since my college days, or if it’s because the price of tuition has sky rocketed and I want to get my money’s worth out of the classes, or if it’s simply because I want to know more, but there has definitely been an increase in my learning achievement after enrolling in online classes. My attitude about internet degrees has changed significantly after enrolling at Kaplan. Who would have thought quality education was available via the internet?

Question: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? As a student again? Facilitator of online instruction? Or telling your students about the olden days of early internet-based instruction?

Question: What has been your biggest challenge while working on an online degree?

Smaldino, S., Lowther, D., & Russell, J. (2008). Instructional technology and media for learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Wegner, S., Holloway, K., & Garton, E. (1999). The effect of internet-based instruction on
student learning. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 3(2), 98-106.