Distance Ed: Evolution, Acceptance & Transformation

Distance education, today more than before, is an option to millions of students. According to the Sloan Consortium (www.sloan-c.org) higher education enrollment rose in general and online courses significantly more, with 4.6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in 2008. This fact represents not just acceptance by students but by institutions as well and a step towards wider mainstream acceptance. Yet the fact that we today are studying whether there is growing acceptance of distance education shows that we are still hesitant to recognize the importance and value of this form of learning.

Distance education is nothing new. For many years there have been offers to learn something in ways other than meeting face to face in a traditional setting. Holmberg (2005) mentions how in 1728 Caleb Phillips offered to learn writing methods via correspondence. Although this was far from what it represents today, when the Distance Education Report published by Magna Publications (http://www.magnapubs.com) cites that over 96% of Colleges and Universities in the USA offer online courses (http://www.magnapubs.com/issues/magnapubs_der/14_7/news/603364-1.html) it shows how important knowledge is to human life.

Human life is a constant pursue of change and improvement. Today we have the opportunity to access, share, transform and create information rapidly. This promises to increase the ways in which we create new knowledge and share it with others, which in turn improves our chances of solving the problems that currently affect our quality of life. The increased collaboration that online learning brings will increase tolerance, understanding and exchange of ideas. Bringing together resources from different parts of the world enriches the possibilities f finding new ways of doing things that effectively tackle current global issues.

Tools such as desktop computers, mobile computers, handheld devices with online capability and upcoming similar tools have eased the use and dissemination of distance education as an option to other forms of learning. With a new generation that embraces these technologies and what they represent for their growth as professionals it seems natural that Distance Education becomes increasingly the favored way of learning. The same can be argued for Corporate, where training and professional growth is a priority to compete. The same rapid changes that bring new markets and new profitable opportunities require those in charge of new developments to stay atop of how new technologies affect them and the corporations they represent.

The fact that this is the fastest growing form of higher education takes it to the next level, which is recognition and acceptance by the mainstream as not just an option but as an alternative to becoming scholar practitioners. Being literate in the 21st century is much more than simply reading and writing in conventional ways. Active participation in the new society requires skills that go beyond consumption and into creation. Online learning enhances the development of these skills and opens up a new area of growth for educational institutions. Luckily, higher education has embraced the opportunity by offering their students alternatives and options that go beyond the traditional classroom.

What's next? It all depends on how emerging technologies are accepted by the mainstream, but it seems like virtual environments such as Second Life (secondlife.com) are being favored by some institutions to hold virtual learning environments that welcome innovative approaches to learning. This kind of learning will surely transform education and in turn human life. Soon we will find out if video conferencing, holographic projection, live video chats and other competing technologies will emerge as a favored common way to deliver and assess content in educational settings. Eventually this will play a major role in the future classroom not just in higher education but at all levels. Can we imagine virtual naps on Pre-K? Whole other topic!

References:

Holmberg, B. (2005). The evolution, principles and practices of distance education. Bibliotheks-und Informationssystem der Universitat Oldenburg

Oblinger, D. G., Barone, C. A., & Hawkins, B. L. (2001). Distributes education and its challenges: An overview. American Council on Education and Educause.

Siemen, G. (n.d.). The future of distance education [Vodcast], Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com