2. Recent Evolution of Distance Education
1910-
1910-2010
Technology Dominant systems
1. Correspondence studies Postal system
Photocopy machines
2. Prerecorded media Recording systems for audio and video
3. Two-way audio & graphics Computer network, software
Television classroom
4. One-way video Broadcasting (cable, satellite)
Telephone /Satellite TV array Telecommunication
array,
5. Two-way audio & video network (leased telephone lines, ISDN, fiber optics,
microwave)
6. Desktop/laptop communications Multimedia computer (camera, microphone), TCP-IP,
high-speed network. World-wide access t resources
hi h d t k W ld id to
4. General principles
G l i i l
Technology has been the motor of change in
distance education (DE)
Prior to d ti by DE, technologies h
P i t adoption b DE t h l i where
widely accepted in society
Many technologies were b i fl adopted and
M t h l i briefly d t d d
later discarded
“Survival” f technologies is determined b
“S i l” of t h l i i d t i d by
ecological laws
5. Which are some of these laws?
(Shaw and Chacon, 2010)
Reduction of transactional distance
Equivalence
Industrialization
Convergence
Requisite variety (multimodality vs. single
modality)
6. More recent technologies
Technology Medium
9. E-Book Digitized book, approaching to multimedia
Requires special reader
Allows hypertext and search
Increased use by e-learning programs
10. Mobile, hand-held devices Worldwide extended use
Text, image and voice messaging
Use of push technologies
Capabilities near personal computer
Mobile learning (on the go)
8. Persona = Avatar
P A t
Plus
Gesture communication
Enhanced social presence
p
Skills learning (incipient)
Minus
Longer learning curve
Technical requirements
Communicational “noise”
Financial aspects
10. Ecological b i
E l i l barriers
= 101 / 10
= 101 / 10 pins
= 101 / 2
11. Ecological b i
E l i l barriers
= noise/signal
= asynchronous world
y
= mouse + keystrokes
= mouse + keystrokes
12. ¿What is then an instructional
medium?
di ?
Device(s) able to transport and manipulate
information in different formats
Enables user to perform operations with
information (read, edit, store, create, etc.)
Physical form adapted to preferred use
Capabilities and standards converge across
media
Physical differences become marginal to
users
13. Human dimension (Palloff & Pratt):
Virtual Learning Community (VCL)
C
Community = social group th t can b
it i l that be
distinguished from a category or conglomerate
Traditional concept = group with a territory base
Modern concept= group with diffuse limits,
distributed in
di t ib t d i a geographic space and with
hi d ith
capability for interaction
14. What is a virtual community?
Wh t i it l it ?
Still a social group, with a sort of territory
group
The territory is electronic/virtual so all
intervening objects, processes and people are
digitally represented
Virtual communities support and strengthen
knowledge acquisition (Palloff and Pratt)
Three integrative forces: goals, interaction and
common language
g g
15. Communities in online courses
C iti i li
Wheel-type interaction Networked interaction
Low cohesion High h i
Hi h cohesion
Focus medium to high High focus
Social learning p
g prevails
Cognitive l
C iti learning
i Frequent affective
prevails elements
Occasional affective Engagement,
Engagement joy
elements Lingers on after the
Disappears with the course
course
Functionality Solidarity
F. Chacón
16. Principles
Pi i l
Learning community is difficult to achieve in a
distance course
However,
However it is one key factor of success
In the formation of the virtual community
there are factors of:
Course organization
Instructor
Students
Learning Management System
F. Chacon
17. WEB 2.0
How media contribute to the
emergence of learning
g g
communities?
23. Criteria f S l ti
C it i for Selecting Tools
T l
Effectiveness
Availability
Cost
Convenience
Comfort
Learning/communication styles
g y
“Culture” of the institution/locale
25. Congo - 2010
C
Classroom for 125 students and one teacher
26. The great forces of change in
DE at the beginning of the
decade of the 2010
d d f h 2010s
Technology
Virtual communities
Virt al comm nities
The new pedagogies
Let us examine them, briefly
y
27. Future Technology
gy
The bandwidth is unlimited
The
Th processing power is unlimited
i i li it d
Computers will become more specialized
Personal media will be (more) embedded in
everyday life
Converging: Operating systems, CMS / LMS,
libraries, student information systems, etc.
Keywords: simplicity, integration and
modularity
Learning systems are tailored to the user and
not vice versa.
28. Future Communities
The community technologies around us are
creating a new culture of learners
g
Today students prefer to work in teams in peer-
to-peer situations within a structured
environment that affords a fair amount of
flexibility
We are getting closer to a new apprenticeship
era fostered by virtual communities
Universities and colleges must b ready f
U i iti d ll t be d for
“edgeless design”, recognizing that students
belong to various communities of practice
29. An Example
A E l
Queensland University of Technology (Australia)
30. To what extent does
technology and virtual
t h l d it l
communities change the
nature of learning?
31. Inquiry-based
How might technology Construction
support active learning? Conceptual understanding
C t l d t di
Taking tests
Inquiry-based education Problem-solving
Constructivism Narrative
Literacy
Mediated learning Game authoring
Discovery learning
y g Techno computing skill-learning
Techno-computing skill learning
Learning as conversation Fieldwork
Problem-based learning Communication
Reflective practice Collaboration
Learning identities
Meta-cognition Conceptual networks
Experiential learning Manipulation skills
Learner-oriented approach Informal interests
Social constructivism Self-worth
Situated learning
g Modelling
Scenarios
Evaluating evidence
32. Is there a change in the nature
of learning?
• what it takes to learn’ will not change
• what is learned is changing
• how it is learned is changing
• technology makes more feasible the idea of
learning as an active, interactive, adaptive,
personalized, situated, collaborative process
•Collaborative learning is social learning: modeling,
vicarious reinforcement, enactive learning, self-
efficay, self-regulation
35. The
Th trends
d
Large-scale
Large scale programs
More than 100,000 students
Decentralized systems
Large investments in technology
Industrialized model predominant
There seems no growth limit
37. Example
E l
2009: Top U.S. Higher Education Online Institutions by Enrollment Totals
Institution 2009 Online Enrollment Online Enrollment
Totals Growth from 2008 to
2009
University of Phoenix Online 310,400 22%
Kaplan University 68,200 47%
DeVry 56,300 26%
Strayer University 54,300 25%
American Public Education 53,600 49%
Bridgepoint Education 45,500 101%
Walden University 40,500 17%
UMassOnline 40,000 18%
Liberty University 36,200 15%
Education Management 34,800 54%
Capella Education 33,900 26%
Grand Canyon Education 32,600 53%
University of Maryland University 30,400
30 400 17%
College
Source: The Worldwide Market for Self-paced eLearning Products and Services: 2009-
2014 Forecast and Analysis , Ambient Insight, February 2010.
38. The trends
System Integration
Convergence between CMS / LMS, student
information system and library support systems
There are still many gaps that indicate areas of
Th till th t i di t f
possible development
Rapid changes in technology and software make
it difficult to integrate – e.g. mobile learning blues
The greater the integration, the lower the cost
g g ,
39. The Trends
The standardization of courseware and
learning objects
Goal: Integration of courses and free resources
platform
l tf
Achievement: Large repositories of learning
objects (MERLOT MIT Open Courseware
(MERLOT, Courseware,
Ariadne, etc.).
SCORM standard emerges as more finished
g
40. The trends
The market trend
Book publishers have great influence on how
resources are used in distance courses
Competence makes the systems try to be
more efficient (improved effectiveness/cost)
Large-scale operations force institutions to
think the course as a product in all aspects
CMS/LMS are highly competitive and use
tactics to "hook" the user
41. The trends
Mobile learning
Is becoming the new generation of distance
education
Based on an enormous capacity for cellular and
satellite networks spread across the world
lli k d h ld
Communication devices and personal
organization have become more sophisticated
and replace the computer
This revolution is accompanied by new ways of
delivering old media: e-book, pod cast, web cast,
d l ld d b k d b
text messaging and picture mail
Accelerated convergence has solved some
technical problems
42. The trends
Globalization
Harmonization of degree levels is spreading
g p g
across the world
Several countries have become educational
centers for the world: USA Canada, Australia,
USA, Canada Australia
India, South Africa ...
A small group of CMS/LMS has catapulted itself
g p / p
to the great majority of countries
Two major operating systems dominate the
personal computer market with the possibility of
a third (Linux)
English has become the lingua franca of global
g g g
education, followed by Spanish (Chinese is the
most spoken)
43. Today's News: The College of 2020
It will certainly be a hybrid model
Offer of educational program is governed
by the principle of convenience
Universities that have resisted eLearning
will have to mutate or be minimized
Students expect to have access to
content and activities through personal
mobile devices
Colleges and universities must be ready
to offer all possible options
http://research.chronicle.com/reports.html
44. Today’s News: The third p
y phase of
eLearning
Near monopoly of Blackboard Inc has
caused a resurgence of open source
d f
software
Enrollment i online programs i growing
E ll in li is i
faster than HE in general (17% in the US in
2009)
The student-teacher interaction and
student student
student-student interaction in virtual
environments are getting closer to real time
Sophisticated measurement tools enable a
360 º assessment of the student
45. The
Th next evolutionary step
t l ti t
The technology
Ubiquitous computing
Two or three devices supported instead of one
Seamless integration between devices
Asynchronous communication dominates
Convergence of three macro-systems: LMS, SIS
and the Library
Integration with Web 2 technologies (more open)
C oud computing
Cloud co pu g will e a ce co abo a o
enhance collaboration
48. The
Th next evolutionary step
t l ti t
The course
A branched structure rather than a sequence
Collaborative and experiential
Social-cognitive learning models prevail
Engagement and student retention is the key
Multiple resources available in multiple digital
formats
Downloadable courses preferred to only web-
based
Agents keep track of students and facilitate
communications
49. The
Th next evolutionary step
t l ti t
The program/institution
p g
Provisions to counteract the digital divide
Small footprint, large extension
Many tasks are outsourced
Tight interaction with publishers and open
repositories
Multi-language programs and staff (prevalence of
English,
English Spanish and Chinese)
Student retention and graduation strategies in place
Catering multiple needs of students: connections to
students’ lives, jobs, and communities