Contemporary Best Practices in Distance Education Technology With Implications for Adult Education.

1. Contemporary Best Practices in Distance Education Technology With Implications for Adult Education. • Bill McNutt: Technology specialist, university of Tennessee Division of Outreach and Distance Education – mcnutt@utk.edu - www.outreach.utk.edu/mcnutt • Duren Thompson: Research associate for technology training, university of Tennessee center for literacy studies – solveig@utk.edu

2. What is DE? • Learning that happens when the instructor and student are in different physical locations • First ‘distance education technology’

3. Why DE? • To reach more students • Because Time = $ • Kids/family • Job issues • Transportation • Course accessibility, e.g. ESOL courses • Confidentiality

4. Initial Decisions • Synchronous vs. Asynchronous • Independent vs. cohort/group

5. Synchronous • A synchronous learning environment is one in which the student(s) and instructor attend at the same time, and can all interact. • Classrooms • Sports training • Military training

6. Synchronous • Pros: • Looks like “school” • Allows for peer tutoring/mentoring • Simulates a traditional classroom environment • Addresses the needs of the Interpersonal Learner • Provides for Immediate Feedback

7. Synchronous • Cons: • Some retraining required for the instructor • Not self-paced • Can be intimidating for the student • Typically more costly • Typically more work for the instructor • Requires dealing with scheduling issues

8. Asynchronous • An asynchronous environment is one in which the student and the instructor never meet. • Correspondence school • A text book • Road signs

9. Asynchronous • Pros: • Self Paced • Schedule Independent • Less expensive • Higher Literacy Level • Addresses the needs of the textual learner

10. Asynchronous • Cons: • Does not “feel like ‘school.’” • Does not provide a sense of community • Increases feelings of isolation • Does not address the needs of the interpersonal learner. • Does not provide for immediate instructor feedback.

11. Traditional Correspondence Audio/Video Tapes Stock Production Electronic Mail Television Broadcast Television Video Teleconferencing Internet Teleconferencing WWWeb Delivery Virtual Classrooms DE Modalities

12. US Mail • Traditional correspondence • Epistolary distance education • Asynchronous

13. US Mail Pros: • Cheap for program and student • Low start-up cost • Re-training minimal • Unintimidating to instructor and student • Self-paced

14. US Mail Cons: • literacy level requirements • turn-around time for each assignment/communication • stigma • hard cases • no community • limited learning styles • no real-time interaction w/ instructor

15. Video/audio tapes - Purchased • checkin/out system - – asynchronous- independent or group • Pros: • re-training minimal, unintimidating to prof and student, self-paced, literacy level requirements, addresses more learning styles, • Cons: • Acquiring tapes, shipping costs, equipment for student, turn-around time for each assignment, no community, no real-time interaction w/ prof., tape attrition, storage

16. Video/audio tapes - Production • Taping scheduled class – asynchronous- group • Pros: keep pace with cutting edge topics, some community, literacy level requirements, addresses more learning styles, self-paced (less) • Cons: re-training instructor, equipment for student, program equipment - own vs. rent, infrastructure – schedules/timelines

17. Electronic Mail • Courses via existing e-mail accounts asynchronous- independent • Pros: faster turn around, cheap (if computer/e-mail access exists), self-paced, accommodates disabilities, • Cons: computer access and e-mail account for prof and student, re-training of student & prof, more learning styles require more technology, literacy level

18. Television - Broadcast • Broadcast TV – one way – asynchronous- independent very similar to video tape • Pros: student needs only TV, no shipping, tape attrition, etc. • Cons: not self-paced, cost of broadcast, limited “time-slots” on public TV, geographic boundaries, more intimidating to prof.

19. Television - Video Teleconferences • Teleconferencing – two way – synchronous, group • Pros: community (meet some of classmates, hear others ideas), real-time many to one visual interaction w/ instructor, more learning styles, “looks like school” • Cons: $200,000 up front cost per site 20-50 seats, $200/hr – technicians and line fees, hard copies in advance, live TV, intimidating to profs, transportation

20. Internet Teleconferencing – • Via computers - two way – synchronous – group • Pros: community (meet some of classmates, hear others ideas), real-time many to one visual interaction w/ instructor, more learning styles, “looks like school,” more features (document sharing, whiteboard, chat) • Cons: technician (much lower skill), transportation issue OR equipment for a student, training for student and prof.

21. Internet Teleconferencing – • two way – synchronous – one to one (Net -meeting) • Pro: office hours, one-to one tutoring w/ instructor or peer, lower cost (one or no cameras), • Con: ONLY one to one, equipment needs, literacy level, training for student and prof., no community,

22. Web Delivery – • WWWeb Courses - asynchronous independent or group • Pros: Can be very cheap, self-paced, can have community, can have many learning styles, flexible, easy to update for cutting edge, faster turn around • Cons: Site/course development costs, computer access for prof. and student, training for prof & student, literacy level, intimidating to profs and students,

23. Virtual classrooms – • Via computers synchronous, group • Pros: community (speak and listen), real-time audio (and video) interaction w/ instructor & peers, more learning styles, “structured like school,” more features (application sharing, document sharing, whiteboard, chat), prof. control of interaction, conducive to small-group work, low equipment specs required • Cons: Upfront costs $10-20,000 (to own), technicians, training for prof. and student, intimidating to prof and student, course development,

24. Recommendations/Issues • Authentication • Building community vs. authentication • Retraining of staff – instructors • “The post office/internet ate my homework” • Funding

25. For Further Reference Jackson, Robert (2001). Web Based learning Resources Library, University of Tennessee Division of Outreach and Distance Education. http://www.outreach.utk.edu/weblearning Additional Sources: • Cahoon, Brad, Ed. (1998, summer). Adult Learning and the Internet, New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 78, 1-82. • Klass, Gary (2000, July). Plato as Distance Education Pioneer: Status and Quality Threats of Internet Education, First Monday, 5, 1-16. http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue5_7/klass • Phillips, Vicky (1998). On the Evils of technology in Academia, Get Educated, 1-5. http://www.geteducated.com/articles/eviltech.htm • Spencer, Bruce (1997). Adult Education On-Line, 1997 AERC Proceedings, 1-6. http://www.edst.educ.ubc/aerc/1997/97spencer.htm

26. For Copies of the Presentation Copies of this presentation available via the WWW at either location: • http://cls.coe.utk.edu/literacy_resources/ libraries/coabe01.html • http://www.ce.utk.edu/McNutt/ • Contact the Presenters: • Bill McNutt – mcnutt@utk.edu - www.outreach.utk.edu/mcnutt • Duren Thompson – solvieg@utk.edu