Converting to a Distance Learning Format

Consider the following scenario: A training manager has been frustrated with the quality of communication among trainees in his face-to-face training sessions and wants to try something new. With his supervisor’s permission, the trainer plans to convert all current training modules to a blended learning format, which would provide trainees and trainers the opportunity to interact with each other and learn the material in both a face-to-face and online environment. In addition, he is considering putting all of his training materials on a server so that the trainees have access to resources and assignments at all times.

Pre-planning Strategies

The training manager should first get a clear picture of the content and learning goals from the subject matter experts and the stakeholders (Laureate Education a., n.d.).  Next, the ADDIE system can be used to determine if the subject content is one that can be fruitful in an online environment. Not all learner content is good for online learning. Project restraints should be applied to the learning format, if it is found that the constraints cannot be eliminated using the chosen type of learning format, then the training manager should move forward until there is a learning format that would be conducive to his learning content.  The ADDIE System can also be used to determine if the instructional format would be good for the types of learners, and the backgrounds of the trainees.

Picking out a course management system that meets the needs of the learning objectives will require a little research.  Price, instructor ability, learner ability, and technical requirements all play a significant role in choosing this very important system. The training manager will have to determine whether the current staff will be able to handle possible technical problems with the site, or will additional staff have to be hired. The training manager will need to ensure that the facilitators and trainers are trained on the software program that they will use to deliver the course.

Before beginning to design the course, the training manager should get the SME involved in the design process. The SME will be a good person to ask for advice on activities, objectives and interesting ideas. Scheduling meeting with the trainers who will facilitate the course, or scheduling train-the-trainer group meetings can help to gather ideas and feedback on the course design. An alpha or beta training can be given to this group to gain information on whether the course design meets the set objectives (Laureate Education, b., n.d.).  After all, the trainers and facilitators are the people who will use the training format, so they would be the best people to try it out for performance.  

Transferring Enhancing Original Training into Distance Learning

Since the training manager formerly used a face-to-face  learning format, he should be able to salvage some of the materials previously used. The training manager could use anywhere from 29-80% of his previous face-to-face learning format.  Some of the course objectives should be designed for classroom use and some of the objectives should be designed for the online learning environment. Since the training manger is concerned with learner interaction, the use of a discussion board designed into the course management software could be useful.  The discussion board would give the facilitator a chance to monitor and participate in the trainee's learning. The discussion board would also give the trainees an opportunity to connect with each other, away from the face-to-face learning time.

Since facilitators have to engage learners, whether in face-to-face or distance learning, to make the learning happen, they have to open up the lines of communication between themselves and the learners. PowerPoint presentations should be used sparingly, because they are an un-engaging way to deliver content. Each learner learns at their own pace, doing things differently (Laureate, Education, b. n.d.).  Visual presentations and activities that encourage interactivity should be designed into the distance learning portion of the course Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012).  It would be a good idea to incorporate plenty of various activities, small group activities, and polls, to maintain the learner's interest. The trainer should make sure they don't go longer than 10 minutes of lecturing the learners.  The facilitators and trainers can help to design activities for the course. The chosen course management software program should have icons that are used by the learners to note that they do or don't understand, or to answer the facilitator's questions. If the facilitator will be in front of the group, then he should involve the learners by asking questions, asking for examples and creatively involving the learners in the course.

To determine if the transfer of the course materials is successful for the learners, the training manager should keep in touch with the facilitators and the learners by monitoring the classes. An evaluation system should be completed by the learner to determine the quality of the instruction (Simonson, et al., 2012, p. 164). A good instructor will always be interested in improving his work to meet the learning goals of the learners.

Will the Instructor's Role Change in Distance Learning?

In both face-to-face and distance learning, the facilitator's role should be to provide quality instruction that meets the course objectives. In both learning scenarios, the facilitator is responsible for keeping learners engaged in the learning. The facilitator's role will change slightly in the distance learning environment. The facilitator will need to be comfortable with using the technology, and being able to apply learning in a variety of formats.  He will need to be responsible for monitoring the learners when they participate in the distance learning format. The facilitator will need to keep up with what is posted online to determine if the learners are on the right track of learning, it is not a good idea for the facilitator to become involved in the learning near the completion of the course. Mostly, the facilitator will need to monitor if the learners are actually using the software to complete their learning content.

Simonson, et al. p. 198, (2012) contends that good instructional practice principles provide guidelines that involve the learners in quality learning experiences. These are a few practice principles that should be provided:

1. Communication with students,   

2. Collaboration among students,

3. Active learning experiences,

4. Prompt feedback,

5. High expectations, and

6. Respecting diversity.

Encouraging Trainees to Communicate Online

To encourage communication between learners and facilitators, a syllabus should be prepared. The syllabus is the primary communication with the learners. It should contain the structure of the course, expectations, assignments, and the assessment process. The syllabus should also provide contact information for the learners to contact the facilitator when necessary. For communication to be encouraged between the learners, small group activities can be designed, requiring learners to interact with each other. Course Management systems usually have discussion boards, wikis, blogs, or an avenue of communication for the learners.  Requiring certain amounts of posts and responses to the discussion boards can also encourage the learners to communicate with each other. 

References:

Laureate Education, Inc.  (Producer). (n.d.)  "Planning and Designing Online Courses" (Video Webcast a.).  Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6290464&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=6926731&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1.

Laureate Education. (Producer).  (n.d.). "Delivery Analysis" (Video Webcast b.). Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6290464&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=6926731&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1.

Laureate Education. (Producer).  (n.d.).  "Facilitating Online Learning" (Video Webcast c.). Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6290464&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=6926731&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

The Impact of an Open Course Website

Open Course (free) websites are an emerging trend in education.  In this week's assignment we were charged with choosing one of the open course websites to evaluate and to compare with our learning resources used for our Distance Learning course. I  chose Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (MIT) Open Course: A free and open educational resource for educators, students, and self-learners around the world.  http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm  As I explored the website, I immediately noticed that the layout of the website was easy to follow. The color scheme softly invited users to learn more about MIT.

Course Offerings

Over 2000 courses are offered to the public on a variety of subjects that are appealing to all levels of learners. Global testimonials from educators and some of the Fortune 500 companies exist to validate the quality of the free courses, giving credibility to the new distance learner. Graphics, links, and photos are used to create an engaging experience (Laureate Education n.d.) and to compel interest in the MIT courses. Once each of the tabs were clicked upon, information was obtained about the MIT Open Courseware site. When the user was satisfied with the chosen information, it was easy to get back to the home page, or any desired page when ready. The left sidebar made it easy to choose a course, a syllabus, calendar, readings, assignments, and other related information. After all,  the eye is automatically drawn to the left side for reading. 

Translation

Translations are an option to invite global students who are interested in learning through MIT. The highlight of the course and a course description appear in the middle of the page, with links that lead to more information about the courses. Technology requirements are listed under the help tab, if needed. Archived courses and a curriculum guide is featured in case the current course does not offer the information that the user seeks. 

Site Map

The site map is located at the bottom of the page, but opens up to a page featuring most possibilities that a distance learner may need.  Questions and Answers for possible problems, directions on how to get started, and the technical requirements are  given  for learner success. A place to evaluate and cite the website is located on the first page, in open view for everyone to see.

Management Course

The course that I chose to further explore is from the Sloan School of Management. Amazingly, a learner can study the same courses required for an undergraduate or graduate degree in management. The course is also set up so that the learner can take any class that he would desire without taking all the classes in the program.  The website and the learner led asynchronous course appear to be carefully preplanned, and designed for a successful learner environment. The course objectives were posted on the first page, enabling the student to decide whether this would be a class that he would be further interested in.

Syllabus

The syllabus ensures communication at a distance between the learner and the website.  It is a very important document that will provide the learner with direction  (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek 2012). Without the syllabus the distance learner will not know what to do, when to do it, or who to contact when he is having difficulty. It is suggested that an email address or a toll-free phone number is the best avenue to use for communication for the distance learner. A time schedule should be given to let the learner know when it  is appropriate to call for assistance (Simonson, et al. p. 199).

MITs syllabus gives class requirements including descriptions, meeting times, assignments and grading information. Instructional materials that would assist the learners are able to be downloaded. Textbook information is given along with a link to a website that would give proceeds back to MIT, if the learner chose to buy there. A link to a site that gives free and open textbooks is given on the download page.  The courses are carefully laid out in the succession that one would need to complete them, thus allowing the learner plenty of time to plan life activities around distance learning.  A link that would enable learners to receive class updates also exists, retaining learner's interest in the course, even after initial completion.

Evaluation

Learner assessment was taken into account, allowing the students the choice to be honest with themselves. Midterm and final open book examinations are supplied giving the learner an evaluation of his progress. Without knowing how well the learner did in the course would end in a pointless outcome. The examinations make it apparent what knowledge, skills and feelings the instructor wanted the learners to gain from the course (Simonson, et al. p. 135).

Social Networking

In the world of Web 2.0, MIT has recognized that learning can be obtained by social networking. The open courseware site realizes it is certainly nice to have friends, even virtual ones, (Simonson, et al.  p. 131) and  offers learners the opportunity to keep in touch via Twitter and Facebook, which both promote the development of online communities through posting of personal information and similar interests to meet virtually (Simonson, et al. 2012 p. 131). The learners can meet  online to collaborate, communicate with other learners, and share learning experiences.  When learners interact with each other, new information is acquired, interpreted, and made meaningful, forming a community of learners that are separated by time, space and geography (Poe and Stassen n.d.).

Navigation

MIT offers ease of access and usability with easy to find directional tabs, giving accurate learner instructions. Navigation tools are located in easy to find places, and lead to intuitive direction in discovering website information. These website traits, and well-integrated tools make MIT's open courseware worth having the label of "best teaching practices and "quality instruction indicators" (Simonson, et al. 2012 p. 194).

Just-in Time-Learning

The open courseware offers Just-in-Time-Learning geared toward today's current business needs. The information and skills learned could be useful for the learner's success in the workplace, if incorporated into distance learner training. The learning could provide a basis for the person to further his education on one of the chosen topics or to improve work performance.  

Training

Although MIT's open courseware consortium is fairly new to Web 2.0, it appears to be" a great training course that will stand the test of time" (Laureate Education n.d.). The site appears to fulfill the requirements of preparing learners for a successful learning experience across distances. It proved to be in line with what we are studying in our Distance Learning course.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Developing online courses. [Video podcast]. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6290464&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=6926731&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1.

Poe, M. and Stassen, M. (n.d.).   Teaching and Learning Online. Communication, community, and assessment. Retrieved from http://www.umass.edu/oapa/oapa/publications/online_handbooks/Teaching_and_Learning_Online_Handbook.pdf

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.