Online Education:
A Summary
INST 5240
Mimi Recker
Utah State University
Overview
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Many confusing terms
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Online learning
e-learning
Flexible learning
Open learning
Telematics
Web-based education
Distance education
Others
Consider (dis)advantages, design
issues, reusability, diversity issues,
future.
Debate
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The future of online learning:
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Pros
Cons
Consider age, location, content, impacts,
appeal, effectiveness, access, dropout rates
Clearly a key area for instructional technology
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[2.2 million online learners in 2002 -- 33% growth]
Designer Viewpoint
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Advantages
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Lower delivery cost
Faster training
Fewer facilities
No travel
Refine and reuse
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Disadvantages
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Costs more to
develop
Requires new skills
Demonstrated
value?
Requires redesign
Learner Viewpoint
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Advantages
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Anytime, anywhere
Less travel
Self-paced, selfdirected
Increased
accessibility
Multimedia
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Disadvantages
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Intimidating tech
Costs of technology
Isolating and lonely
More self-discipline
required (motivation,
metacognition, and
collaboration)
Design Issues (1)
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Technology:
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Fluency
Reusability (later)
Usability
Teaching:
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Use media appropriately
Support close student interaction
Communicate expectations up front
Provide timely feedback
Emphasize time-on-task
Maintain consistent standards
(Chickering & Reisser, 1993)
Design Issues (2)
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Learning:
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Support active learning
Support flexibility
Support peer communication &
collaboration
Evaluate:
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Effectiveness (assessment)
Effectiveness (transfer)
Appeal
Usability
Cost-benefit
Design for Reusability
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Opportunity for
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increased productivity
reduced cost
improved quality
Consider the following 3 ‘objects’:
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In what ways are they different?
Are they reusable?
Do they support learning?
Example One
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An online module containing instruction
on how to create and save documents
in Microsoft Word
Examples of the concepts
Assessment to measure mastery of the
concepts
Example Two
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“Move mouse over ‘File’ menu item”
“Press left mouse button”
“Select ‘Open …’”
Example Three
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An online course containing instruction
on how to write an annual report for
Company X.
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In what ways are the objects different?
Are they reusable?
Do they support learning?
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Reusability Issues
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Granularity
Instructional content/strategy
Context
Diversity Issues
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Age
Gender
Disability
Literacy
Culture
Socio-economic status (digital divide)
Privacy
Filters and censorship
Copyright
Intellectual property ...
The Future?
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Ubiquitous computing (‘m-learning’)
Intelligent agents
Virtual reality
Others?