MIT Open Course – American Urban History I

Distance courses require time and effort to design an effective course that attempts to reach all learners regardless of their background (economic, social, and political) and their learning styles (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012).  Many factors go into the development of an online course, and many times an online course design is just a copy and paste project from a real time classroom (lpc1.clpccd.cc.ca.us, n.d.).  Open and free courses are a new trend that many colleges are implementing for learners who desire to expand their knowledge on a topic.  The course is not a design for college credit, but the best practices an online course must have should still be in consideration when designing a course.  Three areas in evaluation are critical when evaluating the usefulness of an online course.  Course pre-planning, online design and course activities are vital in assessing if a course is right for a learner (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012).

The open course evaluation for this paper is from the MIT OpenCourseWare website and is a focus on historical studies.  The title of the course is “American Urban History I” (http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/urban-studies-and-planning/11-013j-american-urban-history-i-spring-2010/index.htm) and is a course from Spring 2010 (ocw.mit.edu, 2010).  This course is a fourteen week online course that follows the Equivalency Theory by Desmond Keegan.  The design is a liner approach that appears to be a face to face synchronous course that is a transfer into the online world.  The course appears to be a design that follows Keegan’s theory is due to the fact the course uses a strategy of “equivalency” in the design for all learners.  Keegan states that a learner whether local or distant, should have the same equivalent outcomes from a course. The issue with the equivalency theory is not all learners whether distant or local have the same environments, and online learners tend to have time constraints (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012). 

The best practices or recommendations for online instruction are critical and a clear and concise course layout is vital.  The ability to set clear and concise goals, design an effective syllabus, recognize individual student learning styles, and design a course that represents a variety of learning styles is a challenge (sanjuancollege.edu, 2012).  The MIT course from this paper has its challenges in some of these areas.  First, the goals of this course lay out a clear and concise method that gives the learner a detailed calendar of the topics for each weeks and what reading assignments, and goals for every week.  Second, the course does give a syllabus with a course description and assignments and expectations for the course, but it is general and not in depth in content.  Third, the course does not address a variety of learning styles that allow all students to express themselves in the best manner.  The course limits itself to reading, discussion, and a final research paper using primary sources.  The lack of variety and flexibility in the course design is difficult for some to succeed and can be a challenge if a learner does not do well in this environment (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012).  There is no reference to technology and computer hardware or requirements that one may need for this course.  It also does not address issues such as plagiarism, netiquette, and assisting any students who may have learning disabilities (lpc1.clpccd.cc.ca.us, n.d.). 

The idea of enrichment learning and project based learning is important when developing an online course.  Since online courses interact either in a synchronous or asynchronous method, the instructor must be sure that the lessons and activities have a design that enriches a student’s understanding of a subject (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012).  In this course, the two key enrichment activities revolve around discussion and a research project that uses primary sources (ocw.mit.edu, 2010).  In online discussion questions, it is important that students reflect and deepen their understanding of a topic (ets.tlt.psu.edu, 2008).  In addition, the research paper needs to enhance the learning process on the topic at hand if it is to hold any value to the learner.  Group activities or project base learning activities sometimes make for a valuable enrichment activity for a learner (sanjuancollege.edu, 2012).

An online course whether it is free or for educational credit needs to be an in-depth learning experience for all students.  The design and layout of the course needs to be a well thought out approach that makes the transition from in-class a painless process.  In addition, enriching activities and discussions that force a learner to think deeper is a valuable asset in the long run for all (sanjuancollege.edu, 2012).  Instructors and instructional designers need to keep these thoughts in mind.  The course from MIT may be valuable for many students, but it does not reach all learners because of the lack of a variety of activities.  The effort must be made to reach all learning styles and educate all that desire to learn.

 

References

ets.tlt.psu.edu, (2008).  Introduction to Crafting Question for On-line Discussion.

Retrieved on November 25, 2012 from http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/learningdesign/crafting_question

Fogelson, R., (2010). Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare.

Retrieved on November 25, 2012 from http://ocw.mit.edu.

lpc1.clpccd.cc.ca.us, (n.d.).  Best Practices in Designing Online Courses.  Retrieved on

            November 25, 2012 from http://lpc1.clpccd.cc.ca.us/lpc/blackboard/best_practices/

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a

distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

www.sanjuancollege.edu., (2012).  Research on Best Practices.  Retrieved on

            November 25, 2012 from http://www.sanjuancollege.edu/pages/2825.asp

Interactive Tours

The increasing number of students taking online courses is expanding at a rapid pace. Students receive a broader idea of the outside world while still inside their home and school.  The interaction of students with other cultures to expose them to multicultural and global view of the world is important in educating students (Germain-Rutherford & Kerr, 2008).  Instructors need to be looking for activities that give students better exposure in these areas.  Field trips outside of the school are becoming more unfavorable due to many factors.  The ability of an instructor to make lessons a real world situation and create the activity in a more student-centered way gives a better mastery of a subject (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).

On-site field trips do have their downfalls such as cost, chaperones, security issues, and transportation (Jackson, n.d.).  The ability for students to interact with museums and places in other parts of the country and the world is an increasingly popular activity in high school and college courses.  In this day and age, people do not have the money to allow their students to take field trips.  The Internet provides these resources to students without having to leave their school building. 

In response to the history teacher scenario, interactive tours can be a valuable resource to allow students to view artwork and exhibitions from around the world.  New York is home to many famous museums such as the Guggenheim and the American Museum of Natural History.  Both museums offer interactive tours for students to view from their websites.  The technology I offer to the history teacher is to use a computer lab that contains computers for each student, as well as a white board, projector, and ability to do two way live video chat.  The teacher or instructional designer will need to contact the museum and arrange a time and place to set up a live interactive tour or interview with the curator.  The software such as Skype is great for online interaction and allows the curator in New York to walk the students through an exhibit.  The curator may potentially have a laptop with a webcam and microphone to help give a tour of the exhibit.  If this is not possible, the museums offer interactive virtual tours that the students can view from their computers.  After this tour, the students and curator can have a live video chat to discuss the exhibit with the curator and the two items of artwork for discussion.

The instructor will need the following technology equipment:

• Computer Lab equipped with computers for each student.
• White Board with projector
• Microphone and web cam capabilities for live interaction
• Skype software or another form of video chat software.

This technology is a successful way for students to enrich their cultural background and knowledge.  An example of a successful live interactive tour is a live, virtual tour the U.S. Air Force by Lt. Col. Sharon Nehrings.  The tour gives students of a middle school in Oklahoma a live tour of the air force base in Florida (Scott, J., 2012).  The Skype software company also gives instructors many great ideas on how to use their software for interactive live chats in the classroom.  The site URL is https://education.skype.com/ and is free for all educators to use and view.  The Internet, webcams, and computers offer an abundance of free resources for instructors to use in education. 

References

Amnh.org, (2012).  American Museum of Natural History.  Retrieved on November 12, 2012 from http://www.amnh.org/

Germain-Rutherford, A., & Kerr, B. (2008). An inclusive approach to online learning environments: Models and resources. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education TOJDE, 9(2). Retrieved from http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/tojde30/pdf/article_2.pdf

Guggenheim.org, (2012).  Guggenheim.  Retrieved on November 12, 2012 from

http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york

Jackson, C. (n.d.).  The Benefits of Virtual Field Trips for Students.  Retrieved on November 12, 2012 from http://www.ehow.com/list_5970076_benefits-virtual-field-trips-students.html

Scott, J. (2012).  AOC Hosts First Online Virtual Tour.  Retrieved on November 12, 2012 from

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123308795

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

Skype.com, (2012).  Skype in the Classroom.  Retrieved on November 12, 2012 from https://education.skype.com/

Distance Education Definition – Past and Present

Distance education is, “an institution based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p. 32).  Distance education also contains four components to it.  They are (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012):

1. Institutionally based
2. Separation of teacher and student
3. Interactive telecommunications
4. Sharing of data, voice, and video (learning experiences)

My own personal definition of distance education before this course began was, “education delivered through a technology based medium where the instructor and student are separated by time and space.”  This definition is somewhat similar to the definition from the textbook for this course but is much broader in the definition. 

The need for quality distance education courses is a priority that all educational institutions need to focus.  Many people today must work more than one job or do not have the time to attend a formal classroom setting.  The enthusiasm and demand for e-learning environments continues to grow, but if the courses do not meet or exceed expectations and standards of the students, then it can create disillusionment and can damage the reputation of distance education (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008).

After the readings from this week, my new definition of distance education is, “a method of formal education in which the instructional delivery method combines a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous through multimedia and online learning methods.  The instructional delivery usually contains a separation of time and space between the instructor and student.”

The future of distance education is bright and has much potential as long as educational institutions continue to invest in their e-learning environment.  The introduction of “No Child Left Behind” requires schools to offer students alternative methods of instruction and show yearly improvement in a students’ progress.  The current teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, and lack of federal and state funding give students in at risk areas of the country an opportunity to receive a formal education (Huett, Moller, Foshay, & Coleman, 2008).  Distance education is not a replacement for instructors and the interaction inside a classroom but is an alternative for a student who lives in a less fortunate area to take courses that they not otherwise receive.

References

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008). The evolution of distance education:

Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3: K12).

TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for

instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for

instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a

distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.