U7 Activity 2: Final Activity

Distance Education

I remember one day hearing the phrase "... tomorrow's technology is already here." When I heard this for the first time I thought it was something silly, something impossible: Oh surprise, I was wrong! Nowadays technology is advancing at an excessive pace; so fast that the phrase I considered silly will become reality. Let´s recall then that the progress of technology affects everything related to human beings, from the simplest to the most complex factors. Within these complex factors we find “the education”. Education is a human need that undoubtedly is affected with this "technological boom". Proof of this is the massive increase in courses offered via internet in different schools, and not only courses, but in recent years diplomas, bachelors, masters and even PhD are offered via internet ... In other words, Distance education is offered.

I will not say that a degree obtained through distance education is bad, or that it is good, because everything has its good side and its bad side. However, since we are (myself included) used to a face-to-face education, listening to someone saying that s/he is in a distance course, where there is no a “physical teacher”, sounds weird for most of us. For this same reason one can misunderstand "distance education" with "self-education" thinking that in distance education the student is the one learning by his/her own. But this is not the same because as mentioned by Schlosser and Simonson "... distance education is institutionally based." (2010, p1) In other words, distance education needs to be linked or rely on an institution.

As I mentioned before, everything has a good side and a bad one. As for the open and distance education we find the convenient situation of "learning while working " because the ease of creating your own schedules that best suits the student needs is something rarely found in a face-to-face class. A second well-known benefit of this type of learning is the "pace of the teaching-learning process."  What do I mean by this? Many times there are students who acquire knowledge faster than others. I´m not saying it is bad, in fact it is great that everyone learns at his/her own pace without feeling any pressure. This is another advantage offered by this type of education since the "competitive" environment is not developed as in the face-to-face classes, students feel more free to learn at their pace. Something else I would like to mention is the cost of taking a distance class. As we know, a face-to-face class requires students to be using transportation from their home to the institution where the course is taught, every day you have class. In addition, the material tends to be physically delivered, so the "investment" tends to be higher. On the other hand, in a distance class there is no transportation cost, and since most of the assignments are delivered via internet, there is no cost for physical material either.

Looking now towards the "bad" side of such classes, we find that feedback tends to be slower, so students take longer to understand where they were mistaken (if they made a mistake on an exercise) or it takes them  longer to get answers to their doubts about the class. For this reason, it is recommended that students who decide to take this type of class are tolerant and autonomous as possible. Lack of socialization is another well known distance education disadvantage. For some people it might seem unnecessary; however, I consider that during the time students are “students” it is good for them for create bonds among their partners. These bonds may help them in the future in their personal and professional life, so I consider this as a very harmful disadvantage. The third disadvantage is not well known so this may lead to misunderstandings. I found that not all the places that offer jobs accept degrees earned via internet. It is true that the quality of the knowledge gained during a course depends on the student and, for instance, someone that have had a " developing teaching material " class via internet can be better than a person who studied the same class in a face-to-face course, there are companies that still have the "stigma" of giving distance classes a lower value, even when technology is so advanced.

Moving on, let's now talk about my personal experience with this type of classes. To start I must make clear that I am a visual person and that I need to have someone in front of me in order for me to be asking him/her as many questions as possible; I like when feedback is given as soon as possible too. With that said, people might think that I do not like distance classes, and in fact, I do not like them. The first class I took this way was a total disaster: I had feedback from my activities only twice in a semester; the instructions were never clear; the grades for each assignment was not specified, etc. After that I did not want to take this type of classes again. However, distance classes are needed in the career I´m studying, so once again I was in the need of taking distance classes. This second time was totally different: the instructions were very clear; although the feedback was not immediate, it was given consecutively; etc, so that class was very good. I was at that moment when I realized that the class can be boring or "bad" if teachers do not have the necessary knowledge to teach it. But these are problems that we, as students, will find many times.

The solution to this problem is simple, but laborious because it requires the willingness of teachers who are considered "bad". If these teachers were trained in a proper way by people who do know about the topic, the quality of teaching would increase a lot, and this "stigma" of bad reputation could radically change. On the other hand, it is also responsibility of the student who decided to take these classes because they need to perform their "role". Autonomy, as well as responsibility, is a essential requirement that all students must have in order for them to get into distance courses. That way if the teacher "fails" in his work students will not have any choice other than learning by themselves.

These are the books that helped me with this writing:

Moore, M; Kearsly, G. (2012) Distance education: A system view of online learning. USA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Keith, H. et al (2001) Distance education: New perspectives. New York: Routledge.

Sclosser, L; Simonson, M. (2010) Distance education: Definitions and glossary of terms. USA: Information Age Publishing.

These are some interesting web pages:

www.distancelearningnet.com

www.ocen.org

www.quintcareers.com

U6 Activity 6.1

Throughout the teaching and learning process there are several steps that must be done in a sequenced manner. For instance, it is not possible to evaluate a knowledge that is unknown; therefore evaluation cannot be done at the beginning of a course. We can, however, apply a diagnostic test before beginning a course so that we get to know the knowledge that students have, but this does not give us a feedback of the knowledge they are supposed to acquire during the course. For this reason, we must clarify what is evaluation and what is the main the purpose of it.

There are many authors that give us definitions of evaluation, but this time we will use the definition given by WHO (1998) quoted by Green et al, who tells us that evaluation is “The systematic examination and assessment of the features of an initiative and its effects, in order to produce information that can be used by those who have an interest in its improvement or effectiveness.”  In other words, those who want to test their performance or effectiveness in a certain area or subject are those who are evaluated (just like in a classroom; in regards of knowledge acquired, the students are the ones evaluated). Continuing with the same, Springett, cited by Green et all, tells us that the purpose/aim of the evaluation is “… to contribute towards solving practical problems, in terms of what works and why. It is about collecting information to inform action. Most of all it is about learning from experiences.”

Following this, let's focus a bit on how evaluation is used and how it affects the whole process of teaching and learning in a distance course because this is what we want to clarify. The main obstacle we encountered when we evaluate a distance learning course is the time from which the exercise is performed until the teacher returns via internet feedback and response to students. After this, if the students have any questions with their grades, the process must be repeated until all doubts have been clarified. So… what should we, as teachers, do to effectively evaluate a distance learning course? I would definitely recommend the use of rubrics. When teachers present to the students the way in which they are going to be evaluated (whether it is in a distance course or face-to-face course) students get to know the activities they must do and perform throughout the course.

Serve everything what was written in the previous lines to clarify what is evaluation, its use and purpose. It is important to clarify as well that one should not confuse "to evaluate" with "to asses" because the fact of assessing goes within the evaluation process.

U5: Activity 5.2

Well guys, this is my activity. It is designed for beginners, so it should not be so difficult. Its topic is "Animals and Places". Instructions are explained in the exercise. If you have any question, you are free to ask me right here (in te "comment" section) or you can send me an e-mail (vachir.lorenzo@uabc.edu.mx)

Crossword

Complete the crossword, then click on "Check" to check your answer. If you are stuck, you can click on "Hint" to get a free letter. Click on a number in the grid to see the clue or clues for that number.

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Horizontales: 2. A large bird that eats mice... 4. A big open space of water... 5. A small wild dog... 7. I live in the desert... 9. A place with lot of sand and little water... 11. I look like a monkey and live in the mountains... 12. It has eight legs and live in the sea... 14. This is a bird but it can´t fly... 15. A place which is very high and made of stone... 18. This animal lives in the river and is very fat... 19. This animal has a long neck... 20. I live beside the river and build dams... 22. This animal lives in the sea and is very big...

Verticales: 1. I eat bamboo and have black and white fur... 3. A place with many trees and animals... 4. This animal has no legs but is very dangerous... 5. A woodland smaller than a jungle... 6. A place which is flat and giraffes live here... 8. This animal is known as 'The King of the Jungle'... 10. A big cat that has sharp teeth and orange and black fur... 13. I look like a dinosaur and have big teeth... 16. This animal is a dangerous fish... 17. This animal lives in the trees and is cheeky... 21. A place with fast flowing water...

U. 3: Activity 3.2

Problems-Solutions

When a person is taking distance classes there is the possibility of finding a series of "problems" at any time. In this brief essay I will try to postulate three possible solutions to three common problems. But before that, we have to explain that these advices do not apply for every student but for those who are taking distance classes, so I would like to explain who is a distance student. In the words of Talbot “Distance learning or distance education, as the word ‘distance’ implies, takes place when you, the student, are geographically remote from the educational institute in which you are registered. You also be remote from your tutor and other students for most or all the time.” (2007; p. 6) In other words, Talbot tells us that there is no contact between the student and the teacher or among the students themselves. However, although this definition is not old, with the excessive advance of technology, it has become obsolete. Nowadays a distance course can be taught to a whole class through electronic platforms, and not necessary from a different city or country but from the institution in which the class studies. With this in mind, let's move to the main topic: possible solutions to common problems.

The first major problem faced by distance education is the next one: “For many years one of the weaknesses of distance education was thought to be its quality –that it was inferior in every respect to conventional higher education.” (Ormond, 2012; p. 5) And although this thought is slowly disappearing, the truth is that there are still a lot of people who do not trust in distance education because thy see it somehow less important than a face-to-face class. How can we respond to this problem? The answer lies not only in one person, but in all those persons who surround distance classes: the one who designs distance classes should make them easy to understand (though not necessarily easy to do); the teacher who taught distance classes must know how to teach in order to make these type of classes less boring, and finally the student must do his/her best when taking this type of classes. Thus the quality of a distance course will increase and those who ask “how is a distance course?” will find better answers.

Following with the problems faced by distance education, we find the lack of computer equipment at home. Unfortunately not all students in a distance course have the resources to take the class from home which is a very big problem. This happens more in developing and third world countries. To solve this problem, the schools where such classes are taught should have a computer room, with the necessary equipment so that these students can actually do their assignments. So, if a student has no computer at home, s/he is free use of this equipment.

Last but not least, we have that distance education deals with the misuse of the technology itself. “Besides the cost of the technology, there is the possibility of not utilizing all its potential.” (Valentine, 2002) And it is true. When studying, many people is not focus only in his/her class, but they get distracted at every moment by anything, or they waste time doing other things on the same computer. The solution to this problem lies in the student again. It is assumed that a student who takes a distance class knows what is s/he going to face and that is autonomous and responsible enough to carry it out the class without problems. That is why, at least in this point, students are the solution.

These are just some of the problems distance education faces every day. Certainly there are many more, but every problem has a solution. In addition, the benefits of taking a distance classes are also many. The most important thing to remark is, as I mentioned before, that there will always be problems. Fortunately, most of their solutions lie on the teacher or the student, so that the solution tends to be simple.

References

Talbot, Christine (2007). Studying at a Distance: A guide for students. New York: McGraw.

Simpson, Ormond (2012). Supporting Students in Online, Open & Distance Learning: Third Edition. New York: Taylor & Francis.

Valentine, Dough (2002). Distance Learning: Promises, Problems, and Possibilities. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration. Retrieved March 21st, 2014. http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall53/valentine53.html

U2: Activity 2.2

Autonomy in distance classes

As we already know, nowadays there is a tendency to take classes via internet. However, even when this opportunity is within the possibilities of many people around the world, not everyone has the "ability" to take such classes. Similarly, for a distance course to be effective, students must develop and enhance their autonomy in learning. Which ones are these characteristics that students must have in order to learn effectively in a distance class? It is not just one condition which must be met, but is a mixture of several factors that must be balanced so that learning in students is the ideal, for instance; the skills and qualities of teacher and students; the virtual environment in which the class takes place; the activities that are developed during the course, among others. Then, I will try to explain how to promote and improve independent learning in a distance class.

To begin, we must clarify that even though distance education takes place in a "universe" totally different from face to face education (the "virtual” world), both styles are based on the same principle: The environment must be suitable for learning to be profitable. As Elena Barberà (2006 ) mentioned " ... to describe a virtual learning environment we must take into account all the spaces, tools and functionalities it offers with regard not only in the field of education but also of information, communication, management and services ." What does this mean? The fact that the virtual environment in which any kind of distance class is developed should not be exclusively related to it, but it must integrate the class tools that provide useful information to the student. Not just information about the course/class, but important information related to the course/class from different points as well.

Just as in face -to-face education, teachers have specific roles to play. In fact, since distance education " ... continues using the same elements and characters than a traditional classroom situation (students, instructors, training materials, tools and resources, learning strategies, the class, the group, evaluation, social relations, the procedure, the institution, etc.). . " (Barberà 2006) the role of the teacher in a distance class is not so different from the role of a face-to-face class teacher; however, there are certain key points that need to be "improve" in order for the teachers to fulfill a distance class.

As Dr. Viñas (2000) explained, the roles that distance teachers should use more in their classes are the followings:

1.      To orientate students towards the achievement of objectives.

2.      To set constant motivation actions for the student to find appropriate styles for their individual learning characteristics.

3.      To provide constant feedback about student progress, clarifying doubts, using unconventional learning materials and electronic media...

In the same way, there are certain characteristics that students must have/demonstrate when taking a distance class if they want to learn in an optimal way. Among all these, the most important is the “Autonomy”.

We should always remember that a fundamental part of any distance class is the autonomy of students. If a student is unable to find information by himself or if he is unable to work alone, then a distance course is not "appropriate" for him. Does this mean that a student who does not meet these characteristics is sentenced to live without distance classes? Of course not. When a student decides to take a class like this, the responsibility for their autonomy is divided. This responsibility will now be shared with the teacher. The teacher must find the right way to make students develop their autonomy so that this type of class becomes “nice” and “enjoyable” for them.

According to some authors, situations where students exercise their autonomy can be provided, thus helping them to improve it. These are some examples that can be performed during a distance class:

1.      To create contexts of self-learning as an alternative. These will work as an extra or as an integral part of a course.

2.      To provide different options to ensure that learners have the opportunity to make decisions.

3.      To ask for tasks outside the class.

4.      To suggest projects (group or individual) or activities not directed by the teacher.

5.      To make learning contracts.

The point one, two and three focus on the development and the creation of additional course materials, therefore students not only focus their learning on what the course offers but rather, they are somehow "forced" to look/search "beyond" what the course offers. The point four talks about free activities. Activities that may or may not affect the student´s evaluation (grades). Finally, in a learning contract, the teacher and the student agree in how much the student intends to learn within a certain period of time. If the contract is accomplished, the student gets a reward.

To finish, and just remarking what I already said, it is vital for students to be self-sufficient in a distance class if they want to get positive results. Therefore, it is a shared responsibility between the student and the teacher to get these skills developed and improved.

Elena Barberà; Educación Abierta y a Distancia; 2006.

Jaime Roman Viñas; Educación a Distancia; 200.

U2: Activity 2.1

Reflection: Opportunities and difficulties that a distance student might have...

We have already mentioned several times the opportunities presented by distance education, however it is important to remark the fact that it improves student autonomy and responsibility. It is also a system that can be adapted to the student needs, so if the time or distance is a problem for a student to attend to face to face class, by having distance classes these problems do not exist.

However, this time I would like to focus a bit more on the problems that can be presented when taking and teaching distance classes.

When new students take distance classes the first problem they might have is the simple fact that they are not used to look for information by themselves. They are used mostly to get what they need from the teacher, so at first, this would be the main problem. This problem needs to be solved (most of the times) not by the students but by the teacher because, since there is a kind of disinterest by the students, s/he needs to find a way to make the class attractive. Teachers need to encourage their students so that they do not lose interest in the class.

As I said before, most students are used to have a figure of “teacher” in front of them; a teacher who will help them to solve or answer their questions, so when in a distance class students have a doubt or find a trouble, it might take them plenty of time to solve it. However, students are not the only ones that need to face difficulties in taking a distance class; teachers also have problems because they need to find the appropriate and understandable material for their students so that, what I mentioned before is avoided.

Eventually, once students have taken several distance classes, they gain confidence in these types of classes. The same applies for teachers who teach distance classes. When they have taught several times these classes, they get to know what is better for the students; what is better in order for them to avoid misunderstandings, etc.

U 1: Activity 1.3

Well guys, this is my essay based on what I have read and comprehend.

Open Education and Distance Education

Everything changes, and since education is part of everything, it also changes. The XX century is known as the century of the technological “Boom”, bringing many changes in the life of human beings, including changes in education. Fortunately, I would say that 90% of these changes are positive. Let´s think in the biggest change that emerged in the XX century: the internet. Internet brought with it many opportunities for countless fields, and among them, education suffered one of the biggest ones. Within this changes in education, I would like to emphasize what is know as distance education, and along with distance education, we got open education . But… what does these terms mean.

     Let's start by defining Open Education because in my opinion, it is the most difficult term to define. And is not the fact that I lack of information about this term, is the fact that, even when I have this information, it results somewhat difficult to make a decision on how to define Open Education. What I can say is that it can not be defined with a single statement, but we need a mix of statements with a complex meaning each one to get an idea of ​​what it means. We have 4 main statements that help us to define Open Education. Let´s try to detail each one:

1. Students are free to choose what educational activity they want to do: This means that the teacher should give students freedom to do anything they want as long as the activities that students choose have educational purposes.
2. The environment must have many educational opportunities: This means that all students should have the same opportunities than their classmates.
3. The instructions must be clear to every student: Although the students decide which activity they want to do, the teacher is who guides them in such activities. Therefore, s/he must pay attention to each student equally, and s/he has to know how to guide his/her students to do any activity they want in the correct way.
4. Respect: Above all things, there must be respect. Respect from the teacher to his/her students as well as from students to the teacher.

     Now, let's talk a little about Distance Education, and even when it is much easier to define, it goes hand by hand with Open Education. Many people think that Distance Education can only happen if the teacher is at a great distance from his or her students, however, this is not always true. Distance Education can happen even when both, teacher and student, are in the same school where the course is being taught. What characterizes and identifies more Distance Education is that the teacher has no control over the student (or perhaps there is some control, but it is very low). It is true that both, teacher and student need to follow a lesson plan, just like in a face-to-face class; however, what the students do to follow this lesson plan is up to the student, not so much up to the teacher.

     Open Education and Distance Education, as I mentioned before, go hand in hand because Distance Education leads to Open Education. However, although these education methods work together, there are small differences that stand between these methods. For example, the first statement that defines Open Education cannot be 100% applied in Distance Education, as students do not choose what activities they want to do, instead, the activities are chosen or decided by the teacher. However, students can choose how to do such activities. These are the types of details that emphasize the differences between Open Education and Distance Education.

     Of course there are advantages when applying these methods in education. The best known and most often said is that the autonomy and responsibility of students grow and/or are improved. And it is true, since the activities done will depend 90 % on students and their decisions on how to do them.  On the other hand, the most known disadvantage is the lack of technology. To use Distance Education effectively, it is necessary that both teacher and student can access to technology. Without it, it is practically impossible to carry out this method. Unfortunately, nowadays there are many places in the world where it is impossible to apply this method.

     Currently there are many schools and universities in which these teaching methods are used. Some of them have a higher status; however, these methods work in both, high and low status institutes. Personally, I can say that these methods work quite good in the college where I´m studying my degree, the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (a.k.a. UABC).

     Finally, we must remember that Open Education and Distance Education are teaching methods that work separately, but if we join them, they can work even better. However, although they good teaching method , it is up to the institution or the teacher to use such methods.