Distance Education

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Distance Education
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Who are distance learners?

• Older
• Responsibilities full-time, homemakers,
  dependent
• Female
• Education majors
• Convenience of online classes

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Who are successful distance learners?

• Eager learners
• High expectations
• Minimal computer skills
• Self-directed students
• Proactively seek out information
• Master it
• They find a way to succeed despite poor study
  conditions, confusing teachers, or abstruse
  textbooks.
• Instructor is more a guide and facilitator

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Student conflicts

• High expectations of students, but
• Low grades
• Confusion related to conducting research online
• Students lack of organizational skills
• Team conflicts
• Misunderstood emails or discussion postings
• Impatience if feedback isnt immediate

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Heading off student conflicts

• Discuss netiquette
• Offer rules for appropriate online communication
• Explain that online communication is often
  misunderstood
• Encourage discussion about online issues
• Encourage students to do research about online
  communication
• Respond calmly if students do over-react

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Other issues

• Plagiarism
• Test security

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Plagiarism

• 1999 survey of 21,000 students on 21 camuses
• 1/3 admitted to cheating on an exam
• 1/2 admitted to cheating on an assignment
• Students said they are more likely to cheat in
  classes where the instructor ignores cheating.
• 2001 survey of CAI students
• 41 said they plagiarized from online sources
  without citation

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Curbing plagiarism

• Communicate the following concepts to students
• Honesty
• Responsiveness
• Relevance
• Respect
• Openness
• Empowerment

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Curbing plagiarism

• The Plagiarism Resource Center at UVA
  http//plagiarism.phys.virginia.edu/ (offers
  free software for detecting plagiarism)
• Commercial sites
• TurnItIn http//www.turnitin.com
• iThenticate http//www.ithenticate.com

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Curbing plagiarism

• Customize assignments
• Randomize tests
• Limit test function
• Time tests
• Personal input
• New tests
• Group tests
• Oral tests
• Upgraded self-tests

• Varied test types
• Unusual paper topics
• Recipe assignments
• Assignments in stages
• Post-assignment discussion
• Research instruction
• Familiarity with student writing

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Virtual Classroom Techniques

• Text lectures
• Audio lectures
• Video lectures
• Discussions
• Chats
• Guest experts
• Real-time data assignments

• Virtual field trips
• Problem-based learning/case studies
• Online labs
• Games
• Cooperative assignments

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Text lectures

• Lectures primarily in written form website,
  wordprocessed notes, PowerPoint presentations,
  etc.
• Tips to improve online lectures
• Start small
• Keep it sort.
• Make it personal.
• Write in a conversational style
• Draw connections to everyday thing.

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Audio lectures

• Lectures in audio format.
• Primarily as suppliment to illustrations, charts,
  diagrams, etc.
• Done using audio streaming technology
• RealMedia
• QuickTime
• Window Media

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Video lectures

• Many are talking heads NOT good!
• Better approaches
• Conversation between you and a colleague
• Interview experts
• Give a demonstration
• Dramatize a topic

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Discussions

• Create discussion questions that encourage
  critical thinking.
• Use Blooms taxonomy
• Examples
• Website evaluation
• Current events
• Controversy
• Role play
• What if?
• Statistical analysis
• Exemplification
• Case study

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Discussions

• Some tips
• Set rigid deadlines
• Allow informality in responses
• Post summaries at the end of the discussions
• Post the questions in ascending complexity

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Chat

• Allows synchronous communication that can be
  involve interpersonal closeness, immediacy and
  excitement.
• Can give immediate feedback and encouragement.
• Some tips
• No longer than 60 minutes
• Schedule at times when students tend to be online
• Open documents that you want to post on your
  desktop for easy access when needed
• Post the chat transcripts for those that cant
  attend

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Guest experts

• Invite guest experts to interact using discussion
  and chat
• Best questions involve open-ended controversy
• Who?
• Prominent people in the field
• Colleagues in your department
• Local people working in your field
• Post the chat transcripts for those that cant
  attend

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Real-time data assignments

• Use real-time sites on the web as sources of data
• Examples
• El Nino information http//www.elnino.noaa.gov/
• Iowa Electronic Markets http//www.biz.uiowa.edu
  .iem/
• National Climatic Data Center
  http//www.ncdc.noaa.gov/
• Ozone data http//www.epa.gov/airnow

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Virtual field trips

• Use real-time sites on the web as sources of data
• Examples
• Geology field trips http//www.uh.edu/jbutler/a
  non/gpvirtual/.html
• Tempe Arizona Police Department Crime Unit
  http//www.tempe.gov/cau/
• The Holocaust Museum http//www.ushmm.org/
• National Womens History Museum
  http//www.nmwh.org/exhibits/intro.html
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame http//www.rockhall.c
  om/programs/plans.asp
• Links to hundreds of online museums
  http//www.vlmp.museophile.com/

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Problem-based learning/ case studies

• Use of problems and case studies to help students
  think critically
• Example
• Scientific case studies http//ublib.buffalo/lib
  raries/projects/cases/ubcase.htm
• Case-studies
• Dialogue used tells a good story
• Must be relevant, contentious, recent and short

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Online labs

• Virtual science labs are created online
• Students can handle dangerous poisons, analyze
  raging rivers, or conduct experiments in
  evolution
• Examples
• Geology Online Labs http//www.sciencecourseware
  .org/GLOL/

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Games

• Some free versions of game software
• Hot Potatoes http//web.uvic.ca/hrd/hotpot/
• Crossword Compiler http//www.crossword-compiler
  .com
• Quizmaster http//cibertrain.info/quizman/qmsele
  ct.html
• Castle http//www.le.ac.uk/castle
• Zoomerange http//info.zoomerange.com/

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Cooperative assignments

• Should be structures with the following in mind
• All students must participate
• Must develop a method to capture individual
  participation
• Written product must be the result
• Tips
• Each team member must take on a role.
• Each team must create a charter that spells out
  each members role and guidelines on how they
  will communicate and handle conflict.
• All communication must be posted on a group
  discussion board. If chat is used, the
  transcript must be posted on the discussion.
• Have each member evaluate all of the members of
  the group at the end of the project.

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Most of the information for this presentation was
taken fromBeck, E., Grieive, D. (2005).
Going the distance a handbook for part-time
adjunct faculty who teach online. Ann Arbor,
MI Adjunct Advocate, Inc.