The unique characteristic of Distance Education environments

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The unique characteristic of Distance Education
environments

• "The unique characteristic of distance education
  environments is the necessary reliance on
  physical artifact to transmit the social cues
  required to define the social dimensions of
  learning, which in face-to-face environments can
  occur without external artifice" (DDL listserv,
  AECT) http//www.aect.org/Intranet/Publications/in
  dex.asp

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What did you learn so far?

• Introduction to Distance Education
• Planning, Design Implementing Online Classes
• DE - concepts systems - infrastructure
• Comm info systems in Ed Classroom use of CMC

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CMC Planning Management 508 Compliance
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Computer-Mediated Communication

• Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) is any form
  of communication between two or more individual
  people who interact and/or influence each other
  via separate computers. Notice that this does
  not include the methods by which two computers
  communicate, but rather how people communicate
  using computers.
• http//www.webster-dictionary.org/definition
  /Computer-mediated20communication

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CMC as Distance Education Tool

• Distant learning applications have changed
  dramatically with the advent of computer mediated
  communications.
• Where once distant learning employed only radio,
  television, and audio and video communication
  devices, computers now provide course delivery
  all across the world.

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Strengths and Limitations of CMC for DL

• Limitations
• Interaction Observance
• Technology Training
• Affordability
• Extensive information sources
• Ease of use
• Security Firewalls
• Performance assessment

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Strengths and Limitations of CMC for DL

• Limitations
• Interaction Observance
• Technology Training
• Affordability
• Extensive information sources
• Ease of use
• Security Firewalls
• Performance assessment

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Level of Objectives

• 1. Knowledge
• 2. Comprehension
• 3. Application
• 4. Analysis
• 5. Synthesis
• 6. Evaluation

Higher-Order Thinking Skills
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General Explanations for Learner Non-completion
of DL Programs

• Students do not have realistic expectations about
  what is demanded in DE experience
• Students need more structure
• Students who finish generally begin early and
  pace themselves
• Students who elect to participate in DE may have
  other priorities

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So is it only the learners fault if they fail?

• High drop out rate in CMC course
• Lack of feedback
• Lack of Social Presence
• Adult learner characteristics
• Lack of interaction
• Bad design (usability)
• Lack of pedagogical approach focused on
  Independent study

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Designing Learners experience

• In order to design and deliver effective online
  instruction, instructors should know what
  qualifications they must have. First, they need
  to upgrade their technical skills in order to
  keep abreast of technological developments
  (Volery, 2000).

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Designing Learners experience

• Second, instructors need to know how to design
  interactive activities and course syllabi, how to
  operate the learning platform, and troubleshoot
  with problems online learners may encounter
  (Cuellar, 2002).

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Designing Learners experience

• How to sustain productive dialogue in an
  electronic setting and understand the
  relationship between CMC and learning?
• How to design and development electronic
  environments that engage students productive
  discourse?

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Types of Interaction

• Learner-Instructor Interaction
• Learner-Learner Interaction
• Learner-Content Interaction
• Learner-Interface Interaction
• Hillman, D. C., Willis, D. J., Gunawardena, C.
  N. (1994).  Learner-interface interaction in
  distance education An extension of contemporary
  models and strategies for practitioners.  The
  American Journal of Distance Education, 8(2),
  30-42.

http//seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/mcisaac/emc703/leah5.
html
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FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE USE OF CMC

• personalities of those involved
• subject matter
• pace of the course
• size of the learning group
• medium or media of communication.
• response times - how quickly the teacher can
  reply to student queries
• structure

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FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE USE OF CMC

• Structure
• It describes the extent to which course
  components can accommodate or be responsive to
  each learners individual needs.
• A course that is highly structured is, by this
  definition, less responsive to a given learners
  individual needs.
• http//people.bu.edu/whittier/TLTR/tsld015.htm

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10 Keys to Quality Online Learning

• Knowledge is constructed, not transmitted.
• Students can take full responsibility for own
  learning.
• Students are motivated to want to learn.
• Course provides mental white space for
  reflection.
• Learning activities appropriately match student
  learning styles.
• Experiential, active learning augments Web site
  learning environment,
• Solitary Interpersonal learning activities are
  interspersed.
• Inaccurate prior learning is identified and
  corrected.
• Spiral learning provides for revisiting
  expanding prior lessons
• Master teacher is able to guide overall learning
  process.
• Alley and Jansak (2001)

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Recommendations

• Administrators should not force faculty to teach
  online courses who do not wish to do so.
• Training in WebCT should be made more user
  friendly.
• Mentors should be available in each department or
  college who can answer questions that come up
  from faculty who have limited experience in
  teaching online courses.
• Departments should limit the enrollment in online
  courses so that instructors will be more focused
  on communicating and interacting with online
  students.
• Instructors need to take courses to better
  understand technology specific classes need to
  be taken in order to design websites for online
  courses.
• Instructors must have the support of other
  instructors who have taught online courses
  before, as well as administrative and technical
  support.
• Instructors should consider how to increase the
  interaction between students-instructor and
  peer-interactions by using various types of
  instructional design methods.
• Instructors should encourage students to evaluate
  the courses continuously and periodically so as
  to improve online teaching

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508 Compliancy

• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires
  that Federal agencies' electronic and information
  technology is accessible to people with
  disabilities.

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508 Compliancy

• Specific criteria cover
• Software applications operating
  systemsWeb-based information or applications
  Telecommunications functions Video or
  multi-media products Self-contained, closed
  products such as information kiosks transaction
  machinesComputers.

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508 Compliancy

• (a) A text equivalent for every non-text element
  shall be provided (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc",
  or in element content).
• (b) Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia
  presentation shall be synchronized with the
  presentation.
• (c) Web pages shall be designed so that all
  information conveyed with color is also available
  without color, for example from context or
  markup.
• (d) Documents shall be organized so they are
  readable without requiring an associated style
  sheet.

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508 Compliancy

• (e) Redundant text links shall be provided for
  each active region of a server-side image map.
• (f) Client-side image maps shall be provided
  instead of server-side image maps except where
  the regions cannot be defined with an available
  geometric shape.
• (g) Row and column headers shall be identified
  for data tables.
• (h) Markup shall be used to associate data cells
  and header cells for data tables that have two or
  more logical levels of row or column headers.

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508 Compliancy

• (i) Frames shall be titled with text that
  facilitates frame identification and navigation.
• (j) Pages shall be designed to avoid causing the
  screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2
  Hz and lower than 55 Hz.
• (k) A text-only page, with equivalent information
  or functionality, shall be provided to make a web
  site comply with the provisions of this part,
  when compliance cannot be accomplished in any
  other way. The content of the text-only page
  shall be updated whenever the primary page
  changes.
• (l) When pages utilize scripting languages to
  display content, or to create interface elements,
  the information provided by the script shall be
  identified with functional text that can be read
  by assistive technology.

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508 Compliancy

• (m) When a web page requires that an applet,
  plug-in or other application be present on the
  client system to interpret page content, the page
  must provide a link to a plug-in or applet that
  complies with 1194.21(a) through (l).
• (n) When electronic forms are designed to be
  completed on-line, the form shall allow people
  using assistive technology to access the
  information, field elements, and functionality
  required for completion and submission of the
  form, including all directions and cues.
• (o) A method shall be provided that permits users
  to skip repetitive navigation links.
• (p) When a timed response is required, the user
  shall be alerted and given sufficient time to
  indicate more time is required.

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508 Compliancy

• Window Eyes
• Dreamweaver
• Watchfire Bobby
• Adobe Acrobat
• JAWS

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Links

• http//www.ascusc.org/jcmc/
• www.aace.org
• http//www.aect.org/Intranet/Publications/index.as
  p
• http//www.westga.edu/distance/jmain11.html
• http//www.cpcug.org/user/houser/section508/Defaul
  t.htm