Agenda

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Best Practices and Organization for Distance
Education Michael Simonson, Ph.D. Program
Professor Instructional Technology and Distance
Education Fischler School of Education Nova
Southeastern University Florida, USA
Build It 4.wmv
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Teacher as ?
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Teacher (Library Media Specialist?) as Skeuomorph
Skeumorph
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http//www.nova.edu/simsmich/
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What do we know?
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Definition of Distance Education

• Institution-based formal education where the
  learning group is separated, and where
  interactive telecommunications systems/media are
  used to connect learners, resources and
  instructors.

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Coldeway's Quadrants
ST SP
DT SP
ST DP
DT DP
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Teaching
Face to Face Instruction
Distance Delivered Instruction
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Staggering Growth of DE
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Best Practices?
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Indicators of Quality Mission

• Positive
• Explicit statement of purpose of distance
  education in the organizations mission statement

• Warning Signs
• Two separate approaches- DE v. F2F
• Two target populations

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Indicators of Quality Curriculum

• Positive
• Faculty oversight
• Faculty course design

• Warning Signs
• Two course approval processes
• Cookie-cutter course design

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Indicators of Quality Faculty Support

• Positive
• Faculty development process
• Instructional design support

• Warning Signs
• Direct conversion of F2F to DE
• Two course evaluation systems

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Indicators of Quality Students

• Positive
• Strong technology support 24/7
• Academic advisers for DE students

• Warning Signs
• Some services must be accessed F2F
• Confusion about contact people

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Indicators of Quality Sustainability

• Positive
• Systematic approach applied
• Clear plans for future

• Warning Signs
• History of started and stopped programs
• Administrators know, but others do not

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Indicators of Quality Evaluation and Assessment

• Positive
• Evaluation results used for continuous
  improvement
• Input from faculty and students

• Warning Signs
• Large number of drop-outs
• Record of many complaints

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US DOE Technology Plan

1. Strengthen Leadership
2. Consider Innovative Budgeting
3. Improve Teacher Training
4. Support eLearning and Virtual Schools
5. Encourage Broadband Access
6. Move Toward Digital Content
7. Integrate Data Systems

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Best Practices

• Logical and Intuitive Organization
• Multimedia Use to Present Content
• High Quality Production Standards
• Content-Rich Design
• Meaningful, Quick and Meaningful Interaction
• Self Pacing Apparent
• Continuous Evaluation and Revision

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Rules of Thumb

• For a typical 3-credit course
• 90 -130 hours of student involvement
• 10 25 students/instructor
• Clear organization 45 topics, 15 modules, and 3
  units
• Build Communities gt5 lt10
• Grade often and everything
• lt1 instructor posting to 4 student postings

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Organizing a Course
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The Standard?

• 3 Credit, Carnegie Unit Course
• 3 x 750 minutes of class time 2250 minutes or
  45, 50-minutes classes

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Equivalency Theory of Distance Education

• Learners, distant and local, should be provide
  equivalent learning experiences in order for them
  to achieve similar learning outcomes

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Learning Experiences
Anything that happens to or with a student that
promotes learning, including what is observed,
felt, heard, or done.
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Chunking of Information
Pre-Chunking
Post- Chunking
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Equivalency Units (vs. Carnegie Units) Modules
(3-5/Unit) Topics (3-5/Module, each with a
Learning Outcome)
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3 x 5 x 5 Approach

• 3 Units/3Credit Course
• 5 Modules/Unit
• 5 Concepts/Module
• 1 Objective/Concept

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1 Semester Credit 1 Unit 5 Modules 15
Concepts
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Best Practices DE Courses

• Design
• 15 concepts/topics per credit
• 40-50 hours of student time per credit

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Best Practices Instruction

• Content
• Readings
• Viewings
• Listenings

• Interaction
• Chats
• Discussions
• Teamwork
• Email
• VOIP
• Telephone
• Live Presentations

Assessment Exams Presentaitons Writing Journals Bl
ogs
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Examples

• South Dakota
• Florida Virtual School

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