DE wave 2 reflections
My e-Portfolio task: Answering questions on my reflections on wave 2
2. My “a-ha” moments during this wave was the way nationalism and struggle against all forms of domination had an influence on learning theories and distance education. I enjoyed watching the videos of Otto Peters, Alan Tait and Tony Bates describe how they wrote about what was going on in their time sometimes just working on research papers which has led them to be the famous initiators of great theories of learning. I felt privileged to interact with them during this class and to read what others were asking and the answers they were getting. I was impressed by the way they steered DE through a time when it was disdained type of learning to be the most acceptable today. My memorable aha moment was with my group’s chat (July 2), I learned some tips that can assist me improve my “turnitin” reports. The systems approach has truly enabled De to become the most admired trend of earning and some of the outstanding theories of learning were introduced then. Thanks to the wise leadership provided by the course instructors, the study materials and their relentless guidance I was able to study this information.
BIS-Verlag der Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg. Retrieved from: http://www.box.com/s/ktx7ipccetotqrr11mct.
Bullen, M. (1995, June). Andragogy and university distance education. Paper presented to the 17th conference on the International Council for Open and Distance Education, Birmingham, UK. Retrieved from http://www.box.com/s/ap4nq2zf1jujkyo65pz0
Council for Open and Distance Education, Birmingham, UK. Retrieved from http://www.box.com/s/ap4nq2zf1jujkyo65pz0.
Haughey, M. (2010). Teaching and learning in distance education before the digital age. In M. F. Cleveland-Innes & D. R. Garrison, An introduction to distance education: Understanding teaching and learning in a new era (pp. 46-66). New York and London: Routledge.
Jonassen, D., Davidson, M., Collins, M., Campbell, J., & Bannan Haag, B. (1995). Constructivism and computer-mediated communication in distance education. The American Journal of Distance Education, 9(2), 7-26. Retrieved from http://www.box.com/s/i9y1f17cii6zmb0pi4qd.
Knowles, M. S., Holton III, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2005). The Adult Learner (6th Ed.). Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/59734837/4/ A theory of adult learning: Andragogy.
Miller, G. E. (2010). Organization and technology ofdistance education. In M. F. Cleveland-Innes & D. R. Garrison (Eds.), An introduction to distance education: Understanding teaching and learning in a new era (pp. 26-45). New York & London: Routledge.
Peters, O. (2004). Learning and teaching in distance education: Analysis and interpretations from an international perspective (pp. 28-54). London & New York: Routledge Falmer.
Peters, O. (2010). The greatest achievement of industrialized education: Open universities. In O. Peters, Distance education in transition: Developments and issues (5th edition) (pp. 57-81). Oldenburg, Germany: BIS-Verlag der Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg. Retrieved from : http://www.box.com/s/ktx7ipccetotqrr11mct
Peters, O. (2010). The theory of the ʺmost industrialized educationʺ. In O. Peters, Distance education in transition: Developments and issues (5th edition) (pp. 1-32). Oldenburg, Germany:
Saba, F. (2008). Learning management systems of the future: A theoretical framework and design. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol4no2/saba0608.htm.
Shale, D. (2010). Beyond boundaries: The evolution of distance education. In M. F. Cleveland-Innes & D. R. Garrison (Eds.), An introduction to distance education: Understanding teaching and learning in a new era (pp. 91-107). New York & London: Routledge.
4. I was highly impressed by our seminar with Prof Alan Tait of the Open University (OU) in United Kingdom. He was down to earth in addressing the many-sided but profound questions from all of us and I was particularly touched by the way he addressed us as students and colleagues inviting the intriguing blend of equality of status of adult students as fellow citizens alongside their instructors.
It was impressive to learn that despite the enormous responsibilities of administration to OU he has also had profound impacts in India, Bangladesh and seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Clearly he values his role of teaching and scholarship, his student support through development of tutoring and advisory systems. He is conversant with production of study materials and has published several articles in accredited journals, books and seminal papers to name but a few.
The visit alerted me to his recent publications that I must read in the course of this course namely:
Distance and E Learning, Social Justice and Development: the relevance of the Capacity Approach to the mission of open universities, in the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 2013.
From place to virtual space: reconfiguring student support for distance and e-learning in the digital age, in Open Praxis, February 2014 (both open content journals and easily available on the web).
5. After watching the Tony bates video and a number of his articles I learned of his role in the initial stages of Open University (OU) and its role in filling a major gap in the higher education system in Britain. How the reputation as a quality academic institution was influenced when it attracted top-quality research professors. I learned of the quality of the learning materials and the way they became text books in regular conventional universities. The revolutionary partnership of OU and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and how OU turned their critical attitude to one of ardent supporter of visual and audial aspects of teaching and learning at OU. He succinctly outlined the most poignant points in the success of OU as: follows:
· OU started with a strong political push.
· The role of Margret Thatcher’s love for self-improvement the idea that through open learning advocated by OU people could improve themselves by studying and working hard to getting on life.
· The role of the first head of OU Prof Walter Perry in balancing the academic and political interests.
· The way OU tapped into the large market of those who really wanted access to higher education but couldn’t get it.
· The idea of integrated, explicitly designed materials based on sound pedagogic principles and the way these added values to OU.
6. This course main goal is providing the student with a foundation of knowledge, skills and attitudes that are required by a competent practitioner of distance education. The objectives in the Syllabus for this course that we have covered so far include:
· Identify the unique characteristics of distance education
· Describe the major influences - social, economic, and political - in the evolution of distance education from its early beginnings to the current IT-based practices
· Identify the key authors and theorists in distance education and analyse their contribution to the field
· Describe how distance education methodologies have changed over time, in particular how the role of teacher and learner have evolved
· Describe various types of distance education institutions and the relevance of a systems approach to teaching and learning
Yes the objectives are being fulfilled to a very high degree. Through the course I have learned what an online learning is all about and the use of shared spaces and social media for learning and creating content through mind maps, wikis, google documents, twitter, and others that we shall be learning soon. I am confident that I can apply research and writing skills: use of relevant literature synthesizing findings and communicating ideas and arguments with supporting evidence. Use of APA model of writing was new to me and I it is becoming attractive and I hope to use it in my future publications. Collaborative learning through groups has been very energising as I have learned how to conduct chats and realised that these are very close to face to face student interactions. My experience with the synchronous discussion with Stella and Christine at the MDE hub and the numerous discussions in class are a proof that DE could even be better than face to face learning in removing distances of every kind.
May be the last objective of analysing the impact of technological changes on the nature of teaching and learning in DE is to be covered in the remaining time for the course.
- Aspects of our groups’ revolutionary grid that I found to be most interesting include how the larger context /economics/political/social values are influencing the revolution in education. The systems approach education is triggered by the effects of industrial revolution and urbanisation that led to migration of the young people from the rural areas to the cities and the government’s need to improve the country’s economy (Peters, 2010P.11). Technologies of radio and television brought innovations by providing education systems where classroom setting were replaced by student centres. Knowledge was generated through interactions of varying experiences. It was a time of anti-elitism when education was opened to all and the start of open universities in United Kingdom, Canada and South Africa. Open admissions and other open policies (Shale, 2010) revolutionized education as more people were accessing higher education. I learned that what we take for granted today was not always there and it took science and technology to bring about theories of learning that led to improved quality of life.
2. My “a-ha” moments during this wave was the way nationalism and struggle against all forms of domination had an influence on learning theories and distance education. I enjoyed watching the videos of Otto Peters, Alan Tait and Tony Bates describe how they wrote about what was going on in their time sometimes just working on research papers which has led them to be the famous initiators of great theories of learning. I felt privileged to interact with them during this class and to read what others were asking and the answers they were getting. I was impressed by the way they steered DE through a time when it was disdained type of learning to be the most acceptable today. My memorable aha moment was with my group’s chat (July 2), I learned some tips that can assist me improve my “turnitin” reports. The systems approach has truly enabled De to become the most admired trend of earning and some of the outstanding theories of learning were introduced then. Thanks to the wise leadership provided by the course instructors, the study materials and their relentless guidance I was able to study this information.
- After what I have read, learned, or experienced in studying this second wave, I need to revise my original definition of DE to incorporate the incremental learning that took place alongside the knowledge generated through the use of more advanced technologies. My initial definition of DE was that it is mode of delivering convention education and instruction to students who are not physically present in a fixed setting such as a classroom. Students are also separated from each other and they access the learning processes individually through educational resources or in some cases as groups in learning centres. In wave 2, there is certainly a trend from behaviourism and objectivism theoretical frameworks that informed my original understanding of DE. Clearly there I can see the a transformational effect on teaching and learning which is inspired by the dominant forces of technology, ideology, politics and socio-economics during wave 2. I am excited to see what developments are going to come in wave 3.
BIS-Verlag der Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg. Retrieved from: http://www.box.com/s/ktx7ipccetotqrr11mct.
Bullen, M. (1995, June). Andragogy and university distance education. Paper presented to the 17th conference on the International Council for Open and Distance Education, Birmingham, UK. Retrieved from http://www.box.com/s/ap4nq2zf1jujkyo65pz0
Council for Open and Distance Education, Birmingham, UK. Retrieved from http://www.box.com/s/ap4nq2zf1jujkyo65pz0.
Haughey, M. (2010). Teaching and learning in distance education before the digital age. In M. F. Cleveland-Innes & D. R. Garrison, An introduction to distance education: Understanding teaching and learning in a new era (pp. 46-66). New York and London: Routledge.
Jonassen, D., Davidson, M., Collins, M., Campbell, J., & Bannan Haag, B. (1995). Constructivism and computer-mediated communication in distance education. The American Journal of Distance Education, 9(2), 7-26. Retrieved from http://www.box.com/s/i9y1f17cii6zmb0pi4qd.
Knowles, M. S., Holton III, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2005). The Adult Learner (6th Ed.). Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/59734837/4/ A theory of adult learning: Andragogy.
Miller, G. E. (2010). Organization and technology ofdistance education. In M. F. Cleveland-Innes & D. R. Garrison (Eds.), An introduction to distance education: Understanding teaching and learning in a new era (pp. 26-45). New York & London: Routledge.
Peters, O. (2004). Learning and teaching in distance education: Analysis and interpretations from an international perspective (pp. 28-54). London & New York: Routledge Falmer.
Peters, O. (2010). The greatest achievement of industrialized education: Open universities. In O. Peters, Distance education in transition: Developments and issues (5th edition) (pp. 57-81). Oldenburg, Germany: BIS-Verlag der Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg. Retrieved from : http://www.box.com/s/ktx7ipccetotqrr11mct
Peters, O. (2010). The theory of the ʺmost industrialized educationʺ. In O. Peters, Distance education in transition: Developments and issues (5th edition) (pp. 1-32). Oldenburg, Germany:
Saba, F. (2008). Learning management systems of the future: A theoretical framework and design. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol4no2/saba0608.htm.
Shale, D. (2010). Beyond boundaries: The evolution of distance education. In M. F. Cleveland-Innes & D. R. Garrison (Eds.), An introduction to distance education: Understanding teaching and learning in a new era (pp. 91-107). New York & London: Routledge.
4. I was highly impressed by our seminar with Prof Alan Tait of the Open University (OU) in United Kingdom. He was down to earth in addressing the many-sided but profound questions from all of us and I was particularly touched by the way he addressed us as students and colleagues inviting the intriguing blend of equality of status of adult students as fellow citizens alongside their instructors.
It was impressive to learn that despite the enormous responsibilities of administration to OU he has also had profound impacts in India, Bangladesh and seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Clearly he values his role of teaching and scholarship, his student support through development of tutoring and advisory systems. He is conversant with production of study materials and has published several articles in accredited journals, books and seminal papers to name but a few.
The visit alerted me to his recent publications that I must read in the course of this course namely:
Distance and E Learning, Social Justice and Development: the relevance of the Capacity Approach to the mission of open universities, in the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 2013.
From place to virtual space: reconfiguring student support for distance and e-learning in the digital age, in Open Praxis, February 2014 (both open content journals and easily available on the web).
5. After watching the Tony bates video and a number of his articles I learned of his role in the initial stages of Open University (OU) and its role in filling a major gap in the higher education system in Britain. How the reputation as a quality academic institution was influenced when it attracted top-quality research professors. I learned of the quality of the learning materials and the way they became text books in regular conventional universities. The revolutionary partnership of OU and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and how OU turned their critical attitude to one of ardent supporter of visual and audial aspects of teaching and learning at OU. He succinctly outlined the most poignant points in the success of OU as: follows:
· OU started with a strong political push.
· The role of Margret Thatcher’s love for self-improvement the idea that through open learning advocated by OU people could improve themselves by studying and working hard to getting on life.
· The role of the first head of OU Prof Walter Perry in balancing the academic and political interests.
· The way OU tapped into the large market of those who really wanted access to higher education but couldn’t get it.
· The idea of integrated, explicitly designed materials based on sound pedagogic principles and the way these added values to OU.
6. This course main goal is providing the student with a foundation of knowledge, skills and attitudes that are required by a competent practitioner of distance education. The objectives in the Syllabus for this course that we have covered so far include:
· Identify the unique characteristics of distance education
· Describe the major influences - social, economic, and political - in the evolution of distance education from its early beginnings to the current IT-based practices
· Identify the key authors and theorists in distance education and analyse their contribution to the field
· Describe how distance education methodologies have changed over time, in particular how the role of teacher and learner have evolved
· Describe various types of distance education institutions and the relevance of a systems approach to teaching and learning
Yes the objectives are being fulfilled to a very high degree. Through the course I have learned what an online learning is all about and the use of shared spaces and social media for learning and creating content through mind maps, wikis, google documents, twitter, and others that we shall be learning soon. I am confident that I can apply research and writing skills: use of relevant literature synthesizing findings and communicating ideas and arguments with supporting evidence. Use of APA model of writing was new to me and I it is becoming attractive and I hope to use it in my future publications. Collaborative learning through groups has been very energising as I have learned how to conduct chats and realised that these are very close to face to face student interactions. My experience with the synchronous discussion with Stella and Christine at the MDE hub and the numerous discussions in class are a proof that DE could even be better than face to face learning in removing distances of every kind.
May be the last objective of analysing the impact of technological changes on the nature of teaching and learning in DE is to be covered in the remaining time for the course.