The Next Generation

Moller, Huett, Foshay, and Coleman (2008) and Simonson (2008) agreed that distance education and traditional or face-to-face education, although different, must produce the same outcome for participating students. To accomplish that end, both educational methods must attain what Simonson coined as “equivalency.” Simonson defined his Equivalency Theory, developed over a decade ago at Iowa State University, as the ability for students to learn just as well, whether as distance learners or as classroom learners, but that the process should not be the same. He used the analogy of the obvious difference between a circle and a square. Yet geometrically, if they have the same area, equivalency exists between them.

In discussing online instruction with colleagues, it became evident that many believe that with little difference in student learning, lesson plans used in the traditional classroom would work just as well in a distance learning environment. In other words, the process would work the same for both venues. They rarely consider the possibility that distance learning students do not have an instructor guiding them, motivating them, or giving them verbal or nonverbal signals to indicate how well they are accomplishing their tasks. There are a myriad of distractions that pull the attention of distance learners away from the monitor and often interfere with that learning process.

Moller, et.al. (2008) agree that there needs to be a “reexamination of the process of learning” in the distance learning arena. They see future generations of learners as being a community of learners, sharing ideas, communicating as learners, and building a strong cooperative environment. As a result of shared concerns, learning will become customized to learners and not viewed as a catch-all that may or may not meet the needs of everyone.

As the community grows, learners accepting distance learning formats will increase exponentially. Simonson (2009) does not believe this will happen in a revolutionary way. Major change does take time and change in education seems to take even longer. But Simonson believes that there will be a blending of distance learning and traditional learning as distance learning becomes a part of that community of learners.


References
Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5). 63-67.
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70-75.
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70.
Simonson, M. (2000). Making decisions: The use of electronic technology in online classes. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 84, 29-34.
Simonson, M. (2009). Distance education: The next generation. [Vodcast]. Baltimore MD: Laureate Education, Inc.
Simonson, M. (2009). Equivalency theory. [Vodcast]. Baltimore MD: Laureate Education, Inc.