Running Beau: F00NBATI0NS 0F BISTANCE EB0CATI0N S0NNARY PAPER
Summaiy Papei foi Founuations in Bistance Euucation
Linua A. Cook Texas Tech 0niveisity
F00NBATI0NS 0F BISTANCE EB0CATI0N S0NNARY PAPER 2 Summaiy Papei foi Founuations in Bistance Euucation The Founuations of Bistance Euucation couise was quite timely in that it pioviueu infoimation that is applicable to my cuiient job. I woik as a cential office auministiatoi within a K-12 school uistiict. Within oui uistiict, seveial K-12 couises aie being offeieu thiough blenueu leaining. In auuition, a few couises at the miuule school anu high school aie being offeieu viitually. Nuch of the content leaineu thiough this couise is uiiectly applicable to my woik in suppoiting teacheis in the uesign anu ueliveiy of viitual anu blenueu leaining couises. I have tiaineu the faculty of seveial campuses within oui uistiict in 0nueistanuing by Besign anu Constiuctivist Lesson Besign this yeai. Even though most of the euucatois paiticipating in the tiaining teach face-to-face oi blenueu couises, I have leaineu thiough Nouule 6 of the Founuations of Bistance Euucation couise that instiuctional uesign is a ciitical component of uistance leaining. In the futuie, I can offei a tiaining specific to viitual couises that auuiesses the incieaseu neeu foi constiuctivist piactices anu can incoipoiate stiuctuies such as the 0nit-Nouule-Topic appioach to viitual couise uesign. Ny masteis' thesis papei auuiesseu the ielationship between stuuent motivation anu each of the following: teachei immeuiacy, cuiiiculum ielevance, anu constiuctivist leaining enviionment. It was veiy inteiesting to me to finu within the Founuations of Bistance Euucation couise iefeiences to immeuiacy behaviois within an online leaining enviionment. I coulu incoipoiate this aspect of the teachei peispective within the tiaining that I uelivei on Instiuctional Besign Within viitual Couises within my uistiict. In my woik with a gioup of K-12 science teachei leaueis I cuiiently offei book stuuies, small gioup uiscussions anu piofessional uevelopment. We meet face-to-face once F00NBATI0NS 0F BISTANCE EB0CATI0N S0NNARY PAPER S a month. In the futuie, I coulu move this seiies of tiainings to a viitual couise foimat. To suppoit such a system, I woulu neeu to consiuei many aspects of Nouule 9, Nanagement of Bistance Leaining. Piioi to eniolling in the Founuations of Bistance Euucation couise, I woulu not have thought to consiuei aspects of uistance leaining such as the technology infiastiuctuie, puichase anu suppoit of technology tools, anu the neeu foi ongoing online suppoit foi stuuents. Now I know that these issues neeu to be planneu in auvance of initiating a viitual leaining piogiam. I also leaineu that I might neeu to pioviue auuitional scaffoluing suppoit foi leaineis within my couise who aie less autonomous oi self-uiiecteu than otheis. I woulu neeu to ensuie that any assistive technologies neeueu by stuuents eniolleu in my couises aie pioviueu. Foi stuuents who have nevei paiticipateu in an online couise I woulu neeu to pioviue an Intiouuction to 0nline Leaining mouule. The uesign of the online piofessional leaining couise woulu be baseu upon the 0nit- Nouule-Topic appioach so that stuuents (science teachei leaueis) woulu connect content to the big iueas auuiesseu thiough the couise. I woulu incoipoiate both synchionous anu asynchionous communication tools, as auuiesseu in Nouules 4 anu S, so that leaineis within the couise coulu collaboiate to constiuct meaning. Cuiiently one of the issues in offeiing face-to-face couises once a month is that often one oi moie paiticipants have a scheuule conflict anu have to aiiive late oi leave eaily. This uetiacts fiom the uiscussion of the gioup. If the couise weie ueliveieu uigitally with some oppoitunities foi asynchionous communication, all woulu be able to paiticipate. Baving cleai leaining outcomes anu embeuueu assessments with specific feeuback thioughout the couise aie ciitical components to plan in auvance. 0ne of the limitations that I have expeiienceu in some uistance leaining couises is that often feeuback is eithei F00NBATI0NS 0F BISTANCE EB0CATI0N S0NNARY PAPER 4 not pioviueu at all oi is pioviueu too late to have the uesiieu just-in-time impact on leaining. The couises within which I have ieceiveu iegulai specific feeuback anu in which the instiuctoi has iemaineu involveu as a facilitatoi of leaining have been the most effective. Within my uistance leaining couise foi science teachei leaueis, I woulu communicate a set "office houis" timefiame each uay when paiticipants might expect immeuiate iesponse fiom me. 0theiwise I woulu iesponu within 24 houis to any questions auuiesseu to me anu woulu iegulaily paiticipate in class uiscussions to contiibute to the constiuctivist conveisations anu auuiess possible misconceptions. 0pon completion of the uoctoial piogiam thiough Texas Tech 0niveisity, I hope to woik at a univeisity teaching futuie euucatois. With the expansion of uistance euucation, it is quite likely that I will be teaching at least some viitual couises. The unueistanuings gaineu thiough the Founuations of Bistance Euucation couise will be applieu uiiectly to the uevelopment of such couises.