If anything is a guarantee in the world of technology it would be that things are only going to continue to become better, faster, and more advanced. Distance learning will have the same future, as technology advances so will the ease and popularity of distance learning. I think most people would argue that as technology advances we are going to see less and less of the brick and mortar classroom. Simonson et al states that we can look to see these changes not so far in the future and that is will be seen at home, the workplace, and throughout education. (2012). The more technology advances and becomes easier to use, the more we are going to see it being used in all sorts of settings.
I believe the hardest part is trying to predict when and what changes will take place. I think in the near future (5-10 years) that we will see an advance in the way distance education is being handled and have more streamline, advanced classrooms where the design flaws will decrease and the learner autonomy will be less stressful. In the more distant future I really see the movement toward more online education reaching down even into the K-12 schools, I currently work for an online grade school and every year our attendance increases. I really hope that the brick and mortar classrooms do exist still as I think there are a lot of benefits of learning in a face-to-face environment; I think a blended classroom would be a perfect scenario of learning with technology but also closing that “transactional distance” between teacher and student that might be hard to handle as a younger less experienced student. (Simonson et al, 2012).
As an instructional designer I think that the best way to be an advocate for distance learning is to be great at what you do. The better the online programs, the less negative things people will have to say about them. Taking the job seriously and seeing it through from beginning to end to ensure that all learning goals are being met and all learners have a sense of community will take the reputation of distance learning in the right direction. Make sure that whatever your plan is, that everyone is on board with it. Having the approval of all the stakeholders can make or break the reputation of the program. (Simonson et al, 2012). In doing all of this you are going to create a positive working relationship and that usually projects a positive learning experience. The more this happens, the more people are going to talk about distance education in a positive way, thus changing the reputation of distance learning. It won’t happen over night because change is not always an easy thing, but with hard work and creating reputable programs minds will be changed.
Instructional designers have a large responsibility for continuing to improve distance learning. As the name states, we are the ones in charge of designing the instruction taking place. The number one thing that can contribute to the improvement of distance learning is to know who your audience is, and make sure you are designing a perfect scenario for that specific group of people. According to Simonson et al, the learner “is often considered after the planning and organizing of the hardware, the content, and the instructional place. But it is the learner who is the crucial member of the distance learning system. It is the learner who needs to be considered early in the planning..” (2012, pg 218). If we want to change the view on distance learning this can not be the case. It takes a lot of time and attention to detail but if you want a quality product that will really make your learners have an experience unlike anything they would get in a classroom this is step that needs to happen. This will be my main focus as I start a career as an instructional designer. I would love to make my mark on ID by making it a more personal learning experience.
We know technology is going to continue to advance, therefore we do not know exactly what the future has in store. As a future instructional designer, and current distance learner the only thing for certain is change. I am excited to see how the advancement of technology is going to change learning for the better. A bright future that we can’t even imagine is straight ahead.
Resources
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson