The Future of Distance Learning

    Distance learning will have no choice but to evolve with the technological advances that will continue to emerge and present itself as a tool to help learning from the palm of your hand or the comfort of your home be more straightforward, faster, and more accessible to everyone. People’s perceptions of distance learning will evolve positively with it, too. It’s inevitable. Distance learning is currently described as institutional-based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and interactive telecommunications systems connect learners, resources, and instructors (Simonson, 2022).

The current perception is that a learner enrolls in a program and follows a set of modules or units of study to reach a successful outcome of learner objectives within a certain period yet at their own pace. The expectation is that the learner should be able to demonstrate skills to prove they have learned the concepts taught. In the not-too-distant future, I can see the perimeters of this changing drastically. Imagine a world where distance learning may be as simple as connecting to an Artificial Intelligence (AI) application, like a virtual reality (VR) headset. As you receive the information about your chosen program, the technology can read your brain waves’ productivity of understanding and decide whether you have learned what was set out for you to know. There would be no tests, no discussion forums to contribute to, and no projects to complete to demonstrate you understand, have retained, and can complete said objectives in the real world. It will just be the technology and your brain connected to decide whether you pass or fail. The perception and definition of distance learning will change in how it is conducted and received.

As an instructional designer, it will be vital to demonstrate how distance learning advantages outweigh the disadvantages in the society in which we live (Ozan,2010). I would be foolish not to remind the audience of learners and observers that as we receive information digitally, whether it be through social platforms such as WhatsApp Messenger, Instagram, and TikTok at a rapid pace for example, and are willing to accept the information in the form it is delivered, we too should receive and accept distance learning for formal education with the same respect. George Siemens explains that there is a growing acceptance of what we can do with this technology (Walden, n.d.). Instructional designers should use leading advances in instructional design models as guides and provide quality tools, pedagogical approaches, accurate course content, meaningful interaction, and student support that have been proven effective and efficient in function and delivery (Simonson et al., 2019). Distance learning must be consistently perceived as high-quality learning that will benefit the learner to contribute immediately to society.

Instructional designers can cut the distance in distance learning by designing learning experiences that engage learners in innovative and realistic experiences. As an instructional designer, I will help promote positive learning experiences for instructors to carry out distance teaching and learning with a multimedia experience (Mayer, 2002). For me to pioneer distance learning experiences, I will need to continue to be open to research and learn about cognitive, motivational, and instructional theories and methods to improve the field of distance learning. The trusted research on distance learning must support an understanding of how to design multimedia learning environments that promote meaningful learning (Mayer, 2002). 

As time passes, my instructional designs will reflect the refinement of guides, research, and theories. I will foster meaningful learner-centered experiences. The association and perception of distance learning will be synonymous with innovative and diverse programs that prepare alumni for various competitive careers. 

References

Mayer, R. E. (2002). Multimedia learning. In Psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 41, pp. 85-139). Academic Press.

Ozan, Ozlem. (2010). DISTANCE EDUCATION: Definition and Glossary of Terms, 3RD EDITION. The Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education.

Simonson, M. (Ed.). (2022). Distance Learning: Volume 19# 3. IAP.

Simonson, M., Zvacek, S., & Smaldino, S. (2019). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (7th ed.) Information Age Publishing.

Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (n.d.).