Running header: MIDTERM SUMMARY

Midterm Summary Meredith Bell Texas Tech University

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Abstract Distance education is a rapidly evolving field that is becoming more prominent at institutions of higher learning. Modules 2-5 covered the definition, history and theories of distance education, current research and the use of synchronous and asynchronous communication tools. While there is no universally accepted definition of distance education, the commonalities in most definitions are a separation of teacher and learner by distance or time and interactive communication through the use of technology. Distance education began through simple correspondence courses and has now grown into an integral part of institutionally based degree programs. Current research shows that the gender gap in online communication seems to be decreasing, but more studies are needed to examine content mastery. Asynchronous communication tools are important for group collaboration as programs like Wikidot, Blogger and Diigo allow individuals to combine their thoughts and ideas in one location. Synchronous communication programs like Google Hangout or QQ allow individuals to meet in real time and collaborate in a variety of ways even when they are physically separated.

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Midterm Summary Module 2-Fundamentals of Distance Education Defining Distance Education Distance education is a forum where some of the curriculum is available outside of the classroom, students and teachers are not required to be in the same physical location, and there are multiple methods of communication between teachers and students. This definition is broad enough to cover a wide variety of programs while allowing for changes in technology over time. Teaching and Learning at a Distance defines distance education as "institution-based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors" (Simonson 2012). The Association for Educational Communications and Technology explained distance education in a similar fashion, breaking it into four components: institutionally based, separation of teacher and student, interactive telecommunication, and shared learning experiences (Simonson 2012). I am conflicted about education having to be institutionally based because some types of "self-study" could be considered distance education. Perraton had a broader definition of education where a "significant proportion" of content is presented when the teacher and learner are separated by space and/or time (Simonson 2012). I agree with this definition, but I believe proportion would need to be more clearly defined.

Distance learning is defined by the California Distance Learning Project (2013) as "an instructional delivery system that connects learners with educational resources." The focus is primarily on the separation of teacher and learners in either space or time and the ability for two-

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way communication, and this definition is much more in line with my perception of distance education. According to the United States Distance Learning Association (2013), distance learning is "the acquisition of knowledge and skills through mediated information and instruction." While true, this definition is very broad and may need to be more specific about teachers and learners both being involved and communicating with one another asynchronously.

Historical Developments of Distance Education The first documented example of distance education occurred in 1840 with a shorthand course that evolved into the Phonographic Correspondence Society and Sir Isaac Pitman's Correspondence Colleges. The movement spread to the U.S., and in 1883 academic degrees are conferred for students completing summer and correspondence courses at Chautauqua College of Liberal Arts in New York (Simonson 2012). William Rainey Harper of Yale believed correspondence students knew more content better than those in the classroom, and the instructional method became more popular. The International Correspondence Schools were developed near the turn of the century and universities started offering distance degrees. The financial cost of correspondence education was prohibitive, and some university faculty became less enthusiastic about teaching from a distance. Technological advances would ease these problems in the future as institutions utilized radio stations and television programs (Simonson 2012). Students in isolated areas could receive instruction they could not normally access. Fiber optics now allow high speed two-way communication, and the internet provides a large range of collaboration tools that allow students to work with each other in addition to the instructor. Online courses and universities are options for students all over the globe. Theories of Distance Education

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While equivalency theory can be valid at all levels of education, distance instruction must take different forms based on the age of the learner and difficulty of the material. The ratio of presented material to hands on activities may vary based on the course, but it is important that students have direct contact with instructors. Instructors must also adapt student resources in real time as needed. Equivalency theory suggests that face-to-face instruction does not have to be identical to instruction at a distance for the two forms to be equivalent. All learners are able to meet the required objectives through a variety of instructional resources that vary by student. Instructors must utilize a variety of delivery mechanisms to ensure all students are able to attain the same level of mastery (Simonson 2012). Keegan believed education requires shared experiences between the teacher and learner and teaching must be reintegrated through communication for distance learning to be successful. Based on Simonson's theory though, it seems that shared experiences could be established, even at a distance through video conferencing or instant messaging. The three Fordist theories are geared toward "mass consumption," but it can be argued that a massive singular creation and distribution of distance learning may sacrifice quality (Simonson 2012). It is important that instructors are able to provide a wide variety of resources for students and individualize products as necessary. The Fordist structure does not appear to be adaptable enough to meet the requirements of Simonson's equivalency theory. Module 3- Perceptions of Distance Education Based on Gender The research on gender differences in distance education has evolved over the years. Articles over ten years old seemed to find that there were still gender differences present. While it appears that gender differences are decreasing over time, these three studies focused on very different aspects of online learning. The studies can be used in practice to make sure that gender

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biases are considered and appropriate steps are taken to reduce or eliminate them. I would be very interested to see a study done on improvement or gains rather than basic content mastery or opinions on online education. None of these studies focused on science education either, and I would be interested to know if there are gender differences or biases that are exposed in online labs or simulations. One study from 1999 showed that males sent longer and more frequent messages than females, but that females were more focused on content (Barrett). The ethnographic study showed that men and women made similar content contributions, but men sent longer and more frequent messages than the women. Women appeared to have more interactive communication that was less frequent and more focused on content. The overall conclusion of the study is that gender differences may carry over to online communication and education. The study was done on a small group of individuals and gender differences were not the original focus, so a larger scale study could be done to focus on basic online communication in addition to content mastery. Later research based on course ratings indicates that males and females identify the same strengths and weaknesses for distance learning, but that women found flexibility to be a much greater strength and self-pacing a greater weakness than men did (Sullivan). Online environments may reduce or eliminate some of the gender stereotypes that are present in a faceto-face classroom. The large sample size and variety of statistical methods used seem reliable, and the results are in line with more recent research. However, course ratings are also influenced by other factors such as the instructor, available resources, etc. Older research studies show various gender differences in both traditional and online classrooms, so further research is necessary.

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More recent research indicates that there are no gender differences in the evaluation of online courses (Liu). The Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium collected information on the student perceived strengths and weaknesses of online courses. Only two characteristics showed noticeable differences between gender. Flexibility was an important strength for both male and female students, but balancing coursework with family was much more important to females. Women found self-pacing to be a much greater weakness than men did. Response percentages were reported, but no statistical analysis or method was given. The number of male and female responses were not equal, so another study with more balanced samples and detailed statistical analysis would be beneficial. More recent research indicates that there is not a significant difference in course evaluations between male and female students. Module 4- Asynchronous Communication Diigo, Blogger and Wikidot are asynchronous communication tools that can be used to facilitate discussions among students and teachers. All three tools facilitate collaboration between individuals or groups. The downside with any technology of this type is proper monitoring and filtering by the teacher. Schools would need to have a strict digital ethics policy and punishments to enforce appropriate online communication. Overall, Blogger was the best of the three for communication and Diigo was the best for collecting and sharing resources. Diigo (2013) is a bookmarking tool that allows users in a group to bookmark, share and annotate favorite sites, but there is limited functionality without paying for an upgrade. While it was useful to collect resources, it was not very useful for facilitating collaboration or in depth communication between group members. Students could use this tool to keep track of references used in class assignments or to share relevant references with others. Teachers could use it with students or other teachers to share important or interesting websites. We easily saved

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references to our site https://groups.diigo.com/group/distance-learning-cohort-group, but some downloads were required to highlight and annotate. We were able to easily post new comments and responses to postings by others in the group. Overall, the site was very easy to use, but the limitations of the free version could make it difficult for teachers to use with a large number of students. A blog was created using Blogger, and it was a useful place to post ideas and receive feedback from others. Blogger is a free website, run by Google, for creating and maintaining weblogs (blogs). Individuals can post pictures and text, and other users who are signed into Google can post comments on each entry. Blogs can be public or private, and they may have multiple authors if that option is selected. Blogger also tracks page views and traffic sources, allows users to make money by allowing ads on their site and is connected to Google+. We were easily authored posts and left comments on our blog, http://madworldscience.blogspot.com. Blogger is extremely easy to use, and teachers are able to see the conversations that take place even when they are not online. Blogs are beneficial for both teachers and students to share ideas, get feedback and keep a running history of their thoughts and ideas. Wikidot is a website that allows users to create and manage wikis for free. Wikis are created by an author to post information that can then be edited and expanded on by other users in the group. Wikidot is free for basic functions and has a small cost for more professional pages. After several days of attempting to access our site, we were finally able to read, but not edit our page, http://mad-science.wikidot.com/. Students could use the site to create wikis for group projects so that each individual could edit and add to the same document. Teachers could use Wikidot to create a site to compile useful information or resources for their classes or other teachers. Wikidot would be beneficial for small short term projects or for simply collecting

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information in one place for future use. For more active collaboration and communication, better options are available that allow individuals to more easily identify authors and track changes or comments. Overall, we did not find the site to be very user friendly. Module 5- Synchronous Communication Google Hangout and QQ International are synchronous communication tools that can be used by teachers to communicate with other teachers outside of their own school, share ideas or participate in professional development. Students can use them to work on group projects from home or communicate with classes at other schools. The learning curve of new technology and dependence on reliable internet access are the largest limiting factors. Google Hangout allows users to participate in group chats, group video chats, screen sharing and phone calls with the capability to incorporate documents and groups from other Google applications. The tool can be used on both desktop and mobile devices (Google+ Hangout 2013). Overall, the tool was very user friendly and easy to navigate as the options were easily identified on the menu, and simple to use . The chat feature was helpful when we had audio issues, and the built in snap shot tool was useful for documentation. It felt more advanced and refined than Skype, and I also found the options and applications to be more fun. Video chat makes communication easier and more personal because you are able to see facial expressions, and the screen sharing feature allows you to show your group members things on your computer as if you were sitting next to them in the library. Higher level critical thinking skills can be refined through group collaboration, and Google provides an easy forum to execute this collaboration. The ease of using a single platform like Google for multiple parts of a project allows participants to focus on the content of the project rather than struggling with the

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technology. Google Hangout could be beneficial at all grade levels of education as well as in the business world. QQ International is an instant messaging tool that allows text, video and voice communication between individuals or groups. There are other applications within QQ that can be used for translating, email, photo sharing and news. The translation feature is somewhat limited, but the ability to translate what international teachers are saying is very beneficial. One issue I have had with QQ is receiving unsolicited chat requests from strangers, so I would not suggest using this tool with students unless stronger settings or filters are in place. QQ is a great resource for teachers who want to work and collaborate with international partners as it is a very large network with over a billion registered users in over 80 countries (QQ International 2013). There were some issues with installation and error messages being displayed in Chinese. QQ is a basic communication program that does not seem to differentiate itself with the exception of the translate feature and large international presence. Google seems to provide a better platform for collaborative work with the screen sharing feature and ability to edit other people's work while communicating with them in real time. QQ would be beneficial for some text and video communication, but its capacity for more complex collaboration is limited.

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References Barrett, E. L. V. (1999). Gender differences in an on-line learning environment. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 15(1), 48. Bell, M. 2013. MAD World Science. MAD World Science. Retrieved October 5, 2013, from http://madworldscience.blogspot.com California Distance Learning Project. Adult Learning Activities Retrieved September 13, 2013, from http://www.cdlponline.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=whati Diigo. (n.d.). Diigo. Retrieved October 6, 2013, from www.diigo.com Google+ Hangouts . (n.d.). Google. Retrieved October 4, 2013, from http://www.google.com/hangouts/ Liu, O. (2012). Student evaluation of instruction: in the new paradigm of distance education. Research in Higher Education, 53(4), 471. QQ International - Chat, Video Calls, Groups | Get a Better Messenger. (n.d.). QQ International Chat, Video Calls, Groups | Get a Better Messenger. Retrieved October 5, 2013, from http://www.imqq.com/ Simonson, M. R., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: foundations of distance education (Fifth ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill. Sullivan, P. (2001). Gender differences and the online classroom: male and female college students evaluate their experiences. Community College Journal of Research & Practice, 25(10), 805. United States Distance Learning Association: Facts and Figures . (n.d.). USDLA - United States Distance Learning Association: Home . Retrieved September 13, 2013, from http://www.usdla.org/facts-and-figures/ Wikidot - Free and Pro Wiki Hosting. (n.d.). Wikidot - Free and Pro Wiki Hosting. Retrieved October 5, 2013, from http://www.wikidot.com/