Running Beau: F00NBATI0NS 0F BISTANCE EB0CATI0N S0NNARY PAPER

Summaiy Papei foi Founuations in Bistance Euucation

Linua A. Cook
Texas Tech 0niveisity










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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
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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
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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.