Online degree programs and their characteristics

Distance learning is a new scheme or mode of transferring and acquiring learning or education through the use of modern technology between instructor and student who are separated by time and space. It can be between schools, between schools and colleges and universities, within school buildings and districts or between individuals (Burke, 2002).

Is earliest prototype was the international correspondence in the 19th century. In the 1970s, it reshaped into open universities, later into the 1980's wave of technological products, such as the videotape, broadcast, satellite and cable. In the 1990s, Brey (as qtd in Burke) predicted that distance education programs would phenomenally grow that decade to an extent that most of the people the U.S. would be served by it at the minimal ratio of 1:1, mostly in the community colleges. Right enough by 1994, 80% of community colleges in the U.S. began offering some form of distance education program and the figure went up further in the rest of the decade.

Today, distance education or learning refers to the use of audio, video and computer videoconferencing technologies as media of delivery. It encourages creativity, active participation in the learning process, an experience of others, and prepares them for appropriate involvement in the world they are about to enter (Burke). And these activities utilize multiple interactive media, such as sound and video, enhance active listening and focused attention and the capability to work independently (Schlosser et al., 1997 as qtd in Burke). Distance learning is meant to meet or enrich the educational goals of an institution and those of the students through appropriate policy, procedures and programming before a program is started. Instruction is delivered by computers in either synchronous or asynchronous mode. The synchronous mode is used when the instructor and learner participate at the same time. The asynchronous mode uses recorded instructional materials, such as broadcast or cable TV, video audio, and computer software, among others.

As the scope of distance learning broadens, institutions tend to use and develop more and more diversified recorded and live technologies (Burke). At the Community College of Maine in 1991, the school provided 40 courses to 3,655 students in more than 75 different locations. According to the school, the interactive TV system was their primary means of broadcasting courses, although computer conferencing, videodiscs, faxes, audio conferencing and e-mail were also being used.

The current use of technology as a form of instructional delivery requires the radical shift of standards of education in accommodating these new technologies and the change of focus from teacher-centered to learner-centered environment. Each program must, therefore, fulfill the distinct educational goals of an institution and the specific needs of the student. This, in turn, requires the adjustment and establishment of policy, procedures and specific programming features or elements before the program should be begun (Burke).

DISCUSSION

To many researchers and users, distance learning or distance education interchangeably refers to a divergence of programs, provides, audiences and media used to transmit information and instructions between teacher and learner in separate locations and/or time (Sherry, 1996). The transfer of knowledge is the initiative of the learner or student, rather than by the instructor, taking the form of a non-contiguous communication between them through the print and/or another technology.

Evolution - Its prototype, international correspondence schools, became the accepted mode in Europe when instructional radio and TV were popularized in the middle of the last century, although these schools were introduced earlier. TV production technology was mostly confined to studios and live broadcasts in the late 50s and early 60s (Cambre, 1991 as qtd in Sherry). It was in these studios that master teachers held widely-broadcast class sessions. But those teachers were not always suitable or attractive TV talents and the TV medium of the time was not exactly the best method for calling or holding the attention of audiences (Sherry). This drove the TV image to the level of unfitness and needing some form of enrichment and radical upgrading in order to become relevant to school work. The reputation was surprisingly reversed in the late 70s when professionally formatted TV series brought new subject matters to students not yet taught but proved to be important and complementary to the curriculum. The change was, however, short-lived and the electronic media of radio and TV were again backtracked because of the lack of a two-way communication channel between instructor and student. In time, interactive communications technologies became more and more sophisticated and available by evolving distance educators, who continuously experimented and developed newer technologies. Present-day and the most popular media are computer-based communications, including electronic mail or email, bulletin board systems (BBSs), and internet; telephone-based audio-conferencing; and video-conferencing with one-or-two-way video and two-way audio via broadcast, cable, telephone, fiber optics, satellite, microwave, closed-circuit or low-power TV (Sherry).

Regional Development - Interest in distance learning or education is now highest and greatest in areas where students or learners are most widely distributed. Every region develops its own type of distance education needs according to local characteristics and resources, target users and the type or features of the organizations that provide the instruction. Public and private institutions offer independent study programs to self-starters and supply them with course materials, printed materials through snail or post mails, with some form of teleconferencing or electronic network support and tutorial support via telephone or electronic mail (e-mail).

Distance Learning vs. Virtual or Traditional Education - Learning from a distance (or distance learning or distance education) occurs by automation. Automation is the distribution of digitized course materials through the internet and without the involvement of those who prepared the materials (Professional Career Development Institute). Present-day views hold that this mode is unavoidable and improves as well as increases much wider access to knowledge. Traditional (or classroom) educators, on the other hand, continue to be suspicious and nervous about this phenomenon, more so because of the reputation and achievements it has gathered in recent years. Classroom educators must also contend with the fact that more and more private businesses have been acquiring distance learning courses, such as Associate, Graduate, Masters and Doctoral degrees - a dark foreboding to these traditionalists that the strength of campus school may be drawn back or deteriorate.

Some of these traditionalists objected to distance learning because of the lack of personal interaction in the process of learning. They felt that the lack of support could lead to poor service delivery by online schools and destroy their credibility and reputation. But more and more distance learning organizations have been creating their own educational programs to fill varied student needs and improving or assuring service delivery. The shape of things to come, it appears, is that more and more degrees will be delivered and acquired through distance learning. Working adults and those with families who may want to pursue or further their education are into distance learning. They see themselves as both student and consumer of the product that suits their demand for convenience and flexibility (PCDI).

A recent survey was conducted to compare web or internet-based learning and classroom-based learning in measuring their opinions and experiences. No significant differences were found on interaction. Distance learners surveyed expressed more satisfaction with the responsiveness of the instructor than classroom learners. Sixty per cent (60%) said they found net forums gave them some benefit, 56% of whom said net forums helped in their assignments. Almost half (47%) expressed interest in another distance learning course and interaction with the web-based course materials was also more frequent than with classroom-based materials (PCDI).

Another recent survey was conducted on the pre-test and post-test scores, age, preferred learning styles, homework grades, research paper grades, final examination scores and final course grades of distance learners and classroom learners. There were significant differences in post-test scores, final exam scores and age, but not in pre-test scores, research, paper grades, homework grades, and final course grades. In considering pre-test and post tests, both groups' ratings were not too far apart. Overall finding was that distance education can be just as good as the traditional face-to-face classroom education. There were no remarkable differences between them in their homework grades, research paper grades, pre-test scores and final course grades. Distance education scored higher in final exam scores, post-test scores and age. The conclusion drawn was that one method is not superior to the other, which ultimately meant that distance education is not inferior to traditional and can, therefore, be an acceptable alternative for being just as good (PDIC).

Theories and Philosophies - These affect the manner of communication transfer of distance education and how the student perceives the uses the new knowledge. There are two opposing views on instructional designs, symbol-processing is more often used than the situated cognition alternative. Symbol processing is computer-based and is premised on a transmission of a fixed body of information. The teacher presents and translates an abstract idea into a concrete image to the learner through a medium and from there, the student or learner perceives, decodes or processes, and stores the idea or image. This procedure was improved with the introduction of two additional factors (Horton, 1994 qtd in Sherry), i.e., the student's physical and mental set-ups. The physical set-up consists of the student's environment, peculiar situation and other physical or sensory circumstances. The mental set-up consists of the student's memory, associations, emotions, inferences and reasoning level, curiosity and interests. From these inputs, the student conceives his own image and combines it with previous knowledge and abilities for his own use.

The situated cognition view is derived from constructivist principles that guide the learner in constructing an internal representation of knowledge. This view maintains that both social and physical interaction combine in defining a problem and in forming the solution (Sherry). In using constructivism in a lesson, focus must shift from the traditional transmission model to a less complex, interactive and evolving one.

Desmond Keegan (Schlosser and Anderson, 1994 as qted in Sherry) advanced the distance learning theory, which artificially recreates the teaching-learning interaction and reintegrates it into the instructional process. It simulates the traditional classroom, face-to-face instruction scenario through intact and live classrooms and through a unique two-way audio-visual interaction. A Norwegian model combines mediated distance teaching with local face-to-face instruction (Rekkedal, 1994 as qted in Sherry). The distance educator or teacher has also undergone a refinement or alteration into a facilitator of learning, not just a communicator of a fixed body of information as her predecessor was. She has evolved into this through the most effective media through which she gets to meet her distance student face-to-face.

Recent systems allow a high degree of interaction between instructor and learner even if they are separated by, or the transfer of learning occurs in, isolated areas thousands of miles in between them. The student can now hear and even see his teacher and the teacher can react to the student's comments and answer his questions. More interestingly, virtual learning communities can be and are now formed wherein students and researchers throughout out world can be part of a class and contact can be established among them at any time of day or night during which to pass on or share information, observation and knowledge.

Systems - In the elementary and middle-school levels, distance learning occurs in the form of curriculum enrichment modules and telecommunication projects. Examples include De Orilla a Orilla, National Geographic Kids Network and Biomes Exchange Project. Other modules are TV-based and the teacher or instructor is the facilitator. The student is part of a collaborative group that uses manipulative equipment and performs hand-on activities (Pacific Mountain Network, 1994 as qted in Sherry).

At the secondary level, it is a locally or federally funded transfer of knowledge to small rural school districts or urban schools. In some cases, secondary school students enroll in distance learning courses to complete graduation requirements not available in their districts, or as advanced placement, as foreign-language input or as a vocational course. Still others take them because of disability, giftedness or disenfranchisement.

On the post-secondary level, distance learning is traditionally for adults. Examples are the United Kingdom's Open University, Norway's NKS and NK Distance Education organizations, the televised Japanese language program in the North Carolina State University and the federal government's star schools program for k-12 student populations (Sherry).

Design Criteria - The first consists of the entire range of customary stages of design, development, evaluation and revision. These stages involve not only the goals, needs and specific characteristics of the teacher and those of the student, but also specific content and technical requirements and constraints (Sherry).

The second is interactivity. While students argued that the accessibility of distance learning was far more important than dialogue, Millbank (1994, as qted in Sherry) showed that a combination of audio and video in corporate training resulted in a higher retention rate among trainees from 20 to 75%. Porter (1994 as qted in Sherry) further proved that the efficiency of independent learning materials was enhanced when combined with interactive communication technology and teacher mediation. According to him, interactivity extended to the connection between the student and the distance teacher, the local teacher, aides, facilitators and other students. Garrison (1990 as qted in sherry) maintained that, without connectivity, distance learning would degenerate into its prototype, the international correspondence school, wherein the student would become autonomous and isolated, procrastinate and soon stop. Effective distance learning should achieve the ideal of an authentic learning experience with is the connective-ness of the student and the instructor (Sherry).

The third is active learning, wherein the student adopts the learning goals as his own. This depends on his perception of the relevance of the medium and its message (Saettler, 1990 as qted in Sherry).

The fourth is visual imagery. Instructional TV has the peculiar power that captivates and motivates viewers, the student in particular. But caution must be taken that it does not distort or pervert the curriculum by drawing the student's attention away from the instruction and into the entertaining features of the medium. White (1987 as qted in Sherry) stressed that oversimplification and superficiality could result from a presentation of powerful images and the student should learn how to sift and reject junk information from quality information, detect sensationalisms, persuasions and realize the ways and extent that technology shaped the information it transmitted (Sherry).

And the fifth is effective communication. The designer should use images, which would produce a similar idea in the learner and within the context of the learning environment and his prior experiences. In dealing with individual differences in receiving the message, the designer had to tactically use organizers in creating appropriate context through select effective images and appropriate objects with relevant features or characteristics in transmitting the same idea to the learner (Sherry).

Methods and Strategies guided practice - a teacher needs training in instructional message design, strategies for delivering instructions on-camera, different types of presentation, mixes of activities for teacher and learner and their interaction, choice situations of relevance to the student and an assessment of the level of learning. Along with these, she needs guided and hands-on practice in developing and delivering the instruction through audio, video, graphics and text before a live audience but as a "non-threatening" situation (Sherry). This would be achievable with the use of fewer overheads and more moving video, mixing "talking heads" and videos of sites, using hands-on experiments, fusing text and graphic art, and other strategies. Site facilitators would also profit from hands-on practice with the given or appropriate equipment: evidence showed (Sherry and Morse, 1995 as qted in Sherry) that those who participated in a training program and were comfortable with the equipment also engaged their students well.

A media-based issues - Foreign language courses may suffer from the loss of visual detail video conferences because of signal compression, especially clear lip movements. This can be offset by telephone conversations with the instructor and frequent dialogue between student and instructor.

Distance education requires extensive preparation and adjusting traditional teaching strategies and methods in a new and entirely unfamiliar learning environment without visual cues and indicators (Sherry). Effective strategies (Willis, 1993 as qted in Sherry) include developing suitable methods of feedback and reinforcement, optimizing content and pacing; adapting to different learning styles; using relevant case studies and examples; concise supplementary courseware and print information; and personalizing instruction. It also involves a team, consisting of the instructor, the student and the site facilitator. The site facilitator is the on-site monitor of the teacher and who invigorates the interaction when the student wants to ask a question.

The available and various media may be a problem. Some are print-based independent study courses, electronic projects via the internet, classroom postings, audio conferences and cannot compare with live, two-way interactive TV. Media assignment is still another problem area. The teacher and the site facilitator need training in the technologies they should use (Sherry and Morse, 1995 as qtd in Sherry) as well as an analysis of the content of a learning module, the separate goals of the student, teacher and the institution in addition to the factors that lead to the successful delivery of the module.

A inquiry learning - Under this new system, the teacher or instructor is no longer the lone source and giver of the knowledge or fixed body of information but is now only the facilitator of "discovery learning" through a progressive communication between her and the learner. Despite her mastery of the subject and the technology, she still has to continue training in order to learn new teaching strategy with the technology. The Office of Technology Assessment (U.S. Congress, 1988 as qtd in Sherry) used the "Voyage of the Mimi" multimedia program, while many other inquiry learning modules were developed by the Far View Project. Problems encountered, however, include the lack of supporting data. Distance learning is a new, exciting but costly innovation that can be inefficient and a waste when it does not address or fill real needs. It was also felt that online or distance education can detract or delay the development of oral communication skills and the establishment of networks and socialization among learners.

A policy development - Chiefly, this is the development of a seamless educational system at the state level, which will allow students to learn through a myriad of organizational networks. Such a setting should provide educational opportunities at home, in schools, or at work through an integrated system of training, credit offerings, and mandatory education. This requires the formulation of new operational guidelines for minimum quality standards at the regional level alone.

A evaluations - The future shape of distance learning or education will no longer be choice between audio and video system, between interactive and independent systems, or between one-way or two-way systems. In all probability, a single wire could provide everything by simply connecting the classroom, the library, the workplace and the home or basic setting (Sherry). It will just be a matter of selecting the most practical or suitable combination of experiences to be based on costs and capabilities from a vast range of media options. Education will then focus from teaching to learning. Educational organizations will then have to adopt new techniques in redefining faculty work and securing funds for the new technology. No matter, distance learning is seen as dissolving the learning boundaries. Boshier, Wilson and Ayyum (1999 as qtd in Sherry) said that distance learning courses would remain a cost effective way of delivering education without an expensive and exclusive system and its uses needing to secure a specific place in the global information economy.

A implications for colleges - the chief advantage of the use of telecommunications technology is the decrease of the time in the acquisition of a school degree. Community colleges, however, still play major roles as the institution to provide and send the instructions electronically and as the access and service center within the traditional university. As such, it becomes a one-stop educational shopping center for local users. The perceived partnership between the local community college and the regional virtual university will have a new and important purpose by refocusing and revising many traditional systems and mechanisms (Sherry).

The sudden and unprecedented shift in distance learning environment now compels accreditors and licensure authorities to re-evaluate their standards in measuring quality education. Standards for traditionally quantified inputs must give way to student-learning outcomes, but knowing just where, when and how to do so is not so easy. The problem is that they do not have much time in defining what these good practices and standards are for distance learning programs (Sherry), but they must come up with some quality assurance system for this new learning environment that will also protect public interest.

How-To's - How does one acquire distance learning or education? After looking over a vast selection of degree programs offered by an online university or school, a student only needs to sign up and fill the form. In choosing the course and the school, it will be wise to find out the graduation rate or level of the school and the marketability of the course. Business and technology, for example, are high-rating online courses at present. And two tested colleges with distance learning programs are American Inter-Continental University and the University of Phoenix Online (First Stop Online Degrees and Degree Programs 2003).

Distance learning is most suitable to working professionals who do not want time off from their career to earn a new course. A student can study at his own pace, no need to be present in a classroom or change schedule. And many benefits accrue: the course can be taken at one's own pace and style, the students learns or improves knowledge of modern technology, acquires a new career, and can demand a promotion or better pay.

E-learning and its Benefits

Major businesses today find that building online or e-learning systems can eliminate a lot of travel time and cost of shipping paper and plastic worldwide (Pallatto 2002). They can rely on e-learning to hasten the process of launching new products and this is specifically important to global companies. Some other companies note that their employees learned faster from this new mode of learning's interactivity and sophisticated graphics and that they became more productive and more quickly than when they had weeks of classroom training. These employees' also gained greater individual control over their training.

Many businesses have gone into teaching hard skills, such as the proper use of products and equipment, or soft skills such as customer relations practices, through e-learning or online training, using only their laptops and downloading prepared information at the learner's convenience. E-earning is also used to introduce new employees to new organizations or to update present employees on the latest about benefits and human relations policies (Pallatto). Walker Institute of Training and development is an example of a small telecommunications equipment distributor with less than 300 employees that expanded into an online corporate university after forming a partnership with GeoLearning, Inc., a web-based training solutions and learning management system provider. As a partnership, it offers dozens of courses from its library in addressing the learning needs of its sales people in the field without tying them down into the classroom (Tyler 2001). Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce once faced the problem of a declining attendance of their educational programs in the face of a sustained desire for learning opportunities until it discovered e-learning (Tyler). It found the system as a cost-saving solution, as other small companies with limited budgets did.