Anticipating the Future of Distance Learning

1. Anticipating the Future of Distance Learning The 21st Century James L. Morrison Professor of Educational Leadership UNC-Chapel Hill TODAY The 21st Century

2. Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century • The changing environment • Technology and learning • Where are we? • What are the issues?

3. Students can no longer prepare bark to calculate problems. They depend instead on expensive slates. What will they do when the slate is dropped and breaks? Teacher’s Conference, 1703

4. Students depend on paper too much. They no longer know how to write on a slate without getting dust all over themselves. What will happen when they run out of paper? Principal’s Association Meeting, 1815

5. Students depend too much upon ink. They no longer know how to use a knife to sharpen a pencil. National Association of Teachers, 1907

6. Students depend too much on store bought ink. They don’t know how to make their own. What will happen when they run out? Rural American Teacher, 1928

7. The Changing Environment • Globalization • Economic restructuring • Need for up-to-date, college trained, workforce; for continuous retraining • Exploding clientele • Changing clientele • Older, working, raising children • Takes longer to get degree • Concern for cost

8. Percent of Firms Downsizing by Business Category Source: Chicago Tribune, August 21, 1995

9. From 1980 to 1994, the U.S. contingent workforce—temps, self-employed, consultants—increased 57%

10. Today, 65% of all workers use some type of information technology in their jobs. By 2000, this will increase to 95%.

11. Constant training, retraining, job-hopping, and even career-hopping will become the norm.

12. The Enrollment Pipeline High School Graduates, 1979-2004 (millions of students) 3.0 2.8 We Are Here! 2.6 2.4 2.2 2.0 2004 '79 '82 '85 '88 '91 '94 '97 '00 source: WICHE

13. An Aging Clientele for Higher Education

14. Projections • Tomorrow (2000) • 672 new campuses • 20 million new learners • $235b to build • $217b/year to operate • Today • 3,613 institutions • 16 million students • $156b in operations • Workforce Statistics • 141 million workers • 1/7 require 7 credit equivalents/year Source: Michael Dolence AACRAO 1997

15. Supply and Demand Demand for Education L e a r n e r s Resources Available Time

16. The Changing Environment • Self Service and Convenience • No longer school - work - retire model • Massive Expansion of Potential Students • Immigration continues to exceed births • Older Citizens • Continuing professional/occupational education

17. The Changing Environment • New competition in higher education • Old-line institutions have discovered satellites and the Internet • Traditional “service areas” fair game for all • New for-profit educational providers • Certification monopoly at risk • employers concerned about competency • employers relying less on diplomas • Outcomes assessment coming on line--Western Governors University • College costs exceeding inflation--concern for ROI

18. Signals • Cyber-Universities • 1993: 93 • 1997: 762

19. Examples • Magellan University • College Connection • Education Network of Maine • Colorado Electronic Community College • Coastline Community College • University College of Maryland • California Virtual University • Western Governors University

20. Technological Tools • The Internet/e-mail • WWW • Productivity tools (e.g., Microsoft Office) • Videodisks • CD ROM • Video-conferencing

23. Learning: Children Are • learning machines • excited by learning, exploring • eager to try new things • not self-conscious about failure • not depressed about how they are progressing • willing to experiment, to reflect

24. Children • are trying to do something rather than to know something • are learning by doing • control their learning by using an adult to guide them through new areas of investigation—one-on-one assistance, as-needed basis

25. Natural Learning • occurs when the person really wants to know something • not compatible with lockstep classrooms, rigid curricula, or measurable by multiple choice tests • When information enters memory that in no way relates to goals that the possessor of the information may want to accomplish, it is quickly forgotten because there is no meaningful place for it to reside.

26. Principles • Learning is driven by the natural need to do • Knowing is driven by doing • Children learn facts because they have the need to know them, because these facts will help them do something they want to do

27. Public School • learn what someone else wants them to learn—teacher and curriculum goals • no longer learn because they want to • emphasis on rote learning, standardized curriculum • success: not being able to do, but being able to function within the system • In school, knowing becomes uncoupled from doing

28. “Your instructional system is driven by teaching rather than by learning, by the needs of professors rather than students.”Sir John S. Daniel, 1997

29. “…with good learning materials, effective networks, and proper support, students can learn better at home than in class.” Sir John Daniel, 1997

30. What are the issuesin distance learning?

31. Which Approach? • Individual learning primarily via asynchronous communication • Group teaching via synchronous communication

32. Issues • Role of professor • Time • From course topic • From students • From teachers • Plagiarism • Unreliable sources

33. Does distance learning technology facilitate access, lower costs, and maintain quality?