O’Brien, Mary. 2009. The E-Learning Industry: Facing the challenges of Web 2.0. Rocky Mountain Communication Review 6 (1):57-61
Purpose and Audience
The purpose of the article “The E-Learning Industry: Facing the challenges of Web 2.0” by Mary O’Brien of Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design, and Technology was discuss the current state of E-Learning as well as the future implications of E-Learning in Web 2.0. The audience is those in education, technical communication, and business communication fields with interest in E-Learning.
Organization
The organization of article is as follows:
• Introduction/body (untitled) – Two factors have helped mitigate against a theory of isolation in E-learning: people have always been learning through informal channels, such as experts and peers; and a shift in how people relate to each other online with the advent of the Web 2.0 with blogs, forums, wikis, YouTube, Facebook, etc., and these channels are occurring in E-learning. Future opportunities for E-Learning include 3-D virtual worlds such as Second Life and video games. O’Brien also mentions that instructional designers should consider instant messaging, social networking, and mobile phones.
• The Future – How do we maximize learner freedom while simultaneously ensuring effective learning? Which forms of interaction, and among whom, are the right ones and for which contexts: peer-to-peer, student-to-teacher, student-to content (Anderson, 2005a)? Most importantly, how do we manage all these interactions—or do we? How much freedom is too much? How much guidance is required and from whom?
• References
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Distance Education's Impact During Economic Hardship: How distance learning impacts educational institutions and businesses in times of economic hards
Konetes, George D. 2011. Distance Education's Impact During Economic Hardship: How distance learning impacts educational institutions and businesses in times of economic hardship. Int'l J of Instructional Media Vol. 38(1):7-15.
Purpose and Audience
The purpose of the article “Distance Education's Impact During Economic Hardship: How distance learning impacts educational institutions and businesses in times of economic hardship” by George D. Konetes is to analyze the advantages of distance-learning courses during times of economic hardships. The audience is those in international communication, higher education, and technical communication fields. The article is mainly aimed at those in academia and is primarily a literature review.
Organization
The organization of the article is as follows:
Problem Statement
Definition of terms:
Distance Education. Education taking place with the student physically or geographically removed from the instructor using some form of technology to facilitate learning and contact (Valentine, 2002).
Distance Learning. Used synonymously with distance education (Valentine, 2002).
Currency of Issues
This topic is relevant because the field of distance learning has more than doubled between 2002 and 2006 and is in need of analysis (Pisel, 2008). Also, the United States economy has been in the midst of significant economic hardship for over a year at the time this article was written (Lee, 2009). (8)
Controversial Topics
This section outlines controversial topics such as economic tensions; ethical concerns such as focusing courses on popular curriculum that students have a higher demand for at the cost of leaving other important curriculum out because it is not as profitable to offer; the concept of workers and students being expected to further their training and education apart from employer compensation; whether it’s ethical for employers to require employees to be financially responsible for their own training and education; unfair advantage as employers enter into a position where they may penalize or terminate workers who do not pay for their own education and advancement. In addition to these concerns, there are still a significant number of instructors in higher academic circles who continue to hold the belief that distance learning is inferior to traditional face-to-face education (Yang, 2005). (8)
Special Interests
Businesses, governments and the general populace have significant interest in this topic because it deals with the development and retention of human capital, which is seen as one of the core sources of economic gain in modern society (Downey, 2005). Konetes also states that the technology industry has an inherent interest in distance learning. (8)
Summary of Literature
Introduction
Despite the growing financial advantages that businesses and corporations hold over universities, institutions of higher learning realize growth in distance education based student populations in terms of geographically isolated and financially limited students. (9)
Academic and Corporate Profitability
As financial pressures increase, distance learning becomes less profitable in higher education and more profitable in business and corporate applications. (9)
Academic and Corporate Investments
“Economic hardship puts pressure on those with the most resources invested in distance education namely academic institutions, as well as businesses with moderate investments and workers with light investments.” (9).
Advantages for Distance Education
Eliminates disadvantages due to geographic location, minimizes financial restraints, and is convenient for students with families or who are unable to quit jobs, etc. (11).
Conclusion
While most students still find face-to-face courses favorable, institutions offering both online and face-to-face options are becoming increasingly desirable, especially to younger, more tech savvy students. (12).
Critical Evaluation
Critique of Literature
The author is quick to note that limited information on this subject is available, but expects this it to grow as access to technology increases and due to many areas experiencing economic recession. (13)
Research Questions
How can distances education programs be marketed in order to reach new potential student audiences created by economic shifts?
Are distance learning focused institutions experiencing significant profits due to increased quantities of corporate outsourcing?
Are geographically isolated students more or less likely to attend relatively local institutions via distance education or international institutions?
Acknowledgements
References
Purpose and Audience
The purpose of the article “Distance Education's Impact During Economic Hardship: How distance learning impacts educational institutions and businesses in times of economic hardship” by George D. Konetes is to analyze the advantages of distance-learning courses during times of economic hardships. The audience is those in international communication, higher education, and technical communication fields. The article is mainly aimed at those in academia and is primarily a literature review.
Organization
The organization of the article is as follows:
Problem Statement
Definition of terms:
Distance Education. Education taking place with the student physically or geographically removed from the instructor using some form of technology to facilitate learning and contact (Valentine, 2002).
Distance Learning. Used synonymously with distance education (Valentine, 2002).
Currency of Issues
This topic is relevant because the field of distance learning has more than doubled between 2002 and 2006 and is in need of analysis (Pisel, 2008). Also, the United States economy has been in the midst of significant economic hardship for over a year at the time this article was written (Lee, 2009). (8)
Controversial Topics
This section outlines controversial topics such as economic tensions; ethical concerns such as focusing courses on popular curriculum that students have a higher demand for at the cost of leaving other important curriculum out because it is not as profitable to offer; the concept of workers and students being expected to further their training and education apart from employer compensation; whether it’s ethical for employers to require employees to be financially responsible for their own training and education; unfair advantage as employers enter into a position where they may penalize or terminate workers who do not pay for their own education and advancement. In addition to these concerns, there are still a significant number of instructors in higher academic circles who continue to hold the belief that distance learning is inferior to traditional face-to-face education (Yang, 2005). (8)
Special Interests
Businesses, governments and the general populace have significant interest in this topic because it deals with the development and retention of human capital, which is seen as one of the core sources of economic gain in modern society (Downey, 2005). Konetes also states that the technology industry has an inherent interest in distance learning. (8)
Summary of Literature
Introduction
Despite the growing financial advantages that businesses and corporations hold over universities, institutions of higher learning realize growth in distance education based student populations in terms of geographically isolated and financially limited students. (9)
Academic and Corporate Profitability
As financial pressures increase, distance learning becomes less profitable in higher education and more profitable in business and corporate applications. (9)
Academic and Corporate Investments
“Economic hardship puts pressure on those with the most resources invested in distance education namely academic institutions, as well as businesses with moderate investments and workers with light investments.” (9).
Advantages for Distance Education
Eliminates disadvantages due to geographic location, minimizes financial restraints, and is convenient for students with families or who are unable to quit jobs, etc. (11).
Conclusion
While most students still find face-to-face courses favorable, institutions offering both online and face-to-face options are becoming increasingly desirable, especially to younger, more tech savvy students. (12).
Critical Evaluation
Critique of Literature
The author is quick to note that limited information on this subject is available, but expects this it to grow as access to technology increases and due to many areas experiencing economic recession. (13)
Research Questions
How can distances education programs be marketed in order to reach new potential student audiences created by economic shifts?
Are distance learning focused institutions experiencing significant profits due to increased quantities of corporate outsourcing?
Are geographically isolated students more or less likely to attend relatively local institutions via distance education or international institutions?
Acknowledgements
References
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
