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Adam Weissengruber Post 1

• 3 June 2018, 10:26 PM

Distance vs. E-learning

Supporting E-learning has been a part of the work I do at a college library and it is the method that enabled me to complete my Masters in Library Science. I am now thinking about my experience with this practice in relation to the older concept of distance education. So many of the on-campus courses being offered now at our college rely heavily on interacting in the CMS and other online venues. The technology available over the past 5-10 years enabled my own distance learning to include live online interaction with the instructor and classmates. Truly it now doesn’t matter if you are across the parking lot from your school, or half-way around the world.

What matters isn’t the ‘distance’. What matter is the choice of the E-learning tools, how they are deployed, how their benefits (vs. in-class instruction) can be leveraged and how their weaknesses (vs. in-class instruction) can be overcome. It is clear that open educational materials are the ideal fuel to keep E-learning growing and reaching all learners. My challenge as someone who works with providing access to tools and materials is knowing where my place is in the promotion and adoption of these materials.

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Jenni Hayman Post 2 in reply to 1

• 3 June 2018, 11:18 PM

Hi Adam, thank you for sharing the diagram that shows the waxing and waning fortunes of different models. What is often discussed about eLearning is the continuing need for great pedagogy the takes advantages of the affordances (the opportunities) that are only possible through online and technology-enabled designs. With Distance Ed the challenges of the distance were difficult to overcome, synchronous solutions such as Zoom and other webinar software have helped a lot, but other collaborative and real-world assessment options are still needed to help ensure great learning experiences. Open has a lot of possibility in partnership with resources. Perhaps when you recommend OER you can also recommend how they might be used pedagogically (the open educational practices part) with some good examples. These things are definitely connected!

Marvin Patton Post 3 in reply to 1

• 4 June 2018, 3:26 PM

I love how your graphic shows change over time!  Like you, Adam, I recognized the relationship between E-learning and distance education.  And I predict that eventually, E-learning will be the only surviving practical form of distance education.  I used a Venn diagram approach to show the connection--but it lacks the temporal dynamic you so elegantly captured!