5-Course+Summary

The biggest take-aways I had from this course (that I can relate back to my business environment) center primarily on teaching and student support. In regard to teaching, I think many of the concepts that go into effectively educating at a distance translate very well to the classroom too, so it’s great to be able to apply them in both areas.

I recently worked with a few classroom trainers in one of our offices and I spent quite a bit of time with them on creating an environment where the students take ownership for their own learning and incorporating the concept of reflective learning/thinking. These trainers had a tendency to question primarily at knowledge/comprehension levels and then provide all the higher level thoughts and concepts versus drawing it out of the students. They also did not focus on tying prior knowledge to new knowledge and were missing some great opportunities to enhance the transfer of learning and take students to a higher level of cognitive development.

Moore’s (2005) three constitutive concepts (dialog, structure, and autonomy) have such a strong foundation in pedagogical soundness (p.28) and the teaching models we examined in Peter’s (2001) readings (pp 19-28) supported not only the role of the teacher, but also the course designer in creating an environment where students are forced to reflect on learned content so they can apply and synthesize what they learn. These readings probably formed my biggest “aha” moment in class because I think these concepts represent real gaps in the way many classes are constructed and conducted. They are easier said than done. Coming up with the kinds of questions and assignments that take students to this higher cognitive level is not something that is done well without a good amount of consideration and preparation. It is a key area where I have begun, and will continue, to work with my instructional designers and trainers.

I addressed my thoughts on student support in my comments for module three, which is the module that drove my main take-aways for this area. Perraton's (1991) article helps outline some of the decisions to be made regarding students such as identifying how they will use materials throughout class and the level of support provided (p. 4). While student roles and support do not get ignored, I don't think enough thought goes into these factors for many classes/programs. From a business perspective, I can see opportunities for better planning and modeling in this area.

 __References__ Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2005). //Distance education: A systems view// (2nd ed.)//.// Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Peters, O. (2001). //Learning and teaching in distance education - Analyses and interpretations // // from an // international perspective (2nd ed.) //. // London: Kogan Page.

Perraton, H. (1991). //Administrative structures for distance education//, London: Commonwealth Secretariat.