Distance Learning: Principles for Effective Design, Delivery, and Evaluation PDF
Preview Distance Learning: Principles for Effective Design, Delivery, and Evaluation
Distance Learning: Principles for Effective Design, Delivery, and Evaluation Chandra Mohan Mehrotra Copyright © 2001 by Sage Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information: Sage Publications, Inc. 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 E-mail: [email protected] Sage Publications Ltd. 6 Bonhill Street London EC2A 4PU United Kingdom Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd. M-32 Market Greater Kailash I New Delhi 110 048 India Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mehrotra, Chandra. Distance learning: Principles for effective design, delivery, and evaluation / by Chandra Mehrotra, C. David Hollister, and Lawrence McGahey. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 0-7619-2088-9 (c) — ISBN 0-7619-2089-7 (p) 1. Distance education—Curricula. 2. Education, Higher—Curricula. 3. Instructional systems—Design. I. Hollister, C. David. II. McGahey, Lawrence. III. Title. LC5800 .M44 2001 378.1’75—dc21 2001002978 This book is printed on acid-free paper. 02 03 04 05 06 07 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Acquisition Editor: Jim Brace-Thompson Editorial Assistant: Karen Ehrmann Production Editor: Sanford Robinson Editorial Assistant: Cindy Bear Typesetter/Designer: Tina Hill Cover Designer: Sandra Ng Contents Acknowledgments vii Introduction ix Background and Audience x Overview of the Contents xi Our Companion Web Site xii 1. Distance Education: What Is It? And Why Is It Expanding So Rapidly? 1 Impacts of Technology on Distance Education 2 The Prevalence of Distance Education in the United States 4 Societal Changes Contributing to the Growth of Distance Education 6 The Impact of Distance Education on Traditional Instruction 9 Criticisms of Distance Education 11 Conclusion 13 2. Attracting Students to Distance Learning 15 How to Assess the Need and Demand for a Distance Program 16 Target Audience 19 Instructional Design and Mode of Delivery 20 Strategies for Marketing Distance Courses and Programs 21 Specific Ideas for Promoting and Marketing Distance Programs 23 Conclusion 27 3. Good Practices in Distance Education: How to Promote Student Learning and Development 29 The Good Practices 31 Summary Tips 50 4. The Syllabus for Distance Learning Courses 53 What Is a Syllabus? 54 More Than a List 55 Outline for a Syllabus: Putting It Together 56 Other Issues 66 Summary Tips 67 5. Delivery Methods for Distance Education 69 Synchronous or Asynchronous? 70 Synchronous Delivery Methods 72 Asynchronous Delivery Methods 76 Conclusion 88 6. Selecting Delivery Methods 95 Fundamental Principles to Observe in Selecting Delivery Methods 96 A Decision Tree Approach to Selecting a Delivery Method 105 Conclusion 109 7. Support Services 115 Support Services Prior to Enrollment 118 Support Services for Enrolled Students 124 Support Services After Course or Program Completion 132 Summary 135 8. Ensuring High Completion Rates 139 The Problem of Retention 140 Retention in Distance Education Programs 140 Strategies for Improving Completion Rates 144 Summary Tips 149 9. Assessing Learning Outcomes 153 Guiding Principles 154 Methods of Assessment 160 Conclusion 168 Summary Tips 169 10. Program Evaluation 173 Evaluating Program Inputs 176 Program Processes 179 Assessing Outcomes 181 Analysis of Costs and Outcomes 188 Conclusion 191 Summary Tips 192 11. Accreditation 195 Guidelines for Distance Learning 196 Providing Evidence Regarding the Program’s Effectiveness in Meeting the Guidelines 199 Conclusion 216 Summary Tips 217 Conclusion 223 Author Index 231 Subject Index 235 About the Authors 241 Acknowledgments I n preparing this book, we have drawn on the ideas, theo ries, and research of colleagues from a variety of colleges, universities, institutes, and organizations who have developed creative ways to help students learn at a distance, raised important questions about effective ness of instruction, and identified issues that need to be addressed. But most immediately, we are indebted to our own institutions, The College of St. Scholastica and the University of Minnesota, for the continuing opportunities to design and offer distance programs, to assess their effectiveness, and to use the findings for program improvement. With out these experiences, we could not have even thought about writing this book. We are grateful to the members of the library staff at The College of St. Scholastica and the University of Minnesota. They demonstrated ex ceptional competence in providing us a large variety of reference mate rials in a timely fashion. The peer reviewers, Charles R. Geist, Betty Elliott, and Sharon B. Johnson, who read and critiqued the manuscript offered us valuable suggestions and pedagogical advice. We did our vii viii DISTANCE LEARNING best to incorporate many of the ideas, suggestions, and insights they gave us, although by no means all; any remaining errors are ours alone. Our families and friends offered us encouragement and assistance in many ways. Chandra Mehrotra wishes to acknowledge Indra Mehrotra, his wife and best friend, for her enduring support. He thanks their two children, Vijay and Gita, for their continuing interest in his work. He also thanks Nancy Bois for typing a substantial portion of the manuscript. David Hollister expresses deep appreciation to Georgiana Hollister, his wife and best friend, for her continuing support. David also wishes to acknowledge their three children, Patrick, Jonathan, and Martha, for their interest in his work on this project. We had the good fortune to work with dedicated professionals at Sage. Jim Brace-Thompson initiated discussions about this project at the 1998 American Psychological Association convention where Chandra Mehrotra had organized a symposium on distance learning. This support and interest has been most gratifying throughout the pro cess. It has been a pleasure to work with him. In addition, we appreciate the thoroughness of copy editor Alison Binder, whose knowledge about good writing enhanced the quality of the book. Introduction D istance learning, or distance education, is not a future possibility for which higher education must prepare—it is a current real ity creating new opportunities and challenges for educational institu tions; a reality offering students expanded choices in where, when, how, and from whom they learn; and a reality making education accessible to ever larger numbers of persons. Indeed, during the past several years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of colleges, universi ties, and other providers offering distance education courses, work shops, and programs. A U.S. Department of Education report indicates that from 1995 to 1998, the number of institutions offering distance learn ing increased by 33%; during the same period, the number of distance courses and enrollments doubled (National Center for Education Statis tics, 1999). Many observers believe that this growth is likely to continue. Why? Properly implemented, distance education can enhance the learn ing experience and increase access to higher education for a wide variety of potential students, especially those who have not been able to take advantage of the traditional on-campus experience. ix
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