Course

EDTEC 550: Distance Education

Project Name

Effective Teaching Strategies for Distance Educators

Picture of the Effective Teaching Strategies Pictures

Files

Analysis Plan
Research Paper Proposal
Final Research Paper

Project Description

This project focused on the different strategies that distance education teachers can use in their classrooms to make their instruction more effective and help their students retain more information. I began this project by writing a research paper analysis plan. This plan involved determining the research questions I wanted to answer throughout the paper writing process. It allowed me to narrow my paper topic to a few specific ideas instead of the overall theme of distance education. My research questions focused mainly on the differences in teaching methods for traditional classrooms and those used in distance education, as well as how subject-matter and technology affect the teaching methods. Next, I wrote a research paper proposal which presented the main idea of the paper and the rationale behind my choice of subject-area. This proposal really gave me a chance to figure out exactly why this topic interested me and what I would gain from this research. The following step involved actually gathering research on distance education and creating a set of notes based on that research. I found that the research about distance education strategies focused on four main topics: questioning, presentation, interaction, and assignments. The final paper centered on the differences between the strategies used in distance education and on-site education within these four areas.

EDTEC Standard

A system is a group of independent items working together to produce a single outcome. This is my definition of a system and this research paper truly allowed me to see the essence of that definition. Through my research, I found that a distance education class is really a system. It is a group of independent pieces that an instructor must put together to convey knowledge and information to a group of students. Each piece of that system must work in synch to create an effective learning environment for each student. Through my research I focused on four areas of this system: questioning, presentation, interaction, and assignments. Each distance education class uses different questioning strategies, but those strategies depend on the type of presentation, the type of interaction, and the type of assignments within that class. Not only do these four parts depend on one another, but they also depend on other aspects of the class. These four pieces must also work in concert with the technology used, the subject-matter being taught, the number of times the class meets in a week, and many other things. All of these aspects must be taken into consideration when designing and developing a distance education curriculum.

Problems and Opportunities

This research paper presented me with the opportunity to really explore the world of distance education. As a previous middle school math teacher, I knew a lot about the strategies and theories used in a classroom-based curriculum, but I knew very little about online learning. With my prior knowledge on one type of learning environment and the research I found on distance learning, I could see the differences and the challenges of teaching online. It also allowed me to see ways that education in general could improve by understanding the nature of a systematic classroom and how all the pieces must work together to meet the needs of the learners.

My Capabilities

This project showed my resourcefulness in finding information on a topic. To become a better instructional designer, I must continually seek out knowledge on new strategies. However, in order to do this, I must first understand the process of finding that information. I need to understand the type of resource I need, whether it be a journal, a web site, or a book and where I might locate that resource. This project showcases my abilities to do just that. I established my research questions and then found information on those topics among a plethora of resources. The world is full of knowledge, but if I don’t know where or how to find that information, I will not grow as an instructional designer or as a person.

Lessons Learned

Throughout this project, I learned a lot about distance education and the benefits and challenges facing distance educators. Because of my lack of experience in a distance class, I had limited knowledge on how a distance class actually worked. This research paper allowed me to delve into the world of distance education and find out information I would have never known. It showed me how distance education must remain student focused at all times. Also, I realized the challenge of not having face-to-face contact with students. My teaching experience was always face-to-face and I took for granted how much I relied on seeing the reaction of my students to drive my lesson. In distance education, that is a luxury that doesn’t always exist. Because of that, distance educators must use questioning strategies that really let them know if the students understand the material and if the class can continue to the next topic. Distance educators need a different skill set than classroom teachers that I never really understood until researching this topic.

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