Reflection

Reflecting on these last 8 weeks…

We have end the course with the views and future of perceptions of distance learning in our society. Taking into account the societal forces in the world, including the advocates for and skeptics of distance learning, I will be considering the following: perceptions of distance learning in the future, as an instructional designer be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning, and how I will be a positive force for the continuous improvements for improving the field of distance learning.

Perceptions of distance learning today is all over the place where many think distance learning is a great concepts, some believe that it lacks creditability, and some are on the fence and not sure what side to go to. As technology and the continued development of distance learning, society and the future of distance learning will become a norm. I believe that distance learning will be just as prominent as students graduating high school and going to college in the fall, but it will just be a choice of distance education or the traditional face-to-face environment. In addition, distance learning has been undergoing many studies where the instruction is being analyzed by its creditability, integrity, and effectiveness. Therefore, these perceptions from students, instructors, and society being improved will enhance the effectiveness of distance learning where the perceptions will be very minimal in the next 5-10 years.

            As perceptions of distance learning dwindle away, being an instructional designer we will be improving the societal perceptions of distance learning with continued professional development, longitudinal studies, and the use of classic research to ensure that instructional design of distance learning is being developed with the most effective and essential techniques of instruction. In addition, the use of technology and course management systems will be used to optimize the instruction and objectives of distance learning.

            Distance learning has come so far from when it was used through the postal services to the use of technology in today’s society. Instructional designers will continue to go through professional development, education, and collaboration with subject matter experts to eliminate the perceptions of distance learning and enhance the experience of distance learning where the future of distance education will be just as we see a high school student graduates and we assume they will be attending college, but now it will be a matter which path will the go down the tradition classroom of college/university or distance learning.