Katy Luchini (luchinik@cse.msu.edu)
Tue, 18 Aug 1998 11:00:03 -0400 (EDT)
While responses to the discussion topic should be posted to the web board
or the email list, if you have any other questions (such as how to access
the discussion) please feel free to contact me directly via email at
"luchinik@pilot.msu.edu".
Thank you,
Katy Luchini
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Note: What follows is a brief summary of the main points related to
web-based instruction that have been raised thus far in the informal,
email discussions of the forum members. From the nearly 100 relevant
email messages sent so far, I have attempted to identify broad themes and
concerns and am summarizing them here as the basis for further discussion.
"Problems and potentials in web-based instruction, with particular focus
on distance learning"
Technology is being used to enhance learning and productivity in many
diverse areas, both in educational institutions and in industry. This is
a truly "multimedia" endeavor, with information being delivered via video
and cable television, over the Internet, and on computer software. This
instruction sometimes relies wholly on the technology and sometimes is
incorporated within a larger context that provides for more traditional,
face-to-face instruction. Members of this forum have provided a wide
variety of examples of how web-based technology is currently being used in
business and education. These examples have included college and
university courses and degrees in nearly every subject area, programs
targeted at primary education and lifelong learning, business training and
professional development (including continued training for educators), and
methods for using technology to enhance traditional, face-to-face
instruction.
While technology has provided many enhancements to more traditional forms
of education, its increasing popularity raises many concerns about how to
use it effectively. Technology changes rapidly, and the high costs of
equipment and training make it very difficult for most organizations to
keep up with new advances. The high demand for distance education can
mean that quality is traded for quantity, resulting in a large supply of
mediocre products. Too many distance learning projects fail to
distinguish between true education and the mere acquisition of
information, and additional research is needed to understand what skills
can be learned effectively through the use of web-based instruction.
Another challenge of distance education is how to design content and
pedagogy to take full advantage of available technology without
incorporating so many technical gadgets that the product becomes
distracting to students.
Another concern raised by the increasing prevalence of web-based
instruction is the lack of personal contact. While the use of a CD-ROM or
an instructional video in the classroom may enhance traditional forms of
instruction, is learning similarly improved when students are taught via
the Internet without this face-to-face interaction? Web-based technology
is being incorporated into instruction in nearly every subject area, yet
there is little formal research into which subjects or which students are
best suited to distance learning techniques. While web technologies have
the potential to offer truly individual, tailored instruction, this
promise is still largely unmet, and the needs of the computer-phobic
student or instructor are also rarely addressed.
Another area of significant concern in the debate about educational
technology is that of professional development for current educators.
Developing instructional software and distance education courses that are
truly effective requires a careful balance of pedagogy and technical
expertise - two areas that typically have not been well integrated in the
past. In order to develop truly educational uses of technology, we must
facilitate communication between educators and technical professionals and
develop a broad understanding of what methods are most effective for
imparting particular skills or knowledge bases. One much-discussed
suggestion is the development of a framework or set of guidelines for
educational technology, including issues like standardizing a web browser
for use in Internet-based education.
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