Is there a need to evolve distance education to the next generation?

by Laurie Korte

Global realization effects education and content delivery.  Individuals need to constantly and consistently learn to remain knowledgeable in a digital economy, or feel left behind.  Learners must be able to adjust, evaluate, and assess content as well as emerging technologies. There is a need to evolve distance education to the next generation.

Collaboration will become more and more beneficial as education should consider practices from businesses and industry as well as vice versa.  Within organizations, working collaboratively in practice and theory, leaders abilities will be influenced to adapt and transform for changing circumstances.  Innovative visionaries that can motivate, energize, inspire, and encourage others to move forward while sharing will be next generation leaders.  Future education will continue to expand and new leaders with insight, vision, and pedagogical experience will be needed. Another area for evolving distance education to the next generation includes curriculum development and access to file sharing materials.  There are many areas that need to be researched. Ideas may seem, at first, unusual and yet many concepts are in experimental stages already.

Evolving distance education to the next generation can address issues relating to Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences and afford the learner more control. The role of emerging leaders is to envision new pedagogical methods and to accommodate anyone who wants to learn.

References:

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W. & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 1: Training and Development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, July/August). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 2: Higher Education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.

Simonson, M. (2000). Making decisions: The use of electronic technology in online classes. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 84, 29–34.