Some advantages and problems associated with distance education.

Abstract

This article is a brief discussion of what I perceive to be some of the difficulties and advantages I have encountered in teaching through the Distance Education Delivery Method. I will lead off with an overview of my online experience and the nature of my students, follow with some of the research I have found to be relevant to the discussion, and conclude by sharing my views about the existing research and my own findings.

Introduction

I have been exposed to several of the delivery methods for DE courses and I am presently teaching via The University of Maryland Web Tycho System. My courses are upper and lower division Business Management courses. My students come from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, and with diverse academic and computer experience. They are also primarily continuing education students, who are often deployed for military maneuvers while taking their courses, and many have additional family responsibilities. These factors add to the complexity of the student population and make it very difficult to create a sanitized environment for research studies.

Studies by Jerald Schutte, conducted at California State University at Northridge, (http://news.cnet.com/news/0,10000,0-1005-200-315893,00.html), suggest that there are many advantages to teaching courses via the Internet. Among those advantages are increases in collaboration and significantly higher test scores. Schutte divided students into two groups, insured that there were no significant differences in sex, age, computer experience, or attitude towards subject matter, and provided face-to-face instruction for half of them, and Internet instruction for the other half. He concluded that the students who learned via Internet instruction, scored higher on exams, and demonstrated increased peer interaction and collaboration, but also alluded to unexplained limitations "In fact, according to the study, students in the virtual class spent about 50 percent more time working with each other than the people in the traditional classroom. And while the report acknowledges that the inability to talk to the professor was the cause of this interaction, the results show that the collaboration "manifests itself in better test score" as students formed study groups to "pick up the slack of not having a real classroom."

Schutte goes on say that there may be some limitations in Distance Education, however, he does not address the limitations. Other studies suggest that not only does virtual learning increase collaboration, but also help overcome weaknesses in computer skills." In her Case Study of a Web-based group assignment in a sociology course, Carolyn Kapinus offers the following observation:" See the following web site: (http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/default.asp?show=article&id=851)

"The projects are enjoyable to read and allow students to explore in more depth topics related to the course. Several students noted that the structured format provided a model for effective group work. Furthermore, using technology in a collaborative setting helps students overcome their computer skills weaknesses. The proof of this project's value is found in student evaluations: 32 out of 36 students recommended keeping the group Web project as part of the course."

I concur with most of the positive conclusions that have been reached with regards to outcomes when teaching in the virtual environment, however, I would like to point out some of the obvious problems that I believe will be supported by empirical evidence, and that have already become plain to me during my three years of teaching in the virtual classroom. Let me point out that my courses deal with Business Management, and in the business world, collaboration is not an option, but rather a requirement. For this reason I cannot substantiate statements made by other researchers regarding the increase in peer collaboration and interaction. I would assume that the nature of the instruction would create an environment that tends to foster collaboration, however I find that some of my most talented students would rather be able to complete their course work without collaboration with other students, and I believe that future research will support my hunch that many students take online courses to avoid interaction with others.

Problems 1 & 2

The first two obvious problems are that students must be able to read and write well. Many students can take notes and get basic understanding from spoken communications, and perform well in a face-2-face classroom. The entire delivery of DE instruction is dependent on the student's abilities to read and write well. Some students read well and others write well, however the ability to do well at both becomes critical in the virtual environment. I have found that instructions must be very precise, in order for some of my students to successfully complete the course. My syllabi are truly living, growing documents constantly evolving to eliminate and modify instructions to aid students in the successful completion of their courses. My ultimate goal is for my students to successfully complete stated learning objectives of each course. In order for this to take place, I find myself providing constant redirection to instructions so that students will learn to think for themselves and demonstrate comprehension of both instructions and course materials.

My courses have two sets of written instructions required in the delivery of the online course. The first set of instructions has to do with the manipulation of the delivery system itself. Each of my students receives a welcome letter instructing them to complete an online tutorial, which allows them to learn and practice manipulation of the system. This is very necessary due to the fact that computer skill levels are as diverse as reading and writing skill levels. Two out of ten students will complain that they are having problems posting assignments to the classroom, even though they are instructed to contact a system specialist whenever they experience problems with manipulating the system, and should have completed the online tutorial. The instruction and the reference contact information must be repeated several times during each course. The second set of instructions has to do with the actual course. Once the students make it through the tutorial, they are directed to a seven, question scavenger hunt, which tests their ability to find selected syllabus instructions and demonstrate their ability to navigate the classroom site and understand the instructions. Three out of ten students have difficulties with identifying the correct answer for question 2 in the scavenger hunt question and associated tip.

Web Tycho Orientation Scavenger Hunt

Completing this exercise proves that you have the skills to get around in Web Tycho. Your tasks are to:

Answer the questions below to prove you can navigate around Web Tycho. When you have completed this exercise, put your answers in your assignment folder using the copy/paste method. Use the "Submit" command, not "Save. "I can see it only if you click on "Submit." Email me a short note when you have submitted your answers in your assignment folder.

   1. How many students are in our class? (Hint: Get this from Tycho Main Menu
   under the heading, "Class Members")

   2. When is Writing Assignment Two due? (Hint: Get this from the Syllabus
   under the heading, "Course Schedule")

   3. What percentage of your total course grade is your weekly participation
   and what criteria will I use to grade you? (Hint: Get this from the
   Syllabus under the heading, "Grading Information")

   4. Which edition of Contemporary Business is required? (Hint: Get this from
   the Syllabus under the heading "Course Materials")

   5. Where can you find instructions for doing things in WebTycho (for
   example, how to copy/paste)? Can you print sections of the WebTycho manual?
   (Hint: Click on "Help" at the top of the screen)

   6. Name at least I research reference site for your eGroup project. (Hint:
   Get this from the "Webliography" section of the Tycho Menu.)

   7. Describe 3 responsibilities of an eGroup Leader. (Hint: Get this from
   the Syllabus under "Additional Information")

The following sample taken from a course schedule provides students with assignment instructions. The note indicated after the schedule, describe difficulties I had with student interpretation of the instructions.

Course Schedule

* Note: In order to get 100% correct responses to scavenger hunt question number 2, I had to inform students that all assignments are writing assignments.

Problem 3

A third and not so obvious problem stems from the very nature of electronic communications. When communicating through email, senders and receivers are not able to view facial expression, physical movements or posture, and they are not able to detect tone of voice. The following observations were taken from Mentor Net, an electronic industrial mentoring network for women in engineering and science:

   Electronic Communication is Purely Text Based: Take the props, facial
   expressions, and pauses away from Rosie O'Donnell and let's face it, she's
   just not as funny. When communicating in face-to-face interactions, people
   use not, only words but, also body language, looks, props, and well, timed
   pauses to convey meaning. And these cues are not insignificant. One study
   concluded that tone of voice and facial expression accounted for up to 93%
   of a spoken message's meaning. In email and e-mentoring, the message
   includes only text, thus removing other valuable communication signals. To
   help correct this, emoticons or smileys, which help to add back some of the
   emotional expression associated with communication, have come into popular
   use. For a list of emoticons, see Netiquette:

   (http://www.mentornet.net/Documents/Mentors/mnetiquette.html)

   Electronic Communication can Appear Momentary: Email can seem momentary, it
   appears on your computer screen and then is gone. This allows for email to
   be fairly informal. Likewise, e-mentoring can feel more informal than
   face-to-face mentoring. This informality can help develop a mentoring
   relationship between two people who had never met. It also allows for more
   frequent interactions, as quick and short notes are appropriate for keeping
   in contact.

   A note of caution: Email appears momentary, is more informal, and the
   obvious social cues regulating social behavior are not present. For these
   reasons, research on electronic communication has found that sending blunt,
   attacking messages, or flaming, is more common while using electronic
   communication than while using face-to-face or written communication. Users
   also need to remember that even though email may seem momentary, it
   provides a written record of communications that may be lasting and may not
   be confidential.

   (http://www.mentornet.net/Documents/Mentors/mecomm.html)

An entire new sign language has been created to address some of the many problems presented by communicating via email. I have included a few of them taken from: Mentor Net, an electronic industrial mentoring network for women in engineering and science:

"There are literally hundreds of emoticons, and few, if any, have universal meanings: :-) ;-) and :-( are quite commonly understood, but we uncovered various meanings for all other emoticons while compiling our list. Nevertheless, we present here some of the most commonly used emoticons with possible interpretations. Other interpretations and much longer lists are available and you can find them through a simple web search.

Most people put the eyes of the smiley on the left, but some people will put them on the right. Be prepared to tilt your head either direction! Also, remember that an emoticon's appearance can vary greatly depending on the font your reader is using. So unfortunately, your intended effect may be changed or lost.

Finally, remember that emoticons are generally not used in very formal email correspondence." (http://www.mentornet.net/Documents/Mentors/mnetiquette.html) I require my students to send me copies of all email correspondence, because I spend a significant amount of my time mediating between students who have been offended by the "tone" other students have used in their email messages. The comments range from "being talked down to", to "you are not my instructor". I am not aware of any statistic producing research regarding the amount of time professors spend explaining email messages that were taken the wrong way.

Conclusion

Many Universities are just beginning to address the area of eCommerce and learning in the eEnvironment, and research is very limited as we continue to blaze new trails into this fascinating world. There appear to be advantages in teaching through this new and exciting medium, however there are problems waiting to be discovered and addressed.

Bibliography

CNET News.com Staff. "Online Students Fare Better", January 17, 1997, 6:30 p.m. PT 1995-2001, CNETnetworks, Inc http://news.cnet.com/news/0,10000,0-1005-200-315893,00.html

Kopinus, Carolyn. "Combining Technology and Group Learning." The Technology Source Magazine, May/June 2001 http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/default.asp?show=article&id=851

Email Netiquette, 2001 http://www.mentomet.net/Documents/Mentors/mnetiquette.html

Netiquette Home Page, 1994-1999 http://www.albion.com/netiquette/index.html

Mentor Net, 2001 http://www.mentornet.net/

Joseph Caruth is an adjunct professor of business management. He has been teaching online courses for three years and face-to-face courses for four years at the collegiate level.