Strategies for accommodating individuals' styles and preferences in flexible learning programmes

There has been a considerable growth in the use of flexible methods of delivery for workplace learning and development. However, in designing programmes of flexible learning there is often the assumption that learners will exhibit uniformity in the ways in which they process and organise information (cognitive style), in their predispositions towards particular learning formats and media (instructional preferences) and the conscious actions they employ to deal with the demands of specific learning situations (learning strategies). In adopting such a stance one runs the risk of ignoring important aspects of individual differences in styles, preferences and strategies. Our purpose in this paper will be to: (i) consider some aspects of individual difference that are pertinent to the delivery of flexible learning in the workplace; (ii) identify some of the challenges that extant differences in styles and preferences between individuals may raise for instructional designers and learning facilitators; (iii) suggest ways in which models of flexible learning design and delivery may acknowledge and accommodate individual differences in styles and preferences through the use of an appropriate range of instructional design, learning and support strategies.     

Are instructional design elements being used in module writing?

This paper discusses the elements of instructional design (ID) and technical design in module writing. An evaluation instrument was developed to evaluate the modules written by course lecturers from the School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia. In the study, fifty modules (12%) were selected from the Arts, Science and Engineering courses. The findings of the evaluation showed that instructional modules were weak in a number of elements. The study recommended that multimedia and distance learning strategies should be integrated in the learning activities. Post-test and pre-test may be considered to make the learning modules more self-contained, self-instructional, and interactive. Courses on distance learning theories, instructional design and development, media selection, media attributes, multimedia production, media integration, utilisation and management in distance and open learning may help course writers to write better modules. The Centre needs to have a standard guideline for module writing. The present guidelines need to be improved to include other ID and technical elements in module writing.     

Troubled times: the role of instructional design in a modern dual-mode university?

Reduced higher education funding and other austerity measures imposed by governments and institutions have resulted in cascading cuts in resources for programme design, delivery and revision. The instructional design function is often the first casualty of these cuts in many universities. This paper considers the roles and functions of instructional design, illuminates the differences in instructional design functions in on-site learning and in distance learning, and examines the broadening of skills and responsibilities encompassed in instructional design, especially in dual-mode institutions. Two case studies, illustrating different levels of instructional design in course development for distance learning in a dual-mode institution, lead to reflections on the value of instructional design in the current and future higher education landscape.     

Planning for Flexible and Distance Learning in Engineering: Indian Experience

Speed of technology modernization at the workplace has brought a need for opportunities for professional development for those at work. Distance education in engineering provides a viable alternative to meet this learner need. In concrete terms, this calls for employment‐related, flexible programme structures, where course content design, self‐instructional material preparation and student support services for course delivery are planned and implemented in a collaborative endeavour between distance teaching institutions, conventional, academic institutions and industry. While detailing the distance education programmes in science, computer applications and nursing education at the Indira Gandhi National Open University, India, the paper presents the above networking approach to the design and implementation of flexible programme structures as developed by IGNOU in implementing its engineering programmes.     

远程学习者的负面学习心理及疏导策略

对远程学习者的研究是保障远程教育质量的一项重要内容。了解部分远程学习者在学习过程中呈现出来的负面学习心理,并针对这些心理提出相应的建议和对策,希望能对远程开放教育的进一步发展有所启示。     

It's a New World: Multiculturalism in a virtual environment

The notion of multiculturalism is vital in our global society. The emergence of efficient and effective distance learning technologies has permitted the integration of innovative techniques in the delivery of multicultural content to individuals who need flexible and convenient education and training opportunities. Strategies form the instructional foundation that promotes engagement of learners. Integral to these strategies are those that relate to personal belief systems and extension of those belief systems to behaviors. This article will add new ways of teaching and learning in the areas of diversity and multiculturalism by offering a model for building highly supportive, engaging online environments, where instructors, trainers, and instructional designers use multiple strategies to build virtual environments that foster a sense of dignity, respect, and understanding: all critical elements in a global environment.     

Instructional design for distance learning

An intrinsic link exists between instructional design (ID) and distance learning (DL). Their inextricability in the real world raises specific problems of interest in the field of ID. In no other teaching/learning situation is ID so essential as in DL. The conditions of DL make it a necessity to have long-term instructional planning, cost analysis, curriculum and course development, instructional materials development and maintenance, delivery plans, and detailed evaluation rules. Without all of these components, DL simply could not happen. It took some time for this neccessity to be acknowledged, as can be seen in the history of DL. However, ID becomes even more critical as increasingly costly and complex means are used. Conditions of learning have special features in DL, such as the role of media, since the professor, teacher or instructor is replaced by media for either transmitting information or for organizing learning activities. In this paper, the term distance learning will be used to mean media-based, remote or asynchronous learning supported by an instructional system. This paper introduces general features of DL and examines essential aspects of ID for DL, with special emphasis on ID methodologies and on media selection.     

Critical thinking in distance education: Developing critical communities in an audio teleconference context

Distance education has long been associated with independent study and delivery of prepackaged learning materials. These characteristics effectively deny distance education students the opportunity to participate in communities of inquiry and, perhaps, opportunities to develop their critical thinking skills. This paper reviews the theoretical impact of socially situated learning, critical thinking and their implications for distance education. It then presents the results from a study of learners' perception while enrolled in two different models of audio teleconferenced, university courses. The study reports quantitative results from a mail survey of these students and the qualitative results from interviews and classroom observations. The impact of the instructional design used by the delivering institution resulted in two distinct models of audio teleconference delivery with significant qualitative and quantitative differences in student perception. The paper concludes that learning communities, which support the development of critical thinking skills, can be created at a distance and that they provide a mechanism for improving the quality of higher level distance education.     

SCORM排序策略在远程教育中的运用

满足学生的个性化学习需求和提高他们的学习体验质量是网络教师和学校遵循的重要目标。如何在远程教学中用相同的内容实施不同的学习策略呢?SCORM排序策略可以帮助我们有效实现这种需求,并且在国际远程教育中有成功的实践。我们可以对SCORM的排序和导航规则进行研究和完善,制作出符合我国网络教学的策略模板,让网络教师套用,从而为学生提供配有灵活教学策略的个性化学习体验。     

学习模式的变革取向与预期特点

根据学习模式类型的性质和价值,论述了当前我国学习模式变革的基本取向,并在此基础上,结合国内外教育教学改革的发展走势,分别从目标取向、学习理念、学习任务、评价倾向、教学方式、学习情境、学习分组、教师角色、学习者角色和信息技术支持等方面,描述了学习模式变革的十大预期特点,以期为认识和探索学习模式的变革提供一个具有可操作意义的思维框架。     

界定三维教学目标之探讨

教学目标反映的是教学活动结束后学习者内部心理结构变化的不同水平的学习结果。准确阐释教学目标是实施目标为本的教学设计和保证教学过程有效性的基本前提。参照当代教育目标新分类的研究,可以将三维教学目标界定为:学习者的情意(想要学)、认知(学得懂)和动作(能表现)三者经自我调控统整后得到的学习结果。达成三维目标需要与实施教学策略和落实教学评价相协调一致。     

离散数学CAI课件的教学设计

本采用以“学”为中心的教学设计理论来指导CAI课件的教学设计。结合离散数学CAI课件的开发，从分析学习特征、整体设计和学习环境设计三个主要方面论述了该课件的教学设计。     

英国开放大学对学习者关键技能的培养

英国开放大学在远程教育中,除了知识能力,还强调学习者关键技能的培养。通过对英国开放大学关于七项关键技能的内涵、培养途径以及评价标准的介绍,认为从学习者长远发展的角度来看,我国的远程教育也同样需要关注关键技能的培养,这既是远程教育的需要,也是终身教育的需要。     

Applying learning and instructional strategies in open and distance learning

This paper is about the application of learning and instructional strategies in open and distance learning settings. First, a brief comment is made on the nature of open and distance learning and also teaching and learning in such settings. This is followed by a brief discussion of the impacts of particular types of learning and instructional strategics on learning. A framework is presented for applying learning and instructional strategies in open and distance learning contexts, and the translation of this framework into an instructional transaction that offers a generic plan for developing instruction.

This is, therefore, a conceptual paper. It discusses a theoretical framework for applying learning and instructional strategies that is currently being implemented in the design and development of instruction for an on‐line (electronic) teaching‐learning environment. The results of that implementation will be reported at a later date.     

Instructional design for advanced learners: Establishing connections between the theoretical frameworks of cognitive load and deliberate practice

Cognitive load theory (CLT) has been successful in identifying instructional formats that are more effective and efficient than conventional problem solving in the initial, novice phase of skill acquisition. However, recent findings regarding the “expertise reversal effect” have begun to stimulate cognitive load theorists to broaden their horizon to the question of how instructional design should be altered as a learner's knowledge increases. To answer this question, it is important to understand how expertise is acquired and what fosters its development. Expert performance research, and, in particular, the theoretical framework of deliberate practice have given us a better understanding of the principles and activities that are essential in order to excel in a domain. This article explores how these activities and principles can be used to design instructional formats based on CLT for higher levels of skills mastery. The value of these formats for e-learning environments in which learning tasks can be adaptively selected on the basis of online assessments of the learner's level of expertise is discussed. In their preparation of this article, the first and last authors were supported by an Internationalization grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO, The Hague, project number 411-01-010).     

Maintaining Research Documents with Database Management Software

Summary

This article reviews the development and delivery of a Higher Education course module as part of a large European University's Integrated Masters Program operating through a regional network of Rural Area Training and Information Opportunities (RATIO) telematic centres. The aim of the project was to provide remote learners living in the southwest of England with computer-supported solutions to access higher education as part of a technology-assisted distance education program. The module represented a shift from traditional educational delivery systems by using instructional courseware via an Internet Web site. Personal communications with module participants were conducted with the use of e-mail and videoconferencing information technology (IT) resources. Out of the original sixteen participants who enrolled in this Masters course module, four actually completed the learning sessions and two submitted final assignments. This article considers the key lessons learned from this attrition rate and shares the mainly positive experiences of the remote tutor and the students engaged in this initiative. The implications regarding the use of the Internet for delivering higher education course modules through online distance learning are discussed in the light of cautions learned from this research project and important practical recommendations for future practice are made.     

Case Study: Distance Learning at the SBC Center for Learning

This case study presents what distance learning is and how it can be used as an alternative delivery solution for training. Distance learning definitions, characteristics, and design qualities are discussed. Specific examples and characteristics of the SBC Center for Learning's distance learning use are provided and can be related with how other companies, such as Arthur Andersen, Eastman Kodak, Microsoft, Netscape, and the Rochester Institute of Technology are using distance learning as an instructional delivery solution. Finally, the future technologies and applications of distance learning at the SBC Center for Learning and in general are discussed.     

The loneliness of the long-distance learner: social networking and student support. A case study of the distance-learning MA in translation at Bristol University

Using the translation programme at the University of Bristol as a case study, we shall argue in this paper that distance delivery can have a very positive impact on recruitment but that the quality of the students’ experience depends upon the capacity of the organisation to support course development and delivery, both in terms of instructional design and management of student support. Using evidence from a survey of current students and the reflective logs that are produced as part of the assessment, we shall consider the opportunities which new technologies afford for distance learning provision and attempt to identify some of the constraints, internal and external, which threaten to inhibit growth and development.     

The Phoenix Rising: Emergent models of instructional design

The blurring of distinctions between online and distance education in many parts of the developed world has led to reflections on the strategies and processes by which we create effective online learning environments for the distance education learner. In this article we argue that the foundational models of instructional design that typically inform the design, development, and delivery of online environments do not always support the epistemology and pedagogy that embodies the online environment. Through an analysis of current approaches to instructional design we present a case for adopting principles of emergence theory as a means to best harness the power and potential of design and development for online distance education. Using a prototype three‐phase design model that embodies emergent principles we advocate that to achieve the full potential of interaction and community networks through online communications requires a repositioning of roles and processes associated with “instructional design.”     

Online delivery management for teaching and learning

The learning initiative described in this paper looks at how the adoption of a flexible, online learning approach can be used to optimize teaching and learning in engineering materials to a variety of engineering disciplines. The main driver for adopting this approach was to increase the effectiveness of delivery of subject matter. Practical examples are given of delivery strategies, activities and assessment protocols. This flexible, online approach required the development and implementation a learning management system for the provision of online lectures, audiovisual material, discovery-based learning activities and communication tools for the guidance of students in the self-management of their personal learning styles. The implementation of such an online initiative led to an encouraging response from both students and staff. This was seen as pivotal in its contribution to the success of the overall learning strategy.