Thirty-two Trends Affecting Distance Education: An Informed Foundation for Strategic Planning

This analysis of the current literature breaks the trends into discrete categories for easier digestion. I’m always weary of future predictions, but am more open to broad analysis of the current landscape (and what’s just over the hill).

The nature of how a student views their college experience seems to have changed since I was a college student a decade ago. There is a more “shopping” view of schools and courses and less commitment to staying with one institution until graduation. I find their analysis of the online student interesting — mainly because the eteam found such characteristics indicative of successful e-learners. Those that find success in e-learning will continue to pursue that delivery method.

The “unbundling” of faculty roles seems to go right at what Twigg is doing in her Program in Course Redesign. I can understand the feeling of isolation a faculty member could feel doing a distance course. Often, faculty teach because they thrive on the interactions with students — typically face-to-face. The interaction through online communication channels is different — often even deeper than face-to-face. This is not true for all faculty though. Some thrive in teaching online. It all depends on the individual — some are great lectures, some are great when working with students in small groups, some are great working 1-on-1 with students. We all have our strengths and preferred modes of interaction. A successful online teaching experience is as much designing a good course as finding the right person to teach it.

I, of course, like the technological fluency item. With technology use becoming so commonplace it can be almost forgotten at times which can be dangerous — thinking of privacy concerns and depending on the decent behavior of other people. If someone doesn’t know you and can’t see you, they have no qualms about breaking into your computer to steal your information.

It also seems like the nature of employment and the need for skills has changed. Much how students move from school to school, people more from career to career and need education to build their skills. We are becoming more and more lifelong learners and technology provides a means to fit that into our lives.