Bianca+Lochner


 * Innovation - Distance Education**

Simonson defined distance education, or e-learning, as formal education that is institutionally-based, with geography and sometimes time separating the instructor, the students, and resources, with instructional media and communication technologies used to link the learning group (Laureate Education, 2008). Rogers (2003) proposed the theory of the diffusion of innovation and discussed the S-shaped curve of adoption of new ideas. Change agents introduce and promote new ideas, or innovation, persuading others of their potential (Rogers, 2003). At some point, the innovation becomes so important and so widely accepted that it reaches the point of critical mass where it no longer needs promotion. It then needs only support to become inculcated into society (Rogers, 2003). Distance education is nearing that point today, becoming widely adopted, expected, and respected.

Student response systems and the iPods are innovations that have great potential to positively impact K-12 educational settings. However, distance education has the potential to reach a wide variety of learners. Similarly, the ubiquitous access to the Internet and increased computer use make distance education an easily adoptable technology innovation. Although it will not completely replace traditional education, distance education’s exponential growth is visible not only in higher education and corporate training environments, but also in K-12 education (Huett, Moller, Foshay, & Coleman, 2008). E-learning allows educational institutions to reach more students, at different of time schedules, as well as the ability to make better use of resources. Distance education offers great opportunities not only from the institutional perspective, but also for the students, with learners being able to access a variety of resources to meet their varied learning needs. E-learning also has a motivational aspect, offering an affective dimension to the learning process.

Distance education can provide students with learning experiences that are as rewarding, challenging, and as effective as a traditional, campus-based learning environment. Nicholas and Ng (2009) examined students’ collaboration and interaction in a learning environment facilitated by online technologies. Nicholas and Ng also focused on the impact of e-learning on students’ outcomes, on their experiences, and their motivation. Their findings suggested that the challenges presented in an e-learning environment facilitate secondary students’ ability to learn and think independently, improved organizational skills, and a deeper understanding of the learning material (Nicholas & Ng, 2009). Students adapted easily to the complex e-learning environment and showed increased engagement and motivation. Nicholas’ and Ng’s findings also showed students’ increased collaboration and interaction. Thus, studies such as Nicholas’ and Ng’s provide significant support for the diffusion of distance education.

**References** Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Distance Education: The Next Generation [Video]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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. [|Distance Education Storyboard.pptx][|Distance Education Storyboard.pptx] Nicholas, H., & Ng, W. (2009). Engaging secondary school students in extended and open learning supported by online technologies. //Journal of Research on Technology in Education//, //41//(3), 305-328.

Rogers, E. M. (2003). //Diffusion of innovations// (5th ed.). New York, NY: Free Press.


 * Distance Education - Storyboard**


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 * Multimedia Presentation**

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Good evening, madam president, members of the board, ladies and gentlemen. I am here tonight to discuss the adoption of a distance education program in Fountain Hills USD (FHUSD). Distance Education is defined as formal education that is institutionally-based in which the learning group is separated by geography and sometimes time, and in which instructional media and communication technologies are used to link the resources, teachers and the learner (Simonson, 2008).

Distance education represents an important alternative to address current educational challenges and to make education accessible to all students. Distance education represents the transmission of knowledge through various media and information channels to provide more flexible educational models. Distance education courses are credit-granting courses offered to elementary and secondary school students enrolled in a school district with the teacher and students are in different locations. Thus, the needs driving distance education include: Increased Internet access, advances in computer technology, support for multimedia rich content, increased bandwidth, ever- growing list of quality E-learning products, as well as emerging technologies are the catalyst for these needs and facilitate the diffusion of distance learning in educational environments.
 * The need to provide access to educational experiences that are more flexible in time and space than traditional, campus-based education.
 * The need to integrate and adapt to the affordances of the Internet and Web 2.0 tools.
 * The need to expand learning environments beyond physical boundaries.
 * The need to provide access to a wide range of training and learning resources.
 * The need to generate new revenue.
 * The need to transform and rethink content and pedagogy to address information age learning styles.

There are numerous research journals devoted to the study of distance education, among them //The American Journal of Distance Education, Quarterly Review of Distance Education, Educational Technology Research and Development, and the Distance Learning Journal.// Research findings indicate that distance education provides students with a rewarding experience that is just as challenging and effective as a traditional face-to-face learning environment (Anderson, 2008). Simonson developed the equivalency theory as a framework to distinguish between distance and face-to-face education and emphasized that DE should have the same learning outcomes as traditional education and should provide equivalent learning experiences to meet these outcomes (Laureate, 2008). Using technologies, theoretical approaches, and appropriate instructional strategies, combining synchronous and asynchronous instruction are all methods that enhance distance education outcomes (Anderson, 2008). Distance education instructional designers should have knowledge of how students learn and of learning theories in order to design effective distance learning environments (Ally, 2008).

In the United States, distance education has been around for over one hundred years. Correspondence study was the first form of distance learning. Communication channels and delivery methods include: radio, television, videoconferencing, computer, and the Internet. The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) provides an effective timeline for the evolution of distance education, with milestones for each of its development and commercialization phases. Also, USDLA provides a projected overview of the future of distance education in learning environments.

Districts may be concerned regarding the cost for the adoption of the distance education model. Also, concerns regarding teachers’ preparedness to transfer content to the online format successfully of needed policies may be barriers in the distance education’s adoption-diffusion process. Other barriers may include faculty concerns related to the existence of a support system and whether distance education learning outcomes are equivalent to those students achieve in traditional courses. Also, teachers may worry whether faculty-students and students-students interaction will decrease in the online learning environment, and whether the level of student collaboration may diminish compared to face-to-face courses. Student and parent concerns may be related to the quality of distance education compared with face-to-face, to the cost for online courses, and whether a district’s distance education program accredited. Also, their concerns may include the existence of guidelines for security and privacy policies to protect institution and student records.

The accreditation of online learning institutions, online learning platforms, the availability of open courseware and web 2.0 tools have facilitated the commercialization of distance education. Here are some of the links for more information regarding each one of these factors. Particularly, online communication and collaboration tools are important to distance education’s communication channels.

K-12 online learning in the United States has been rapidly growing in each of the 50 states since 1996. E-Learning is administered by the government at the state, school district, and school levels. Online learning encompasses different forms, such as: full-time comprehensive schools, concurrent programs, private and charter schools, hybrid programs, and activities within the school day. In 2003, about 15% of US school districts had students enrolled in distance education courses (Setzer & Lewis, 2005). In 2005, 24 of the 50 states offered some type of online learning, with 36% of in an online format (North American Council for Online Learning, 2005). According to the Hoover Institute (2010), up to 50% of all high school courses will be delivered online by 2019. So, what is behind the growth in the number of online courses and enrollments? The number one reason school districts cite for offering Internet-based courses is that the courses are otherwise unavailable. Many schools in rural or poorer urban districts find it difficult to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers to teach advanced mathematics, science and language courses. Arizona is currently ranked 38 in online course enrollments.

Why should FHUSD adopt a distance education program? Because online courses can meet specific needs, such as gifted students seeking opportunities for Advanced Placement or accelerated learning at their own pace, or homebound students needing access to more curriculum choices. With only a few school districts in Arizona having considered offering education courses, the district will be a pioneer. Rogers (2003) outlined five stages for the innovation-decision process: **k**nowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, confirmation. The following slides outline how each one of these stages related to the adoption of a distance education in FHUSD. Also, they include links to websites and videos that feature successful online learning programs and their diffusion in k12 learning environments. Whereas knowledge, persuasion, and decision stages will occur at the district level through this presentation, the implementation and confirmation would occur at the individual school level.

The School Board who would approve and adopt FHUSD’s distance education program is the key innovator. Early adopters include district- and school-level school administration team. The teachers who are already using Moodle, the district’s online Learning Management System are the early majority, with the rest of the high school faculty as the late majority. The elementary-level faculty are the laggards.

Currently, our school district is at the bottom of the S-curve (Rogers, 2003) as it relates to the adoption of distance education. The attributes that affect the adoption of an innovation include: relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability (Rogers, 2003). Which one of these attributes would be best for helping DE reach critical mass in FHUSD? The relative advantage of distance education would expand access to meet the educational needs of current and potential students, would alleviate capacity constraints, and would create a catalyst for institutional transformation. The observability would facilitate district’s assessment of the educational effectiveness of its distance education program to ensure compatibility with its campus-based program. Assessments will include student learning outcomes, student retention, and student satisfaction.

According to Rogers (2003), early adopters choose to adopt the technology because they recognize its benefits. Their peers view them as leaders capable of influencing the behavior of others in their social system. By adopting an innovation, early adopters show their approval and use their interpersonal networks to “convey their subjective evaluation” (Rogers, 2007, p. 283). Early adopters champion and speed the diffusion process and for these reasons are the ones sought by change agents. The following strategies will be used to persuade early adopters:
 * Articulate clearly the strategic goals behind the institution’s interest in distance education.
 *  Prove that a distance education program would complement the institution’s mission, culture, and pedagogical strength.
 *  Establishing infrastructure and support programs.
 *  Establishing a reward system for faculty willing to teach in a virtual environment.

Similarly, the following strategies will help move laggards toward adoption:
 * Provide professional development focused on online course design.
 *  Provide support from early adopters faculty.
 *  Allow for experimentation with sample courses.
 *  Share success stories.

According to Rogers (2003), innovations reach critical mass when “enough individuals in a system have adopted an innovation so that the innovation’s further rate of adoption becomes self-sustaining” (p. 363). Diffusion of distance education has not yet reached critical mass in FHUSD. With this presentation as setting the knowledge stage, the district is currently at at the bottom of the S-curve. The district will consider a centralized versus a decentralized approach. Thus, the school board as the change agent, will be using a centralized approach, diffusing some of Rogers’ (2003) six characteristics, while the individual schools will be diffusing the other characteristics, using by a decentralized approach. The school board will gain buy in from champions. Furthermore, the innovation’s champions will create, implement, revise, and ‘champion’ the implementation of the district’s distance education program. With 5% of FHUSD students taking online classes offered by other educational institutions, the district cannot afford not to adopt this innovation. So, how will lead the distance education movement?

References

Ally, M. (2008). Foundations of educational theory for online learning. In T. Anderson (Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed., pp. 15–44). Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University Press.Anderson, T. (2008). Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson (Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed., pp. 45–74). Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University Press.

Christensen, C. M. (2008). Disruptively deploying computers. In Disrupting class: How disruptive innovations will change the way the world learns (pp. 89–119). New York: McGraw-Hill. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Equivalency Theory [Video]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York, NY: Free Press.

Setzer, J. C., & Lewis, L. (2005). Distance education courses for public elementary and secondary school students: 2002–2003. Retrieved August 12, 2011, from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005010

Simmons, D. E. (2002). The forum report: E-learning adoption rates and barriers. In A. Rossett (Ed.), The ASTD e-learning handbook (pp. 19-23). New York:, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Simonson, M. (2008). Making decisions: The use of electronic technology in online classrooms. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, (84), 29.