3
Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to present best practice ideas for teaching the distance learner.
Chapter Objectives
After reading and reviewing this chapter, you should be able to:
- Explain why it is important to plan ahead when teaching at a distance.
- Describe a systematic design process for instructional design.
- Discuss the literature dealing with “best practices.”
- Design a course using a systematic design model that attends to best practices.
Chapter Sections
- Signal Fires
- Why Plan for Teaching at a Distance?
- Introduction to Principles of Instructional Design Systems
- Issues to Address in the Planning Process
- Models for Designing Online Courses
- Best Practices in Course Design for Distance Education
- Recommendations for Distance Delivered Instruction
- End-of-Chapter Resources
Attribution
Written by Dr. Michael Simonson. This chapter was derived with permission from Simonson, M. (2015). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education , 6th Ed. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing
Section 1: Signal Fires
Video: The Perfect Online Course:
By Dr. Michael Simonson
Introduction
In one of the greatest Greek tragedies, Agamemnon, Aeschylus begins his drama with word of beacon fires carrying news of the fall of Troy and the return of the king—news that set in motion Clytemnestra’s plan to kill her husband in long-delayed revenge for his slaying of their daughter. These signal fires would have required a series of line-of-sight beacons stretching 500 miles around the Aegean Sea. Line-of-sight communication, as signal fires would require, has a long history. Most broadcast television applications require line of sight; even communications satellites orbiting in the Clarke Belt thousands of miles above the equator are “in sight” of the uplinks and downlinks on Earth.
Communication with someone you can see has a visceral element that is missing when that person or group of people is not “in sight.” Certainly, considerable communication in distance education does not involve face-to-face instruction. The heart of distance education is the concept of separation of teacher and learner. Many say the meeting of students with teachers will soon be a relic of the past, like signal fires. This group touts the convenience of “anytime, anyplace” learning and the power of modern communications technologies to unite learners with instructional events no matter when they are needed and no matter where students may be located.
Others advocate the need for face-to-face instruction. This group stresses the importance of seeing and being seen, and the personal nature of the teaching/learning environment. Some even say that you cannot really learn some topics without being in a specific place with a select group of collaborators.
A third position is advocated by others who say that education should occur using a combination of instructional strategies. Schlosser and Burmeister (1999) wrote about the “best of both