Is Distance Learning Going the Distance?

The Center for Talent Development (CTD) interviews consultant and speaker Kemi Jona, Ph.d. about what's happening in distance learning right now and about how many of us will be taking online classes in the future.

CTD: Do some children do better than others with distance education? If so, what are their characteristics?

Jona: Yes, many children do much better with distance education. At all levels of the academic spectrum, there is a tremendous amount of social and peer pressure in classrooms. In some instances, looking smart in class in not acceptable behavior. For students in environments like this (and others that have a bias against achievement), being free of peer pressure can result in a more meaningful experience.

Another big advantage is that distance learning enables students to work at their own pace. In cases of both high- and/or low-achieving students, the standard classroom pace may not be ideal. In distance learning, both students who want to learn more quickly and those who need more time work better than when they are in a classroom where the pace is set by students in the middle.

CTD: How can gifted students in particular benefit from distance education?

Jona: Certainly many gifted students exhaust the available courses in their local schools and are still hungry for richer and deeper learning experiences.  Distance education can fill that need.

Second is the pacing that we already talked about.

Third, distance education can bring teachers who have particular expertise or passion for working with gifted children in contact with gifted children no matter where the teachers or the students are.

Lastly, distance courses use different sorts of deliverables than are often expected of students in “traditional” classrooms. A teacher might ask for richer papers or more comprehensive reports to be turned in than they would in a face-to-face classroom. When this happens, gifted students have the opportunity to use their full range of talents to express themselves even more creatively.

CTD: What supports need to be in place for children to be successful with distance learning?

Jona: The main support that’s needed is parents who can help students get started and get the technology working so that the student doesn’t spend his/her time worrying about that facet of the experience instead of the learning.

Parents also need to assist their children so they function effectively as a distance-learning student by helping them acquire the skills needed to plan their time and their participation in the class – such as blocking out time to work on a course -- and then to take ownership of these responsibilities.

CTD: How can parents or educators judge the quality of a distance-education program? What criteria should they use? What should parents and educators expect from a distance-education provider?

Jona: The quality of a distance-education program really comes down to two main factors: 1) how well the course is structured and 2) the abilities of the teacher. I’m just going to talk about the course structure because teacher abilities are as varied as the number of teachers.

The structure issue is complex. When a parent is looking at how well a course is structured, she/he should:

• Ask about the kinds of interactions students will be having and how frequently they will be expected to produce assignments and/or interact with their peers and/or teachers.
• Determine whether the types of assignments are varied and interesting and not just multiple choice questions at the end of a chapter. Bottom line: Are the students engaged in authentic learning activities?
• Study the syllabus: If a distance-learning course looks like an exact copy of a classroom course, then the provider clearly hasn’t thought about how to take advantage of the opportunities that all distance-learning courses have to offer.
• Double check that the technology required is as easy to use as possible. Again, we want students focusing on the learning, not how to navigate a particular website. Often low-tech solutions are as good as high-tech ones. Sometimes picking up the phone and talking is easier than – and as effective as – conducting a web-based video conference.
• Expect providers to:
• Offer technical support to students and that it is readily available. 
• Contact both the student and the parent on a regular basis.
• Make course material available for review. Most parents want to know what their child is studying and to feel good about the material being offered.

CTD: If you were giving advice to parents considering a distance-education course or courses for his/her gifted child, what would you say?

Jona: I would encourage parents to give distance education a chance. If they do, I believe they’ll be pleasantly surprised. I suggest they keep in mind that there are now parallels between education and work. More and more employees work remotely. The skills students acquire in distance-learning courses – how to manage their time, work with people they can’t necessarily see or haven’t met, etc. -- are transferable.

But overall, I think gifted students will find the range and style of options for interactions to be a tremendous benefit.

CTD: What is the future of distance education?

Jona: As the quality of distance-education offerings increases, I think we’ll see more and more students taking classes on line. As a result, the role of the local physical school will change; it will become more of a community and learning center to support student socialization such as team activities, hobbies, clubs etc., because the bulk of instruction will take place via online courses. Brick and mortar schools may also be a place where students come to take on-line courses.

Again, as more online course options emerge, students will be able to pick from different providers so they’ll end up taking the course that most suits their needs. Students won’t just take an American history course, they’ll be able to take the very best course out there.

You’ll also see colleges and universities begin to play a greater role in the selection and number of courses that they offer to high school students. There will be greater collaboration between university scientists and others to produce really high-quality courses, for example. Students in high school or even middle school, for that matter, will be able to start getting college credit for courses they take – regardless of their age. Gradually the line between high school and college will blur.

I really see this as an exciting period; there are lots of possibilities – many more options --  that were not available before. The end result is that students have right now, and will continue to have, a greater range of choices and more high-quality learning.

Dr. Kemi Jona is a Research Associate Professor of Learning Sciences and Computer Science at Northwestern University where he leads research and development projects in curriculum design and online learning, particularly in the areas of earth and environmental science. He is a learning strategist for the School of Continuing Studies advising them on the design of their online professional masters and non-credit programs. He also works with the Center for Talent Development on their Gifted LearningLinks program of online AP and honors courses. Dr. Jona was formerly a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University where he helped design and launch several innovative online master's programs. He continues to be a sought-after consultant advising organizations on learning strategy and design. The author of numerous articles and conference papers on learning technology and curriculum design, he holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Northwestern University.