Paper Authors

Abstract

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Main Menu Session 3242

Learning On-Line: A Virtual Education?

Andrew E. Jackson, Ph.D. Arizona State University East

Sherion H. Jackson, Ed.D. University of Phoenix Online

Abstract

Traditional and non-traditional colleges and universities are using a variety of instructional tools and techniques to deliver online courses to their students. A brief summary of off-site instructional delivery methodologies is provided to establish a historical framework for distance education. Several issues must be addressed before a comprehensive on-line program can be implemented. Once a specified delivery method is selected, other equally important issues come into focus. The first area of concern is to insure that academic integrity and honesty issues are addressed for each student. The learning objectives for the course material must be clearly defined and evaluated. The course content must be developed, delivered, and evaluated in a timely manner, and high quality standards must be apparent throughout all segments of the course.

Learning effectiveness and transfer of training issues must be addressed in a forum where the instructor cannot personally interact with his/her students. For many students, the level of student/faculty interaction is a critical factor in determining the success or failure of a course and ultimately for the entire academic program. Interaction can be as extensive and costly as two- way, synchronous video conferencing, or as simple as using e-mail to conduct an asynchronous dialogue with students. This paper presents a critical evaluation of online developmental issues in the context of current distance delivery methodologies.

Background

Online instruction is becoming an essential component of many academic programs, largely as a result of the World Wide Web and the proliferation of personal computers in offices and homes throughout the world. Information is readily available through online search engines, but information in itself is merely a small component of the overall educational process. A person must go through several stages of information gathering, integration, and analysis before their knowledge base can be reinforced and enhanced. It must be recognized that the ability to quickly locate information is indeed a powerful tool in meeting educational objectives. However, the essential conditions that must be monitored, are the ways in which this readily available body of information, can be packaged, delivered, and utilized in such a way as to enhance a person’s individual skill set. Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities (SKA) are terms used in the literature to help categorize and define various dimensions of a person’s educational and professional composition (UCLA, 2001; OPM, 2000). Skills are developed over time as a result of individual experiences and through practical application of tasks that a person performs. An Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2002, American Society for Engineering Education

Main Menu

• Citation

• Format
  • APA
  • APA - LaTeX bibitem
  • MLA
  • MLA - LaTeX bibitem
  • Bibtex
  • EndNote - RIS

Jackson, S., & Jackson, A. (2002, June), Learning Online: A Virtual Education? Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10612