A Critical look at Educational Technology from a Distance Education Perspective

  1. Anderson, Terry 1
  2. Rivera-Vargas, Pablo 2
  1. 1 Athabasca University
    info

    Athabasca University

    Athabasca, Canadá

    ROR https://ror.org/01y3xgc52

  2. 2 Universitat de Barcelona
    info

    Universitat de Barcelona

    Barcelona, España

    ROR https://ror.org/021018s57

Revista:
Digital Education Review

ISSN: 2013-9144

Año de publicación: 2020

Título del ejemplar: Number 37 June 2020 [Monographic] Digital learning: distraction or default for the future

Número: 37

Páginas: 208-229

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.1344/DER.2020.37.208-229 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDialnet editor

Otras publicaciones en: Digital Education Review

Resumen

This article focuses on educational technology as applied in the context of programs and institutions that offer completely distance education courses. All education in the 21st century is digital education in that the use of networking, text and image creation and editing and search and retrieval of information punctuates the life of almost every teacher and student. However, the context of distance education – where all the interactions are mediated, creates a unique and heightened context of digitalization. This paper focuses on two questions: (1) What aspects have not been completely satisfactory in the transit and transformation that education has undergone, from its more traditional, campus-based conception, towards its new configuration marked by the continuous use of digital technologies and environments? (2) In order what are the future challenges that distance education must deal with to support sustainability of this teaching model?From a theoretical and interpretative analysis, based on the review of relevant articles and documents on distance education, some critical dimensions (limitations, unkept promises and future challenges) the use of digital technologies in distance education is identified and subsequently analyzed. These dimensions evidence how the initial (sometimes excessive) enthusiasm about the insertion of digital technologies in distance education has not (yet?) been fully reflected in reality.

Referencias bibliográficas

  • Ahola, S. (2000). Hidden curriculum in higher education: Something to fear for or comply to? Presented at the Innovations in Higher Education.
  • Alfonso, I.(2003). La educación a distancia. Revista cubana de los profesionales de la información y la comunicación en salud. 11(1), 1-13
  • Amidon, T. R., Hutchinson, L., Herrington, T. K., & Reyman, J. (2019). Copyright, Content, & Control: Student Authorship across Educational Technology Platforms. 24.1. Retrieved from http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/24.1/topoi/amidon-et-al/index.html
  • Anderson, T. (1999). Using disruptive technologies in the Universities: Confessions of an Agent Provocateur. Presented at the Ed-Media World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications, 1999, Seattle: AACE
  • Anderson, T. (2003). Modes of interaction in distance education: Recent developments and research questions. In M. Moore & W. Anderson (Eds.), Handbook of Distance Education (pp. 129–144). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
  • Anderson, T., & Dron, J. (2012). Learning technology through three generations of technology enhanced distance education pedagogy. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 2, 1-14. Retrieved from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ992485.pdf
  • Atanasova, I. (2019). Copyright Infringement In Digital Environment. Economics & Law, 1(1), 13-22.
  • Bates, A. W. (2005). Technology, E-learning and Distance Education. New York: Routledge.
  • Bates, A. W. (2019) Teaching in a digital age. 2nd Ed. Campus BC. https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/.
  • Bayne, S., & Ross, J. (2011). ‘Digital Native’ and ‘Digital Immigrant’ Discourses: A Critique. Digital Difference, 159–169. https://doi.org/10.1007/9789460915802_013
  • Beck, E. N. (2015). The Invisible Digital Identity: Assemblages in Digital Networks. Computers and Composition, 35, 125–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2015.01.005
  • Bodily, R., & Verbert, K. (2017). Review of research on student-facing learning analytics dashboards and educational recommender systems. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 10(4), 405-418.
  • Bolanos, A., & Ketola, A. (2018). Social media platforms in translator training: Socialising or separating? Trans-Kom, 11, 183–200.
  • Calvert, J. (2005) Distance Education at the Crossroads, Distance Education, 26(2), 227-238, DOI: 10.1080/01587910500168876
  • Castañeda, L., y Adell, J. (2013). Entornos Personales de Aprendizaje: claves para el ecosistema educativo en red. Alcoy: Marfil
  • Christensen, C., Horn, M., & Johnson, C. (2008). Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. New York: McGraw Hill.
  • Daniel, J. (2013). Mega-universities and knowledge media. Routledge.
  • Deiman, M. & Farrow, R. (2013). Rethinking OER and their use: Open education as Bildung. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v14i3.1370
  • Dolan, V. L. (2014). Massive online obsessive compulsion: What are they saying out there about the latest phenomenon in higher education? The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 15(2), 268-281. doi: https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v15i2.1553
  • Dron, J., & Anderson, T. (2014). Teaching crowds: Learning and social media. Athabasca University Press.
  • Eubanks, V. (2009). Double-Bound: Putting the Power Back into Participatory Research. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 30(1), 107–137.
  • Fallon, C., & Brown, S. (2016). E-learning standards: a guide to purchasing, developing, and deploying standards-conformant e-Learning. Florida, USA: CRC Press.
  • Frymier, A. B., Goldman, Z. W., & Claus, C. J. (2019). Why nonverbal immediacy matters: A motivation explanation. Communication Quarterly, 67(5), 526-539.
  • Flynn, L., Jalali, A., & Moreau, K. A. (2015). Learning theory and its application to the use of social media in medical education. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 91(1080), 556. https://doi.org/10.1136/postgradmedj-2015-133358
  • Gaebel, M., Kupriyanova, V., Morais, R., & Colucci, E. (2014). E-learning in European higher education institutions: results of a mapping survey conducted in October-December 2013. Brussels: European University Association Press. Retrieved from: http://www.eunis.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/e-Learning-survey2.pdf
  • Garrison, D. R. (1985). Three generations of technological innovations in distance education. Distance Education, 6(2), 235–241.
  • Garrison, D. R. (1997). Computer conferencing: The post-industrial age of distance education. Open Learning, 12(2), 3-11.
  • Garrison, D. R. & Anderson, T. (2005). El e-Learning en el siglo XXI: Investigación y práctica. Barcelona: Octaedro.
  • Gossenheimer, A. N., Bem, T., Carneiro, M. L. F., & de Castro, M. S. (2017). Impact of distance education on academic performance in a pharmaceutical care course. PloS One, 12(4), e0175117.
  • Guri-Rosenblit, S. & Gros, B. (2011). e-Learning: confusing terminology, research gaps and inherent challenges. Journal of Distance Education, 25(1), 1-17.
  • Hamilton, E. R., Rosenberg, J. M., & Akcaoglu, M. (2016). The Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition (SAMR) Model: A Critical Review and Suggestions for its Use. TechTrends, 60(5), 433–441. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-016-0091-y
  • Harasim, L. (2000). Shift happens: Online education as a new paradigm in learning. The Internet and higher education, 3(1-2), 41-61.
  • Heller, L. (2019, March 18). Social Media Closing the Distance in Online Education. 81–91. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/208491/
  • Helsper, E. J., & Eynon, R. (2010). Digital natives: where is the evidence? British educational research journal, 36(3), 503-520. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920902989227
  • Hobbs, R. (2020). Copyright and Fair Use. In The International Encyclopedia of Media Literacy (eds R. Hobbs and P. Mihailidis). doi:10.1002/9781118978238.ieml0039
  • Howell, J. A., Roberts, L. D., Seaman, K., & Gibson, D. C. (2018). Are We on Our Way to Becoming a “Helicopter University”? Academics’ Views on Learning Analytics. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 23(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-017-9329-9
  • Huang, E. Y., Lin, S. W., & Huang, T. K. (2012). What type of learning style leads to online participation in the mixed-mode e-Learning environment? A study of software usage instruction. Computers & Education, 58(1), 338-349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.08.003
  • Jacobs, P. (2013). "The challenges of online courses for the instructor." Research In Higher Education 21(2013): 1-18
  • Jivet, I., Scheffel, M., Drachsler, H., & Specht, M. (2017). Awareness Is Not Enough: Pitfalls of Learning Analytics Dashboards in the Educational Practice. In É. Lavoué, H. Drachsler, K. Verbert, J. Broisin, & M. Pérez-Sanagustín (Eds.), Data Driven Approaches in Digital Education (pp. 82–96). London: Springer International Publishing.
  • Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2016). Higher education and the digital revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, social media, and the Cookie Monster. Business Horizons, 59(4), 441-450. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2016.03.008
  • Keegan, D. (1993). Theoretical Principles of Distance Education. NY: Routledge.
  • Kirkwood, A. (2014). Teaching and learning with technology in higher education: Blended and distance education needs ‘joined-up thinking’ rather than technological determinism. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 29(3), 206–221. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2015.1009884
  • Kocdar, S., Karadeniz, A., Bozkurt, A., & Buyuk, K. (2018). Measuring Self-Regulation in Self-Paced Open and Distance Learning Environments. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 19(1). 25-43. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v19i1.3255
  • Kop, R., & Hill, A. (2008). Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past? The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 9(3).
  • Lee, K. (2019). Rewriting a History of Open Universities: The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 20(4), 21-35. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v20i3.4070
  • Long, P. & Siemens, G. (2011). Penetrating the fog: Analytics in learning and education. EDUCAUSE Review, 46(5), 30–32.
  • Madge, C., Breines, M. R., Dalu, M. T. B., Gunter, A., Mittelmeier, J., Prinsloo, P., & Raghuram, P. (2019). WhatsApp use among African international distance education (IDE) students: Transferring, translating and transforming educational experiences. Learning, Media and Technology, 44(3), 267–282. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2019.1628048
  • Margolis, E., & Romero, M. (1998). The department is very male, very white, very old, and very conservative: The functioning of the hidden curriculum in graduate sociology departments. Harvard Educational Review, 68(1), 1–32.
  • Maurino, P. S. M. (2007). Looking for Critical Thinking in Online Threaded Discussions. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 35(3), 241–260. https://doi.org/10.2190/P4W3-8117-K32G-R34M
  • Mazali, T. (2018). From industry 4.0 to society 4.0, there and back. AI y SOCIETY, 33(3), 405-411.
  • Minnium, P. (2019, March 19). Content may be king, but context is queen. Marketing Land. Retrieved from https://marketingland.com/content-may-be-king-but-context-is-queen-258586
  • Moore, M. (1993). Theory of transactional distance. In D. Keegan (Ed.), Theoretical Principles of Distance Education (pp. 22–38). Routledge.
  • Morris, S. M., & Stommel, J. (2018). The Discussion Forum is Dead; Long Live the Discussion Forum. In an Urgency of Teachers. Retrieved from https://criticaldigitalpedagogy.pressbooks.com/chapter/the-discussion-forum-is-dead-long-live-the-discussion-forum/
  • Noble, D. (1998). Digital diploma mills: The automation of higher education. First Monday, 3(1–5).
  • Olakulehin, F. K., & Panda, S. K. (2011). Private Cost of Education: A Comparative Study of Distance and Campus-Based University Students in Nigeria. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-learning.
  • Oregon, E., McCoy, L., & Carmon-Johnson, L. (2018). Case Analysis: Exploring the Application of Using Rich Media Technologies and Social Presence to Decrease Attrition in an Online Graduate Program. Journal of Educators Online, 15(2), 1-13.
  • Orellana, A. (2006). Class Size and Interaction in Online Courses. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 7(3), 229–248.
  • Paul, R. & Tait, A. (2019). Special Issue: Open Universities: Past, Present and Future. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 20 (4), I-VIII. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v20i4.4575
  • Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1–6.
  • Puspitasari, S., & Djaya, A. (2009). Preparing Universitas Terbuka For a World-Class University Through International Ranking System. Asian Association of Open Universities Journal. http://simpen.lppm.ut.ac.id/htmpublikasi/diki.pdf
  • Quong, J., Snider, S. L., & Early, J. (2018). Reducing Transactional Distance in Online and Blended Courses Through the Use of a Closed Social Media Platform. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 47(1), 79–100. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239518766654
  • Regan, P. M., & Steeves, V. (2019). Education, privacy, and big data algorithms: Taking the persons out of personalized learning. First Monday, 24(11). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v24i11.10094
  • Reich, J., & Ruipérez-Valiente, J. A. (2019). The MOOC pivot. Science, 363(6423), 130-131.
  • Rivera-Vargas, P., & Cobo Romaní, C. (2019). La universidad en la sociedad digital: entre la herencia analógica y la socialización del conocimiento. REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria, 17(1), 17-32.
  • Rivera-Vargas, P., Alonso, C., y Sancho, J.M. (2017). Desde la educación a distancia al e-Learning: emergencia, evolución y consolidación. Revista educación y tecnología, (10), 1-13.
  • Rivera-Vargas, P., Sancho-Gil, J. M., y Sánchez, J. A. (2017). Los límites de la disrupción en el orden académico. La cultura DIY en la universidad. Páginas de Educación, 10(2), 127-142. doi: https://doi.org/10.22235/pe.v10i2.1428
  • Rubel, A., & Jones, K. M. (2016). Student privacy in learning analytics: An information ethics perspective. The Information Society, 32(2), 143–159.
  • Rumble, G. (1992). The competitive vulnerability of distance teaching universities. Open Learning, 7(2), 31–45.
  • Russell, T. L. (1999). The no significant difference phenomenon: As reported in 355 research reports, summaries and papers. Westwern Cooperative for Educational Technologies.
  • Sancho-Gil, J. M., Rivera-Vargas, P., & Miño-Puigcercós, R. (2020). Moving beyond the predictable failure of Ed-Tech initiatives. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(1), 61-75. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2019.1666873
  • Sangrà, A., Vlachopoulus, D. & Cabrera, N. (2011). Building an inclusive definition of e-Learning: An approach to the conceptual framework. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 13(2). 145-159. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v13i2.1161
  • Seaman, J., Allen, E. & Seaman, J. (2018). Grade Increase: Tracking Distance Education in the United States. New York: Babyson Survey Group. Retrieved from: https://onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/gradeincrease.pdf
  • Sefton-Green, J., & Erstad, O. (2017). Researching ‘learning lives’–a new agenda for learning, media and technology. Learning, Media and Technology, 42(2), 246-250. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2016.1170034
  • Selwyn, N. (2010). Looking beyond learning: Notes towards the critical study of educational technology. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 26(1), 65–73.
  • Shachar, M. & Neumann. (2010). Twenty Years of Research on the Academic Performance Differences Between Traditional and Distance Learning: Summative Meta-Analysis and Trend Examination. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 6(2), 318-334.
  • Shi, Y., Li, X., Haller, A., & Campbell, J. (2018). Knowledge pricing structures on MOOC platform–A use case analysis on edX. Proceedings of the the Twenty-Second Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems, Japan 2018. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324889731_Knowledge_pricing_structures_on_MOOC_platform_-_A_use_case_analysis_on_edX
  • Siemens, G. (2008). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. ITFORUM for Discussion, 27, 1-26.
  • Stoessel, K., Ihme, T. A., Barbarino, M.-L., Fisseler, B., & Stürmer, S. (2015). Sociodemographic diversity and distance education: Who drops out from academic programs and why? Research in Higher Education, 56(3), 228–246.
  • Taylor, J. (1995). Distance education technologies: The fourth generation. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 11(2), 1–7.
  • van Wyngaard, C., Pretorius, J., & Pretorius, L. (2012). Theory of the Triple Constraint – A Conceptual Review. Proceedings of the 2012 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management. Retrieved from: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6838095
  • Viberg, O., Hatakka, M., Bälter, O., & Mavroudi, A. (2018). The current landscape of learning analytics in higher education. Computers in Human Behavior, 89, 98–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.07.027
  • Wade, M. C. (2012). A Critique of Connectivism as a Learning Theory. Cybergogue. Retrieved from: http://cybergogue.blogspot.com/2012/05/critique-of-connectivism-as-learning.html
  • Wang, Z., Anderson, T., Chen, L., & Barbera, E. (2017). Interaction pattern analysis in cMOOCs based on the connectivist interaction and engagement framework. British Journal of Educational Technology, 48(2), 686-699. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12433
  • Zayer, L., Beran, S., & Purification, A. (2017). Exploring the challenges of social media in higher education. In The Dark Side of Social Media: A Consumer Psychology Perspective. London: Routledge.
  • Zuboff, S. (2019) Professor Shoshana Zuboff on Surveillance Capitalism Q&A. FindCTRL. Retrieved from: https://findingctrl.nesta.org.uk/text/shoshana-zuboff
  • Zuboff, S. (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. New York: PublicAffairs.