What is Distance Learning

However, given the cost and implications for poor technology planning decisions, it is important that technological changes should take place through more formally planned strategies and plans, i.e. innovation. Successful innovation of a technology strategy depends on the infrastructure and culture of the organization. New products or initiatives usually are dependent on knowledge being brought in from outside by the infrastructure. Therefore, the administrator's strategic challenges are to determine:

• the context for the technology planning (CDLP staff prefer a learner centered perspective)
• how technologies are chosen, and
• how to gain information from similar organizations that test and implement new technologies.

In practice most adult basic education innovation trails far behind in adapting new technologies and instructional strategies that include learning technologies. CDLP staff encourages adult education programs to develop learner centered technology plans that help identify opportunities and problems, resources, and priorities. The model is presented in the Planning and Administration module.

Learning Technology Standards

Standards are important to the development of new processes and technologies. They insure interoperability and design conformance. Three organizations are the focal point for learning technology standards:

• the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE)
• the International Organization of Standardization (ISO), and
• the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

The IEEE hyperlink provides information on the Learning Technology Standards Committee working groups.

In addition the IMS Global Learning Consortium Inc. (IMS) was formed to provide standards for learning technology and especially content metadata and has moved into other areas such as content packaging. Much of the current work surrounds creating reuseable learning content or objects. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) also provides leadership in extending the Internet.

The Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI) is a software-development project of several colleges and universities to develop software that will help professors build Web pages for their courses and manage administrative functions like grading and testing. In the process, they are developing a set of technical standards, known as application programming interfaces, or API's, which are rules for how the software will operate. One goal of the initiative is to build free course-management software.

Supporting Innovation

In order to maintain the innovation process, the adult education provider should communicate regularly with other organizations involved in similar activities. Fostering this network development process has been central to California's development strategy. This is referred to as fostering and supporting distance learning "pioneers."

The infrastructure of innovation and invention is based on two things:

• the network of relationships, and
• the dominant design and process

Links between adult education providers, outside innovators, and content development groups will insure a long term process. Some technology changes are not discovered in the networks but in an ad hoc environment. Openness to these possibilities is important. Keep in mind that even though the adult basic education sector is well developed, it does not imply a well developed technological infrastructure.

Strategic Implications for a Distance Learning Infrastructure

The adult education provider should have two main concerns:

• to get connected to the communications infrastructure
• to keep the infrastructure developing to insure progress

Technological strategy is also political, especially in the early stages of development when one has to choose a way to proceed. If one participates in this political process, the chance of benefiting will increase. It is essential that administrators know where technology is situated in the general strategy (i.e. the big picture).

General Guidelines

One distance learning goal is to have course curricula offered in multiple formats — teacher led, CD-ROM and DVD, video, and Internet. These choices when blended appropriately can effectively serve the learning styles and life circumstances of most potential learners.

The right technology used appropriately can greatly enhance the learning experience. But instructional technology used in the wrong way can result in a waste of time and money. The key to choosing the right technology to support learning is to match the technology to the learner and the learning context - both in terms of learners’  skills and abilities and well their access to the technology.

Accessibility is a critical concern. The best designed Web site with the latest multimedia technologies is of no use to someone who does not have access to the Internet, does not have the required plug-ins, or does not know how to download them.

Learning materials and systems cannot be separated from the courses and venues in which they will be used. Consequently, the materials development process, whenever possible, should be integrated into the instructional planning process. This requires materials designers to engage in an overall curriculum planning process to help ensure focus and product compatibility

Instructional design practice is organized from a set of objectives or learning outcomes. From these outcomes come the curriculum, strategies and skills, and comprehension expectations. The contexts vary widely based on the subject matter.

Course Definition

A course is a collection of closely related instructional components that have structure and sequence aimed at assisting learners to develop specific knowledge and skills. A course of study is designed for the characteristics of a specific learner group to meet their specific needs and interests. A program of study may consist of multiple courses.

For our purposes, a course may be of any duration and it need not have sub-units, however they are likely. It could be a semester-long citizenship course, a vocational training program, a pre-employment job preparation course, an online self-directed certification course, or a self-paced CD-ROM or videotape series. In most cases, media will support a course that is mediated by an instructor.

Unit Definition

All but the shortest courses consist of series of logical units of information. Like chapters in a book, these units include related materials that in sum make up the course. Units design may be in a sequential order or stand alone, not requiring any specific order. A course could mix units that are sequential and non-sequential.

Units are typically comprised of multiple lessons, which are where instructional materials are presented. In the case of a stand-alone video series, the course may be comprised of multiple videotapes (units) that have several different lessons on each tape.

Lesson Definition

A lesson is a discreet instructional session that includes a limited number of learning tasks designed to meet the needs of students based on the course content. Lessons are developed to cover a logical segment of learning tasks. Instructional materials are used at the lesson level.

Technology Adoption

During periods of rapid social and technological evolution, change and disruptive technologies are experienced and utilized by different people and organizations at different times. Unfortunately, in the CDLP experience, adult basic educators are late in perceiving, understanding, and adopting new instructional technologies. Consequently, adult basic education providers should conservatively develop our tools and techniques.

The accepted model for stages of technology adoption is a bell curve with the stages of the technology adoption life cycle described from left to right as:

Early Market

Main Street

End of Life

Innovators and Early Adoptors fall within the Early Market group. Early Majority and Late Majority users are in the Main Street users group while the Laggards fall within the End of Life grouping. The tools and resources available to support distance learning design are determined, in part, based on where the delivery technology is in the technology life cycle. Usually in will be in the "main street" or "end of life" stage for adult basic education.

The implications for adult education are that proven, widely accepted technologies are generally used, but their usefulness may be limited by emerging, more powerful technologies.

Supporting Lifelong Learning

Implicit in all product development is the goal of supporting knowledge integration and lifelong learning. This also entails developing students' skills at autonomous learning since students need to continue to integrate and reflect on their understanding subsequent to their science instruction to become lifelong learners. Thus, both curriculum and assessment activities need to encourage students to reflect on their own learning. If ideas are viewed as right or wrong, students may lack the motivation to reflect and solely seek to learn what is right. Instruction and assessment that support students' reflective processes and their understanding of their own alternative views can contribute to lifelong learning.

Targeted Learners

At the start of this section it is noted that the ideal distance learner is expected to be more self directed than the average adult basic learner. However, many practitioners have told us that, while they agree with this perspective, their target learners are those who cannot otherwise access learning. Within that group, some find out that the absence of structure is not useful for them. Still it is important to try to screen out learners who would not be comfortable is a self directed learning environment. This is done during the enrollment and orientation process.

Build or Buy?

Distance learning materials can be developed from scratch, purchased, or adopted. Regardless of the approach, the resulting product should be based on firm design and learning principles.

In most cases adult educators will utilize existing materials (video tapes, online resources) and add activities and communications tasks that "wrap around" the central products. This is done to enhance the product, adopt it to meet established standards or frameworks, or adopt it to the learners who will be using them.

Creating Distance Learning Materials

Learning Principles

A 1999 research document entitled - Materials Development Framework For Courses Targeting Low Literacy and Limited-English Speaking Adults - sets the basis for our design strategies. The full version can be found at www.cyberstep.org. Click on Papers.

The adult learning principles identified are:

1. Adult learners are goal driven.
2. Language and literacy are social processes that involve interaction with others.
3. Language and literacy development require risk taking.
4. Language and literacy develop when the target language is slightly above the current level of proficiency of the user.
5. Language and literacy development require focus, engagement and practice.
6. Language and literacy are multi-dimensional and require different kinds of interactions with different kinds of genres.
7. Language and literacy develop through interactions with tasks that require cognitive involvement.
8. Language and literacy develop more deeply if skills are connected to an overall topic or theme.

These principles should be kept in mind in all design work.

Likewise the state of Massachusetts System for Adult Basic Education Support (SABES) has developed an evolving set of resources to help address its state standards. These resources have broad application in any state.

Learning Outcomes and Materials Development Objectives

Learner outcomes specify student behaviors desired at a particular developmental point. These outcomes provide the basis for creating worthwhile learning experiences, for setting appropriate expectations, and for assessing the extent of learning attained.

Distance Learning Materials Should:

1. Successfully engage adults functioning at low literacy and limited English levels in improving their literacy and language skills and capabilities.

Are the materials appropriate? Are the materials considered worthwhile? 1.1 Do the materials match up with learners' goals? 1.2 Which features are most successful in engaging these learners? 1.3 How do learners, instructors, and other facilitators respond to the materials components? 1.4 How are learners and facilitators using the materials? 1.5 How are the materials related to other materials and integrated into instructional strategies?

2. Function effectively making use of multi-media features to foster learning.

2.1 How easy to use are the materials? 2.2 Do learners take advantage of what specific technologies offer? 2.3 Which pathways and resources do learners make the most use of? 2.4 What pathways and resources might be missing? 2.5 What is an effective time commitment to expect from users? 2.6 What are the hardware, software, and cognitive problems that learners experience that inhibit use? 2.7 What supports do learners use and need to use these materials effectively?

3. Have a significant, positive impact on learners' performance

3.1 Do the materials do what they claim? 3.2 Do materials teach language and literacy, and if so which dimensions are addressed? 3.3 What product focuses are most meaningful for learners and learning facilitators? 3.4 In which skills development areas do learners achieve most through these materials?

4. Be useful and effective for learners and learning facilitators in different learning contexts

4.1 What preparation is needed for instructors and facilitators to work productively with the materials? 4.2 What preparation or support is needed by learners with different learning profiles? 4.3 What problems do teachers/facilitators experience in working with learners on these materials? 4.4 How do instructors use the materials to work with students?

5. Suggest a materials development framework beyond the current work?

5.1 What are steps in product testing that will provide short and longer term utility? 5.2 How can we document learning achievement? 5.3 What technology features are important for short, medium, and longer term acceptability?

Product Phase	Focus of Input	Respondents
Concept	Why is the product needed? What will it help learners do? How does the project fit into existing products? What are projected learning outcomes?	Funders, Peers
Proof of concept (i.e. rapid prototype demonstration)	Is the approach sound, can the product be implemented, What are product standards/ what would successful implementation look like, Who would best benefit from the product?	Funders, Peers, Product, Media and Subject Matter Specialists, Instructors, Learners
Initial development phase complete (alpha test)	Does it implement the key design standards? Are the product standards sufficient to accomplish project goals, Does the product function as intended, Is the learners' response to the product as intended? Who functions best with the product, what can be strengthened about it? What sort of outcomes might be achieved with it? What sort of support is necessary to use it and sustain outcomes?	Product, media and subject matter specialists, instructors, learners, program administrators, resource professionals
Pre-release (beta test)	What outcomes are achieved with it? What are use characteristics and problems? What sort of support is necessary for use? What bugs need to be fixed in the product?	Instructors, Learners, program administrators, resource professionals
On-going, for use at times strategic for product enhancement and versioning	How are users needs changing? What sorts of augmentation are necessary to the product to increase relevance and enhance or sustain learning? What sorts of augmentation are necessary to enhance power of instructor facilitation with the product? What bugs need to be fixed.	Instructors, learners, resource professionals

Key to a successful, cost-effective strategy is creating a specific plan for each product which takes into account the development phase, the specific feedback issues under consideration, and how best to provide cost-efficient data.

Involving Users in Materials Development

Involving potential users, especially learners, in multi-media product development is extremely important. The context for this involvement usually is formative research. Formative research is different from some other kinds of research (e.g. summative or descriptive research) in that it solicits feedback for the purpose of making necessary changes based on that input. Formative research designs vary depending on the themes being explored, specific questions being asked, subject, available time, and types of respondents.  
Whatever the specific anchoring questions, however, successful formative research requires:

• strategic involvement of key stakeholders in providing feedback
• involvement of representative product users and stakeholders
• cost-effective research methods which yield the data necessary for decision making
• rich, systematic and timely data on strategically significant questions, and
• a strategy for applying the results of the research to guide and enhance product design

Note the last bullet in particular. Formative research assumes that the product being evaluated can be changed and improved. Its aim is make the product(s) as useful and productive as possible. Therefore the research plans can, do, and should change. If thorough product testing is desired for certification, documentation, product improvement, or versioning, a systematic research plan is necessary in order to keep the research cost-effective.

Strategic Stakeholder Involvement

There are multiple points to involve users in product development. The following list identifies stages at which stakeholder involvement is very useful. They are:

• product concept
• the proof of concept (i.e. rapid prototype demonstration)
• initial development phase (alpha test)
• pre-release (beta test)
• on-going feedback (delta test)

Stakeholders can include experts in the field, instructors, learners, resource teachers, teacher trainers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and learners' family members and networks. Not all these stakeholders can be involved equally in each stage of product development. Make your choices according to the desired outcomes.

Cost Effective Research Strategies

Each stage of product development poses different formative research questions and therefore call for distinct methods which involve different subsets of stakeholders. The range of data collection strategies used in formative research include:

• paper/desk review of the product or product potential
• surveys of potential users attitudes and product orientations, with background and experience
• interviews or one-on-one meetings
• group interviews or focus groups
• user observations employing 'thinking-out-loud' learner interaction strategies
• data on learners' use of resources captured directly by the technology application
• product integrated feedback forms or mechanisms

Among these methods the focus group techniques tend to elicit more information than others. Focus groups use oppositional interview strategies (asking members of the group to formulate pro and con responses that address each others' concerns), user observations employing 'thinking-out-loud' learner interaction strategies (asking learners why they are doing something a certain way and what a specific behavior means to them), and product-integrated feedback forms used in situations where observers query learners about their performance and that performance also is captured by the application.

Strategies differ according to which respondent sub-group they are best suited to, the kinds of data they are best designed to provide, the extent to which they can provide information about both how the product works and why, and which product development phase they are most suited to. This is described below.

At the product concept stage, it's useful to have experts on subject matter, learning process, technology, and the learners themselves review the concept to avoid spending money and time if the original assumptions are not viable. Multi-media products inevitably are built on a central metaphor or navigation strategy which underlies developers' learning environment. It is crucial to test this concept early on. This is a paper/desk review from a small group of product subject matter experts and key stakeholders.

The proof of concept stage is quick test of the development strategy, for one lesson of one product. It's useful for testing product assumptions and structure, navigational tools, central images and treatment, and user reactions to the concept in general. It is not good for testing product effectiveness, since it's not a full implementation. Feedback on the concept and proof of concept is best from individual, key stakeholders, in an informal environment. Interviews or one-on-one meetings, and individual observations of use, are usually appropriate for this purpose, with a small number of targeted users and stakeholders.

The alpha test is the point at which the product is ready for full use in its proper environment (i.e. as audio/video, on the web, at home, in classrooms). At this point that systematic feedback from learners and teachers/facilitators is essential. The evaluation focus is generally on overall appeal of content, clarity of instructions, ease of use and navigation, needed support, and how users interact with the product. Results are used to enhance product usability, acceptability, effectiveness, and impact on the field. The alpha test results builds the foundation for the pre-release version of the product-the beta test. Data collection strategies here include focus groups, data capture techniques incorporated into the technology itself, and a combination of interview with observational performance analysis. This utilizes a larger and more representative group of users for analysis than the proof of concept.

The beta test is a pre-release version, where the concept and strategies in use are set, and (hopefully) only bugs are being worked out. It focuses as much on the instructor and facilitator, as the learner, to be sure the issues in roll-out are addressed successfully. Data collection strategies here are generally surveys, interviews or focus groups, and product-integrated feedback forms. Data collection integrated into the product, with the user's consent, is also a possibility. Respondents here include the range of users (ideally a 10% sample of site(s) is used) and potential users.