Technology and Distance Education
This outline represents a review of current literature and is meant as a starting point for
recommendations.
The main ideas are that technology should follow the design of the specific program and should
be selected to support the specific learning outcomes of that program, and that training and
support services need to be robust and ongoing.
Questions:
 As online programs grow, how will new technologies be identified, evaluated, funded
and implemented?
 How do we best coordinate and promote the effective and legal use of technology?
 What additional technology support for online programs are needed? (Licensed copies of
Camtasia, recording equipment, other?) And what about student support?
General Technology Use
Technology should support educational objectives, not drive them. Courses (and programs)
should be designed for desired learning outcomes and then appropriate technology selected to
support those outcomes.
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“If not used, even the best learning tool cannot be effective for learning and teaching.”
(Quillérou 2011)
Inadequate use of technology is the major cause of failures in distance ed.
(Boulton 2008)
Internet lecture notes and assignments and e-mail were the two most heavily or regularly
used tools among most faculty and students in distance education. Also used heavily or
regularly by 30% to more than 60% of faculty and students were Internet or Web-based
discussion groups, Internet chat groups, and Internet one-way live video and audio...
(Zhao 2003).
Training and support
Adequate training opportunity and support for faculty is the key to effective use of technology in
distance education. Effective use of technology also extends to understanding copyright,
intellectual property, student privacy and related legal concerns.
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Faculty will use technology more as they learn about it (Spotts and Bowman 1995).
Mastering one technology leads them to try different technology (Kagima and Hausafus
2000). As cited in Tabata, L., &Johnsrud, L. (2008).
“Providing adequate student services and technology support services to distance learning
students must be a priority.” (Pullan 2001)
Specific technologies
What technology to use will depend on the program and course objectives. A number of current
and emerging technologies are in use in distance education that may be of use to Dowling
programs now or in the future. Examples include:
Distance Education Taskforce: Technology Subgroup
Kelly/Kretz
Social Media
 Pros: more engaging and interactive
 Cons: copyright concerns/FERPA, stability of cloud resources, access and ada
compliance issues
(Duffy.& Bruns 2006)
 There is a value in developing student technology skills that they will need in the
workplace. (Keengwe & Kidd 2010)
Video
 Drawbacks to online tools commonly involve bandwidth concerns. Users must have a
robust Internet connection to use online video resources. (Rich & Trip 2011).
 Synchronous use of video increases instructor presence and interactivitiy (Whithaus, Neff
2006).
Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVES)
 Second Life main example. In general, students have positive attitude towards learning
through SL but steep learning curve and difficult to use. (Dass, S., Dabbagh, N., & Clark,
K. 2011)
 Examples of use in science education, EFL
Emerging Technologies
One way to think of these technologies is to use the framework of the Horizon Report, an annual
report that maps emerging technologies that will have an impact on higher education and
forecasts their time of adoption. From the 2012 report:
Time to adoption: One Year or Less
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Mobile Apps
Tablet Computing
Time to adoption: Two to Three Years
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Game-based Learning
Learning Analytics
Time to adoption: Four to Five Years
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Gesture-based Computing
Internet of Things
Bibliography to be posted on the Wiki.
Distance Education Taskforce: Technology Subgroup
Kelly/Kretz
Boulton, H. (2008). Managing e-learning: Whatare the real implications for schools? Electronic
Journal of e-Learning, 6(1), 11–18.
Sanacho, P., Torrente, J., & Fernandez-Manjon, B. (
http://fie-conference.org/fie2009/papers/1560.pdf
Zhao, J. J., Alexander, M., Waldman, L., &Perreault, H. (2003). Impact of information
technologies on faculty and students in onlinedistance education. Delta Pi Epsilon Journal,
45(1), 17–33.
Tabata, L., &Johnsrud, L. (2008). The Impact of Faculty Attitudes Toward Technology, Distance
Education, and Innovation. Research In Higher Education, 49(7), 625-646. doi:10.1007/s11162008-9094-7
Dass, S., Dabbagh, N., & Clark, K. (2011). USING VIRTUAL WORLDS What the Research Says. Quarterly
Review Of Distance Education, 12(2), 95-111.
Ketelhut, D., Nelson, B. C., Clarke, J., & Dede, C. (2010). A multi-user virtual environment for building and
assessing higher order inquiry skills in science. British Journal Of Educational Technology, 41(1), 56-68.
doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.01036.x
Rich, P., & Trip, T. (2011). Ten Essential Questions Educators Should Ask When Using Video
Annotation Tools. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 55(6), 16-24.
doi:10.1007/s11528-011-0537-1
Duffy, Peter D.&Bruns, Axel (2006) The Use of Blogs, Wikis and RSS in Education: A
Conversation of Possibilities. In Online Learning and Teaching Conference 2006, 26 Sep. 2006,
Brisbane.
Pullan, M. (2011). Online Support Services for Undergraduate Millennial Students. Journal Of Higher
Education Theory & Practice, 11(2), 66-83.
Towards Best Practices in Online Learning and Teaching in Higher Education 2010
Jared Keengwe
Terry T. Kidd
Wang, C., Song, H., Stone, D. E., & Yan, Q. (2009). Integrating Second Life into an EFL Program in China:
Research Collaboration across the Continents. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve
Learning, 53(6), 14-19. doi:10.1007/s11528-009-0337-z
Quillérou, E. (2011). Increased Technology Provision and Learning: Giving More for Nothing?.
International Review Of Research In Open & Distance Learning, 12(6), 178-197.
Distance Education Taskforce: Technology Subgroup
Kelly/Kretz