Running head: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Annotated Bibliography
Fanquadet Garnett
University of Maryland University College
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Pedagogical Theories in Relation to the Evolution of Distance Education
Introduction
Distance education is a term used to define the pedagogical system of learning that
accommodates a unique environment of students and teachers, which have evolved from the
systematic tradition of face-to-face learning. While distance education does provide a distinctive
learning environment, its structure doesn’t deviate far from its core foundation of traditional
education.
The following scholarly articles collectively discuss the basic components that make up
distance education: integration of connectivity (interaction, discourse), asynchronicity
(independence), as well different forms of communication (text, verbal, visual, media) which
are all used to create unique online learning environments.
The evolution of distance education (DE) cannot be explained without first examining its
history. Correspondence is credited as being the earliest form of distance education which arose
over 100 years ago. This form of DE “introduced ‘teaching’ through text” utilizing the mail
system to deliver educational material and instruction to students from teachers. In the
breakdown of Moore’s theory of transactional distance, he outlines various methods and modes
of media used in DE. Some of these types of media include but are not limited to TV, radio,
satellites, computers, and digital libraries. These forms of DE learning provided a more
interpersonal educational experience incorporating ‘guided didactic conversation’. One of the
characteristics of distance education as describe by Moore, resembles that of a guided
conversation aimed at learning and the presence of the typical traits of a conversation facilitates
learning. Though well intentioned, the communication still was lacking forming only a one-way
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source of dialogue. The need for a balance between communication, structure, and interaction
were in great demand.
This great demand lead to the idea of “two-way communication” and the “possibility of
interaction among a group of students”. This process merged together interaction and
collaboration which were the first forms of socialization in DE.
These were all the pioneers that paved the way to our now more commonly known
format of DE, online learning. Online learning as a product of the “Internet Age” has become a
dominant frontrunner in the way distance education is viewed. Through technology distance
education has been able to incorporate new and innovative ways of teaching that break the
“distance” barrier in distance education. It allows for the insurmountable issues associated with
DE to be tackled with optimal resolution. Communication, collaboration, interaction, dialogue,
and socialization are now all an intricate part of the distance education process and still allow for
a balance within the needed autonomy structure.
Online education as it currently stands is the epitome of DE. As a child from the
conception of birth, DE has been gradually growing over the past century promulgated by the
ever changing, vastly improving, world of technology. From birth, to toddler, to adolescence and
now on the verge of budding adulthood, it continues to evolve, develop, and mature. Distance
education as we know it is far from being at the end of its era. Through research and studies it is
clearly shown that distance and online education is merely on the verge of it evolutionary
journey.
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Annotated Bibliography
Burge, L. (2008). ‘Crafting the future’: Pioneer lessons and concerns for today. Distance
Education, 29 (1), 5-17. doi:10.1080/01587910802004811
This article is a study that looks into the developments of scholars in the Distance
Education (DE) field within the second half of the twentieth century. Among those
developments, the researcher examines lessons learned from the transference of
knowledge; benefits of patience, tolerance, and listening; effective use of respect; and
how to incorporate responsiveness. The research summarizes and explains their potential
use in today’s DE programs. Finally, the article examines the concerns amongst DE
scholars and possibly solutions for these concerns to include: the ineffective use of
technology, the commercializing of DE programs and the administrative issues in regards
to finance, funding, and policies. Burge is part of the faculty of education at the
University of New Brunswick and has published this article in a peer-reviewed journal.
The information that has been provided will be of added value to my research
establishing some key elements in the future of DE.
Cejda, B. (2010). Online education in community colleges. Wiley InterScience: New Directions
for Community Colleges, 150, 7-16. doi: 10.1002/cc.400
This article provides numbers and statistics on the development and continued growth of
online education in community colleges. It draws its data from the Instructional
Technology Council (ITC), U.S. Department of Education, and the Sloan Consortium. A
solid description is provided for the understanding of online education in comparison to
Distance Education (DE). Additionally this particular chapter describes the causes for
growth in online education giving a history of the changes that have taken place. Cedja
(2010) “is an associate professor in the educational leadership and higher education
program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (p.160). The article will provided my
research paper with updated and pertinent statistical data. The information and history of
online growth will also be useful in developing my theory of where DE is heading in the
near future.
Falloon, G. (2011). Making the connection: Moore’s theory of transactional distance and its
relevance to the use of a virtual classroom in postgraduate online teacher education.
Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 43(3), 187-209. Retrieved from
http://web.ebscohost.com.exproxy.umuc.edu
This article evaluates one of the founding principles found in Distance Education (DE),
transactional distance. Transactional distance is defined as the psychological distance that
is created between the teacher and the student in their attempts to communicate
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information through physical distance. By understanding the issues developed through
transactional distance one can focus on limiting the amount that takes place within the
DE environment. Fallon discusses these issues and connects the ‘virtual classroom’ in the
resolution of transactional distance. Fallon is the senior lecture of e-learning at the
University of Waikato. He is involved in in-depth research in his field of expertise and is
constantly looking for ways to improve the quality and design of e-learning practices.
The information in this article will be useful in my research paper because it builds off
the foundation of DE and goes in depth on how to utilize this foundation to improve the
future of DE.
Hyo-Jeong, S. (2010). Towards rigor of online interaction research: implication for future
distance learning research. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 9(2), 256263. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.exproxy.umuc.edu
This article focuses primarily on the concept of interaction within the Distance Education
(DE) environment. It examines and compares research on interaction by various
scholars. Such research covers synchronous versus asynchronous, the levels of learner
interaction, the four types of interaction (learner-learner, learner-instructor, learnercontent, and learner-technology), the dimensions of design and evaluation, and lastly, the
twelve types interaction that influence learner outcomes. Within the article, the key terms
interaction and interactivity are clearly defined using definitions from the founding
scholars in DE. This gives the reader a firm understanding of the concepts that are
discussed throughout the article. The information within the article can be used in my
research paper to outline the concepts of interaction and the role it plays in DE. The
author, Hyo-Jeong, holds a Ph.D and is the Associate Professor at the National Institute
of Education Nanyang Technological University.
Jeremic, Z., Milikic, N., Jovanovic, J., Brkovic, M., &Radulovic, F. (2011). Using online
presence to improve online collaborative learning [Special issue]. International Journal
of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 7(1), 28-35. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/
10.3991/ijet.v7iS1.1918
This article is a special focus papers that identifies various software tools that have
impacted online learning. More specifically, it goes in-depth about the web-based
programs and digital resources that have had an impact on Personal Learning
Environments (PLEs) and Online Presence For Learning (OP4L) programs. The article
covers the uses, the benefits, and the challenges that are associated with the
aforementioned programs. Jeremic and his co-authors are from universities within Serbia
and Spain ad specifically wrote this article to address ‘software solutions’ that focus on
ways to improve their ‘Semantic web’ technologies. Although very informative, this
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article will be to be of no use to my research. It is limited in its scope of online learning
and its focus is based primarily in a very specific form of DE, corporate learner &
training.
Kop, R., & Hill, A. (2008). Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past?
International Review of Research in Open Distance Learning, 9(3), 1-13. Retrieved from
http://web.ebscohost.com.exproxy.umuc.edu
In this article Kop and Hill go into an in-depth discussion relating to connectivism. They
define connectivism and its function within the infrastructure of learning. It is further
examined and compared in regards to its validity as a theory in distance education. The
main focus of the article is to explain the framework of connectivism and its role in the
history of distance education as well as its future place in online learning. This article is
provided within a peer-reviewed journal but the authors’ stance on the subject is a bit
bias. Connectivism and its role in online learning is based solely on the thoughts and
opinions of the authors. The article developed from a discussion on their blog
surrounding the ‘status of connectivism’. Although partly opinionated, the basic
information and definition of connectivism can be used to support additional researched
information on the theory.
Lorenzo, A. L. (2010). Teaching the world to sing: Planning for the future of online learning.
Wiley Interscience:New Directions for Community Colleges, 150, 95-102.
doi:10.1002/cc.409
This article identifies various lessons learned as they pertain to the historical growth of
online learning. The lessons learned are divided up into two categories: historical and
current. In historical lessons both distance education and online learning are defined and
compared. Key elements of shared practices and purposes are also covered. Current
lesson learned covers the twenty first century and important events that have shaped
online learning as it is known today. These two lessons shape the ground work for
understanding the path in which distance education and online learning is headed.
Lorenzo (2010) is “president emeritus at Oakland University” (p.102). There is relevant
terms defined within this article that are of use in understanding distance education (DE).
Also, Lorenzo provides strategies that are worth examining when discussing the
evolution of DE.
Moller, L., Forshay, W. R., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications
for instructional design on the potential of the web. TechTrends:Linking Research &
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Practice to Improve Learning, 52(3), 70-75. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.
exproxy.umuc.edu
In this article instructional design and development is the focus. This article is part of a
three part series which will be used to discuss ‘e-learning trends’. This main topic is
covers a specific category of distance education (DE) which focuses on training. The
evolution that they speak of is specific to instructional design which has recently, within
the twenty first century, been the main concern for professionals and corporations. The
transformation of training or the lack thereof is illustrated in this article through statistical
analysis. Moller and Heutt both hold PhDs and are associate professors at their
respective universities. Foshay is the director of research for the Education Technology
Group of Texas Instruments. This article is organized, structured, and provide supporting
data to sustain its theory but it is to specialized to be applied in my research.
Rashid, M., & Elahi, U. (2012). Use of education technology in promoting distance education.
Turkish Online Jourmal of Distance Education (TOJDE), 13(1), 79-86. Retrieved from
http://web.ebscohost.com.exproxy.umuc.edu
This article covers the tools of technology that significantly add value and quality to the
distance education (DE) environment. Some of the media technologies mentioned within
this article are computers, satellites, and digital diaries. More detail is provided about the
media used in DE, the six characteristics of the media, and the skills required to
effectively use the media in distance education. Furthermore, the implication of future
uses in DE is examined. Rashid and Elahi also cover the weaknesses and strengths in
using technology and how to make positive use of both. Dr. Rashid and Elahi are both
affiliated with Preston University in Pakistan. They have provided an article of sound
educated principles that will add substantially to my coverage of technology within my
research paper.
Roe, R. (2010). Considering quality control in distance and online education: A commentary.
Kentucky journal of Excellence in College Teaching & Learning, 8, 70-74. Retrieved
from http://web.ebscohost.com.exproxy.umuc.edu
In this article Roe discusses the importance of implementing quality control measures in
distance education (DE). Quality control (QC) is defined to provide an understanding of
what QC is and how this measure can be utilized in DE. Following the basic definition,
the case for quality control is presented along with the need for QC and the
recommendations on how QC can be used. No additional background information is
provided on the author and no substantial data is provided to support the author’s
argument for QC augmentation and quality assurance. The information provided is
purely opinion based but is quite convincing. The suggestions provided could be useful
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in my research as potential ways in which DE could be developed utilizing QC processes
over the next decade.
Tucker, S. Y. (2012). Promoting socialization in distance education. Turkish Online Journal of
Distance Education (TOJDE), 13(1), 174-182. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.
exproxy.umuc.edu
This article examines the effects of socialization in distance education (DE).
Socialization is defined as it pertains to education both in a face-to-face environment as
well as in an online environment. The need for social interaction is deeply rooted in the
philosophy of education and is identified as a key element in “the Community of Inquiry
(COI)” (Tucker, p.175). Centra, “a synchronous software system” (Tucker, p.177), is
used to study the effects technology has on social presence in DE using student
participates as the data source. Dr. Tucker is an associate professor in the field of
research and education. Her study, outlined in this article, includes 93 graduate students
and provides same solid data on the role of socialization as seen from the student
perspective. This could provide my research paper with a more rounded viewpoint that
delves into the mind of the students versus the single viewpoint of scholars.
Tuncay, N., & Uzunboylu, H. (2010). Trend of “distance education” in the last three decades.
World journal on Education Technology, 2(1), 55-67. Retrieved from http://web.
ebscohost.com.exproxy.umuc.edu
This article review research that has been conducted over the past three decades. There
were 160 documents selected for review over a timeframe of 366 months. Tuncay and
Uzunboylu present information covering distribution of documents, types of documents,
authors of documents, language of documents, and trends of distance education. This
information is communicated in various formats to include graphs, tables, and charts.
Tuncay works for the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology
and Uzunboylu is an associate professor of Educational Technology. The information
they present in this article is very technical in scope and is not as subjective as some
previous articles that have been reviewed. As such it should provide my research paper
with some quality support data.