Overview

This course is about distance education. Distance education is defined as: "planned learning that normally occurs in a different place from teaching, requiring special techniques of course design and instruction, communication through various technologies, and special organizational and administrative arrangements." The history of distance education is closely related to the evolution of different communications technologies, but as indicated by the definition, the study of distance education covers much more than technology. It focuses primarily on teaching, learning and all the pedagogical (or andragogical) issues -- as well as administrative and policy issues -- that are associated with teaching and learning of a special kind. In short, this is a course about education, not technology. And since the great majority of distant learners are adults, this is a course also about adult education. We will be discussing such questions as:

• How has distance education evolved over the years?
• What is the scope of distance education across the country and the world today?
• What special needs does a distance learner have and how can a teacher meet those needs?
• What kinds of organization is best for an institution to provide distance education?
• How does an institution adjust its administrative systems to accommodate the different methods that may be needed to teach at a distance?
• How do national or state educational policies help or hinder the development of distance education?
• What forms have distance education taken in different countries?

This course is paced, which means that there is an established start and end date, and it is a cohort based course, meaning you are one of a group that will proceed through the course at the same weekly pace (although when and where you work during the week is up to you). As an aspect of good distance education practice, the course is designed to give you opportunity to have regular interaction with other students who are reading the same subject as you. The main source of content for study and for discussion is contained in a textbook that the course author has written specially for this course. 

My favorite maxim in teaching about distance education is "The process is also the content." In other words, you might like to review what you have read already and ask yourself how helpful this has been, and what it has told you already about designing and teaching online, in a distance education course. Keep this idea at the back of your mind as you go forward. Not everything we do is ideal (and why is that you might ask?)--but you should be able to learn from every experience from here onwards, as long as you keep alert. Good luck!!

The (official) aims of this course are:

• to provide students with an overview of current practice in distance education
• to provide awareness of the antecedents of this current practice
• to provide an introduction to research and theory
• to provide an introduction to the literature of distance education and to electronic sources
• to develop skills of learning at a distance.

While the course will focus generally on distance education in the United States, since this is a global field, international experiences may be included, particularly by students outside the United States.

The course is broken down into 13 lessons of study as follows:

1. Overview of Basic Concepts
2. The Historical Context
3. Organizational Structures and Agencies
4. Technologies and Media
5. Designing Distance Education Courses
6. Teaching and the Roles of Instructors
7. Learners and Learning
8. Management, Administration, and Policy
9. Theory and Scholarship
10. Research and Studies on Effectiveness
11. The Global Span of Distance Education
12. The Global Span of Distance Education Part 2
13. Distance Education is About Change

These 13 lessons are organized into four units. Each unit is structured in a similar manner with early lessons being devoted to reading the texts. There will continue to be readings throughout each lesson but the main focus shifts to participation in an online discussion group. Each unit will also contain a written assignment.

For most students, you should plan on spending 12-15 hours per week on the course.

For a more detailed look at what each lesson will entail, as well as due dates for our assignments and discussions, see the Course Schedule.

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Course Objectives

From this course participants will increase their knowledge regarding:

• The concepts and history of distance education.
• The principal providing institutions and different types of distance teaching organizations.
• The principal communication technologies used and their instructional qualities.
• The procedures of course design used to teach online and by various media.
• Teaching methods and giving learner support.
• The characteristics of learners and learning at a distance.
• Problems of administering and managing distance learning programs and institutions.
• Policy issues in distance education, both at the institutional and national levels.
• Distance education as an international and global phenomenon.
• The theory and research foundations of distance education.

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Required Course Materials

Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.

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Library Resources

Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can

• access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
• borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
• get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
• much more. 

You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service.  The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.

 

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Technical Requirements

Technical Requirements

Operating System	Canvas, Penn State's Learning Management System (LMS), supports most recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac operating systems.  To determine if your operating system is supported, please review Canvas' computer specifications.
Browser	Canvas supports the last two versions of every major browser release. It is highly recommended that you update to the newest version of whatever browser you are using. Please note that Canvas does not support the use of Internet Explorer. Students and instructors should choose a different browser to use.    To determine if your browser is supported, please review the list of Canvas Supported Browsers. Note: Cookies must be enabled, and pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites.
Additional Canvas Requirements	For a list of software, hardware, and computer settings specifically required by the Canvas LMS, please review Canvas' computer specifications.
Additional Software	All Penn State students have access to Microsoft Office 365, including Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Students will need a PDF reader, such as Adobe Reader.
Hardware	Monitor: Monitor capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution Audio: Microphone, Speakers Camera (optional, recommended): Standard webcam - many courses may require a webcam for assignments or exam proctoring software.
Mobile Device (optional)	The Canvas mobile app is available for versions of iOS and Android. To determine if your device is capable of using the Canvas Mobile App, please review the Canvas Mobile App Requirements.

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Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ)

During the semester you will receive information for completing the Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ). Your participation is an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on your learning experience. Your feedback is important because it allows us to understand your experience in this course and make changes to improve the learning experiences of future students. Please monitor email and course communications for links and availability dates.

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If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.

For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!

Additional Software

One of the benefits of being a registered Penn State student is that you are eligible to receive educational discounts on many software titles. If you are interested in learning more about purchasing software through our affiliate vendor, please visit the Buying Software section of the Course Materials page.

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Course Requirements and Grading

This is a graduate level course for adult students, and as such is designed to assist and support you in the pursuit of your chosen learning objectives. We have applied our expertise and experience to structuring the content of the course, including the preparation of the textbook specially written for the course. Having provided this basis of information, our main focus as instructors is not to disseminate more information, but rather to facilitate your exploration of the field and your personal creation of knowledge. We will carefully monitor your individual study and intervene when necessary, and we will facilitate your interaction with other students.

For each of the 4 unit of study (and to receive Penn State credit) each student will:

1. Read specified chapters from the textbook, Web sites and the references (estimated time: 12 hours per lesson).
2. Search for information and ideas and reflect on discussion questions, and submit comments to the discussion forum (estimated time: 12 hours per lesson).
3. Prepare a written assignment and submit the assignment (estimated time: 12 hours per lesson).
4. Participate in discussion forums (estimated time: 3 hours per lesson).
5. Prepare a 3000 word capstone paper for submission electronically to the instructor at end of course.

You will be evaluated based on the quality of your participation in each of the stated course requirements. A final course grade will be calculated considering each graded requirement. The instructor reserves the right to make subjective judgments about the quality of student participation and products.

Assignments will be evaluated and scores assigned at four points during the course, i.e. after Lessons 3, 7, 10, and capstone paper in Lesson 13. Your participation in discussions will be evaluated after Lessons 6 and 11. The Final Capstone paper will be evaluated at the end of the course. Scores will be assigned as follows:

 

 

Grading Scale

Grade	Percentage
A	94-100%
A-	90-94%
B+	87-90%
B	84-87%
B-	80-84%
C+	77-80%
C	70-77%
D	60-70%
F	Below 60%

Course Discussion Forums:

Many of the discussion forums in this course will ask you to take a stance or state your perspective on a variety of issues. This should not be a discussion in which you only state your own opinion and experiential perspective. Instead, make an argument supported by reasoning and evidence and then engage the variety of viewpoints presented to try and integrate the divergent viewpoints. Be sure to take a clear stance and identify the areas in which you agree and disagree. Work to synthesize your own ideas and perspectives with those of your peers. The goal in these discussions is not for everyone to agree but rather for the class to gain a deeper understanding of the complex topics being engaged as well as for individuals to refine, clarify, and improve ideas and perspectives through rigorous discussion and debate with others.

In order to create a productive discussion environment, you are asked to respond and engage in a meaningful way with your peers.

The instructor reserves the right to upgrade to an intermediary grade (e.g., C+, B-, B+, A-) when judged as merited.
If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student's transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student's associated Penn State campus.

For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page. Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Graduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.

Assignments and course discussions all have a due date for submission to the course instructor. The due dates for each are noted in the Course Schedule section of this syllabus. Please make every effort to submit assignments on time, or notify the instructor in advance of a late assignment. Late assignments will be penalized unless you have made prior arrangements with the instructor. Deadlines will be defined as 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the last day of the lesson timeframe unless noted differently.

If you know you will be offline the day an assignment is due, please make sure to post it early. Anytime you feel that you might be falling behind in the course, it is best to contact the instructor to discuss your situation. No assignments can be accepted after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the final day of class. If you have an assignment completed by the deadline but are unable to submit an assignment or post in the forum for technical reasons, contact the IT Service Desk. However, you must submit the assignment or post on the forum once that becomes available to receive your grade and feedback for the assignment.

The majority of the assignments for this course will be submitted by posting them to a course discussion or assignment. For assignments you submit, you are required to use Microsoft Word to complete your assignment. Once you have submitted your file, it is a good idea to click the link to the file to make certain that it is viewable or accessible for downloading. For lengthy discussion posts, it is recommended that you draft your post using Notepad (PC) or TextEdit (Mac) and then copy and paste the information into your discussion posting (or e-mail message). That way you will have a copy saved on your computer should anything go wrong!

Finally, please keep a copy of ALL your work. We cannot assume responsibility for lost items.

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Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.

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