Open and Distance Education

The idea of open education is a common occurrence that until this week I kind of took for granted.  How many times do we not know an answer to something and take to the internet to discover it?  I feel this is the epitome of open education.  MIT has taken it a step further by physically publishing their courses and content for the world to see and learn at their own leisure.  Bonk (2009) wrote that approximately 50% of the visitors to the open education provided by MIT were self-learners simply looking for an answer or an attempt to broaden their horizons.  I selected the MIT open education idea because this is something I can pass on to the learners at the Center and post in the computer lab (http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm). The idea of open education is not without drawbacks; there is no formal organization and there are no degrees or certificates awarded for the hours spent reviewing this open information just to learn pieces of a subject.

Pre-internet distance education consisted of mail-in assignments and tests were given by proxy usually at a library or some other public arena (Bonk, 2009).  The advantage to the pre-internet phase is that all expectations were laid out directly and the learner could work at their own pace without interference from peers or even the instructor.  The disadvantage is that collaboration was not possible and there was little to no feedback as far as progress was concerned.  Post-internet distance education more simulates a classroom with interaction from all sides and allows for maximum use of resources throughout the process.  A disadvantage to the post-internet distance education is that there is more work than a physical classroom based course in order to prove participation and learning.

Distance learning does not affect me as an adult educator – at least not in a formal way.  We cannot offer distance learning courses to our members because our community members cannot be expected to have updated or really any technology available to them at home since it is a very disadvantaged community.  Informal distance learning in an open education format is urged with our members both in and out of the classroom environment.  In fact since our previous discussion, I am looking into information I can provide to our learners about the MIT offerings since our computer lab is available for use to learners and other community members.

Bonk, C. J. (2009). The world is open: How web technology is revolutionizing education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.