This document discusses synchronous distance education, which uses technology to allow real-time interaction between instructors and students separated by distance. It defines synchronous education and outlines some of its theoretical foundations and benefits. The document also discusses important considerations for implementing synchronous distance education successfully, including student and instructor support, curriculum design, technology selection, and potential problems to address.

1. Chapter 20
Synchronous Distance Education:
Bringing Everyone Together

2. Synchronous Distance Education:
Bringing Everyone Together
• Definitions and Purpose
• Theoretical Foundations
• Types of Learners
• Conditions for Learning
• Using the Method
• Resources
• Potential Problems
• Conclusion

3. Synchronous Distance Education:
Bringing Everyone Together
• Distance education is offered using a variety of
media-based technology.
• The use of technology allows synchronous and
asynchronous interaction.
• Online and blended learning are at least equal
to, if not better than, face-to-face learning (U.S.
Dept of Ed, 2010)

4. Definitions and Purpose
• Distance education (vs. correspondence
education) is described as an interactive
instructional delivery method occurring when
learners and educators are separated by time
and/or distance during the teaching-learning
process.
• The term technology is broadly used in the
literature to describe hardware and software
including computers, videoconferencing,
Internet, and other resources to provide
instruction

5. Definitions and Purpose
• Technology allows interaction in two formats,
synchronous and asynchronous
– Asynchronous – use instructional
technology to effectively transmit learning
content to individuals at another site while
enabling real-time interaction between
faculty and students as well as among
students.
– Makes education available to those who
might not otherwise have access to it.

6. Theoretical Foundations
• Distance education
– Education could be further equalized and
accessible if learners were not constrained
to a time and place for educational
experiences.
– The advances in technology that have
enabled real-time conversation between
groups over distance refocused theory on
communication and the learning
experiences

7. Theoretical Foundations
• Education could be further equalized and
accessible if learners were not constrained to a
time and place for educational experiences.
• The advances in technology that have enabled
real-time conversation between groups over
distance refocused theory on communication
and the learning experiences which aligns the
theoretical foundations closer to traditional
educational beliefs.

8. Types of Learners
• Distance education allows for a broader, more
diverse student audience.
• An important touchstone of distance education
has been the ability to contribute to the
development of individual learners regardless
of life circumstances.
• Learner and instructor familiarity with
technology is beneficial to learning outcomes
• Learner motivation and a sense of interactivity
are highly predictable of learner success

9. Conditions for Learning
• Crucial conditions for effective distance
education
– Quality of the instructional process –
student-teacher interaction
– Technology - high quality with sufficient
training
– Sufficient support for the students and
faculty – must be easily accessible, quick and
allow flexible scheduling if the student
experiences technology downtime

10. Conditions for Learning
• The types of learning activities used in distance
education require thought and awareness—
• Cannot simply consist of content posted onto a
website if effective learning is to take place
• Projects, case studies, peer interaction, and
other interactive experiences must be
employed

11. Conditions for Learning
• Benchmarks as necessary for successful
distance education strategic planning:
– institutional support;
– course development;
– teaching/learning;
– Course structure;
– student support;
– faculty support; and
– evaluation and assessment.

12. Conditions for Learning
• Faculty skills important for transitioning to
distance education
– Must have support from institution
– Peer mentoring
– Awareness of institutional resources to
assist and troubleshoot resource access
– Team course development may be helpful

13. Conditions for Learning
• Institutions must analyze and prepare the
teaching, faculty and learners.
– Financial impact
– Control of intellectual property
– Strategic plans

14. Using the Method
• Administrative (institutional) and financial
support
• Faculty support and commitment
• Development of curriculum design and course
materials for effective outcomes
• Selected technology
• Student support
• Commitment

15. Instructional Technology
• Instructional technology is a method to
systematize learning in a general applied
method.
• Instructional technology involves the
process of organizing the learning
environment with the selected
instructional methods and means.

16. System Theory (1 of 2)
• Applied in secondary and postsecondary
institutions.
• The principal implementation methods
include organizing the instructional
process into a flowchart of performance
objectives and then sorting the identified
objectives into appropriate learning
taxonomies for usage.

17. System Theory (2 of 2)
• This method takes into account the
learners, the performance needs,
organization, use of systems theory, and
the learning conditions.
• The instructor is the stage director,
facilitator, coach, or informational
engineer who determines what is to be
learned.

18. Hypermedia Theories
• Based on behavioral and communication
learning approaches.
• The focus is to model the informational
processes by using the selected media.
• Five fundamental organizational principles of a
hypermedia environment include open
modeling, domain independence, cooperative
instruction, and multimediatization.

19. Benchmarks
• National Education Association (NEA)
(2000)
– Institutional support benchmarks
– Course development benchmarks
– Teaching–learning benchmarks
– Course structure benchmarks
– Student support benchmarks
– Faculty support benchmarks
– Evaluation and assessment benchmarks

20. Resources (1 of 2)
• Identifying the needed resources for
successful synchronous learning
requires knowledge about how effective
instruction is provided.
• Supportive learning aids need to be
developed, and the technology support
must be seamless.

21. Resources (2 of 2)
• The need for interaction with the content
and the professor is critical to the
learning process.
• Educators need to be aware of the
intended objective of written
assignments and ensure the directions
are clear.
• Synchronous distance learning
technology must support the learning
ideas.

22. Administrative and Financial
Support
• Documented technology plan with
established security measures and
established maintenance of the
infrastructure.
• Financial commitment from the
institution for staff and faculty training
support as well as the necessary
hardware and software.

23. Faculty Support and
Commitment
• Intrinsic motivators include the ability to
reach new audiences, intellectual
challenge, and personal motivation to
use technology.
• Inhibitors include lack of technical
support and increased time required for
curriculum development

24. Development of Curriculum
Design and Course Materials (1 of 2)
• The educational program should predetermine
expected learning expectations and develop
course benchmarks.
• Curriculum design and learning themes should
be formulated with instructional methods to
ensure the educational experience meets the
targeted learning goals and objectives.
• Curriculum components should be clearly
communicated with the learners.

25. Development of Curriculum
Design and Course Materials (2 of 2)
• Include benchmarks for professionalism,
expected course participation, and learning
outcomes.
• Expectations regarding timely submission of
work should be established on the first day of
class.
• Teaching methods, grading rubrics, and
targeted learning expectations should be
clearly explained.

26. Selected Technology
• The selected technology is identified to
best meet the learners’ needs.
• It is inappropriate to select technology
based on the availability of the bells and
whistles the selection offers.
• Faculty should have a role in decision
making.

27. Student Support
• Student support benchmarks include
access to student services, admissions
procedures, communication regarding
tuition and fees, and grading policies.
• Timely support enhances the students’
satisfaction with the distance education
experience.

28. Commitment
• Consider the impact on teaching, faculty,
and the learners.
• Identify the potential barriers to
successful implementation.
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of
initiating distance education.

29. Potential Problems
• Poor audio or video transmission
• Technology problems relate to poor
learning outcomes.
• Lack of interaction can produce poor
learning outcomes.
• Faculty need to be proficient with the
technology being used.

30. Conclusion
• There are arguments for and against distance
education.
• The dichotomy of opinions is due to the
complexity of variables that contribute to a
successful distant learning experience.
• If learning preferences are effectively
considered, the learning outcomes are
comparable to traditional learning methods.