This document discusses myths, truths, and futures of online learning. It begins by outlining some benefits of online learning such as flexibility, cost savings, and environmental benefits. It then addresses common myths around online learning such as claims that it is less effective, harder than face-to-face learning, or more expensive. The document provides research and examples to debunk these myths. It also discusses truths such as online learning being a disruptive technology and some students preferring face-to-face. Finally, it outlines future directions for online learning including harnessing social networks and Athabasca University's "Landing" platform to support informal learning.

1. Myths, Truths and Futures of
Online Learning
Terry Anderson, PhD
Centre for Distance Education
Athabasca University
Oct 4, 2012 Edmonton

2. Why Online Learning?
• Anywhere/anytime
• Just in time
• Any medium
• Green effects
• Cost savings?
– Travel and opportunity costs
– Facility savings
– Re-use, sharing (OERs)
– Lower production costs
• User generated content
• Knowledge management
• Persistence

3. Examples

5. Myths
• Online, e-learning (or other forms of distance
education) doesn’t work.
– 30 years of research revealing no significant
difference (see
– “The meta-analysis found that, on average,
students in online learning conditions performed
modestly better than those receiving face-to-face
instruction” Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online
Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies. US
Government 2009

6. Myth: Online Learning is All the Same

7. Myth: Online learning is Harder
(or easier)
• There are very hard and very easy courses in
both mediated and classroom based
• Many students find different type of learning
activities harder and easier
• No two students learn in the exact same ways
or speeds

8. Myth: Development Costs for online
are VERY High
• Tremendous number of Open Educational
Resources available
• Production costs and values plummeting
• Distribution costs approaching zero

9. The Cost of Content
Tom Corddry, who headed up its multimedia publishing unit, said, “The editors overestimated
the way students would say, ‘This has been carefully edited! And is very authoritative! RANDALL
STROSS, 2009”

10. Myth: Online Learning is More
expensive for the Deliverer
• Major reductions in capital costs
• Allows competitors to enter field quickly
• Many canned products and outsourcing
options
• Like other businesses, economy of scale is very
important

11. Myth: Online learning is more
expensive for the Student
• Sometimes used to cross subsidize classroom
delivery
• Some models surcharge, rather than refund
the student for travel, time and opportunity
costs.

12. Myth: Economy of Scale
favours E-Learning
• Economy of scale confronts all forms of
teaching/learning
• Different models of e-learning have different
scalability

13. Truth: Online Education is a
Disruptive Technology
Clayton Christensen

14. User generated Content
• Wikipedia
• Facebook
• Linked In
• Shashdot - News for nerds, stuff that matters
• Learni.st

15. Truth: Some Students don’t like
Online learning
• s
Kathleen Ross, MDE 2012, Professional Accounts preferences
Rank order where 1= Favorite

16. Online Learning is Coming Here
Tuesday May 08
31% of student take one or more online courses
Sloan Consortium “Going the Distance: Online Education in the
United States, 2011“

18. The Interaction Equivalency Theorem
by Anderson (2003)
• Thesis 1. Deep and meaningful formal learning
is supported as long as one of the three forms
of interaction (learner–teacher; learner-learner;
learner–content) is at a high level. The other
two may be offered at minimal levels, or even
eliminated, without degrading the learning
experience.
• Thesis 2. High levels of more than one of these
three modes will likely provide a more
satisfying educational experience, although
these experiences may not be as cost- or time
effective as less interactive learning sequences.
Distance Teaching & Learning Conference 2011, Madison, Wisconsin 18

19. Different Models (generations) of
E-Learning pedagogy
• Cognitive Behavioral
– Training
– Big Data
• Constructivist
– Small groups, collaborative Learning
• Connectivist
– Building Learning Networks of people plus resources
– Creating and Curating
– Constructed Network contexts
• Athabasca landing

20. Future: Harnessing Social Networks
for Learning
"Companies are using social learning to drive innovation in
their learning organizations," he says. "By allowing users to
actively interact and share knowledge, organizations are
both empowering users to teach one another and are
actively encouraging conversations that organically foster
creativity and problem-solving."
The Bersin study also finds that employee development in
2011 averaged 15.3 hours, up from 12.8 hours in 2010,
with much of the focus outside of "formal" learning
events.
The Corporate Learning Factbook 2012: Benchmarks, Trends
and Analysis of the U.S. Training Market,

21. Knowledge workers learn three to four times more
from experience than interaction with
bosses,coaches and mentors. And they learn about
twice asmuch from those conversations compared
to structured courses and programs.
The shorthand label for this viewpoint is 70:20:10
— 70 percent experiential, 20 percent coaching
and10 percent formal. I

22. How do we document, archive and re-
use that informal interaction??

23. Athabasca Landing
https://Landing. athabascau.ca

24. Based on Elgg
A LAMP Open Source Platform
http://elgg.org/

25. What is the Landing?
• A toolset for sharing
– Groups, blogs, wikis, bookmarks, files,
photos, videos, podcasts, events, etc
• A toolset for communication
– Microblogs, messaging, commenting, group
forums
• A social network
– Connecting, following
https://landing.athabascau.ca

26. What is the Landing?
• A Walled Garden with windows
– Discretionary access control
• A user-owned space
– Everyone equal (including
students)
• An AU social space
– no ads, no links to vendors,
secure, private
https://landing.athabascau.ca

27. Pedagogical Rationale
• Supports Beyond the course interaction
and integration
• Persistence
• Student ownership and control
• Cooperative and collaborative
opportunities
• Guests and alumni
• Connectivist pedagogies
https://landing.athabascau.ca

28. Administrative and Communication
Rationale
• Challenges of the Distributed
Workplace
• Persistence
• User control
• Archiving
• Custom applications
• Sharing within and beyond
Centre/Faculty
https://landing.athabascau.ca

29. Filling gaps the Landing way
https://landing.athabascau.ca

30. • “There is a tide in the affairs of
men which taken in its flood,
leads on to fortune. Omitted, all
the voyages of their life is
bound in shallows and in
miseries. On such a full sea we
are now afloat. And we must
take the current when it serves,
or lose our ventures” William
Shakespeare Julius Caesar Act 4, scene 3, 218–
224

31. Your comments and questions
most welcomed!
Terry Anderson terrya@athabascau.ca
Blog: terrya.edublogs.org