Teaching and learning at a distance

Barbara M. Friesth, PhD, RN

Technological advances in computers and broadband connectivity have opened up new ways for nursing faculty to connect with their students and deliver media-rich content at a distance. Increasingly, students want to learn in more flexible programs that maximize their time and other life commitments (Connors, 2008; Maring, Costello, & Plack, 2008). At the same time, higher education programs are recognizing the need to increase student access to distance-accessible programs (Allen & Seaman, 2007). Distance education offers the ability to bring practitioners to rural and underserved areas (Effken & Abbott, 2009). By educating those who already live in rural areas, there may be a greater likelihood that they will remain and practice in their home towns upon completion of their studies (Effken & Abbot, 2009).

There is a current faculty shortage in nursing schools, and this trend is expected to worsen in the coming years with advancing faculty age and looming retirements (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2010). Distance education programs offer a means to reduce the faculty shortage and connect specific student learning interests with faculty expertise, despite the distance between the two (Billings, 2010; Mancuso-Murphy, 2007). Distance education delivery systems that encourage innovation and flexibility have the potential for maximizing use of institutional infrastructure, improving access to credit courses, and providing consistency for learning at multiple locations.

Distance education is broadly defined as students receiving instruction in a location other than that of the faculty. This separation of teacher and student could be as close as within the same community or campus or as far away as across states or continents. The options of available delivery systems to implement distant academic courses or continuing education opportunities have become increasingly competitive and are frequently defined by cost, administrator, and faculty knowledge, acceptance, and readiness. Additionally, computers and computer-based communication systems continue to have a positive and dramatic effect on teaching and learning, thus becoming invaluable tools for distance instruction. Because many different instructional delivery systems are available, faculty should find the specific material presented in this chapter useful.

Distance education delivery systems are undergoing rapid change. In most cases, technologies have merged with others to form a blend of delivery or are being replaced by new and innovative delivery options. Obsolescence of existing media within the next 5 to 10 years will be commonplace, as the changes in technology continue at a very rapid pace. However, the concepts related to leading, planning, using, supporting, administering, and evaluating student learning remain applicable. The virtual classroom, defined for this purpose as the learning environment occurring wherever the student can access information, has become more common as colleges and universities endeavor to offer efficient and effective higher education opportunities to students anyplace and at any time.

Online education is continuing to grow at a rate that is faster than the overall higher education market in general (Allen & Seaman, 2007). Numerous studies in distance education continue to support that learning at a distance is at the very least equivalent to traditional face-to-face courses, and in fact there are data to suggest that blended methods may produce the best outcomes overall (U.S. Department of Education, 2009; Zhao, Lei, Lai, & Tan, 2005). Blended, or hybrid, approaches use a combination of online and face-to-face formats. Synchronous video technologies offer a way to deliver blended courses to students at a distance, without requiring the time and expense associated with travel to the host site. The use of blended approaches in higher education is expected to increase in the coming years (Kim & Bonk, 2006). The technologies available today offer a wide variety in strategies for delivering blended approaches at a distance.

Distance learning tends to capitalize on a constructivist, or problem solving, approach to learning. This approach is in direct contrast to Gagné and Briggs’s (1979) distinct learning groups, which are based on a hierarchy of complexity and the need for mentoring and role modeling. However, distance learning seems to support Piaget’s (2001) position that learning is not just inherent or just experiential in nature, but a combination of both. Driscoll (2004) identifies constructivism as becoming more popular with the increased interest in computers as an educational tool. Although other instructional media are not excluded from this consideration, computers and networked learning have had a huge impact on the learner’s ability to construct and manage his or her own learning environment. Distance learning and computer-based instruction have created a newfound independence.

The variety of options available to support distance instruction continues to increase as technologies improve and the transformation from a teacher-centered focus to a learner-centered focus becomes more prominent (Billings, 2007; Connors, 2008). Use of distance learning technologies requires planning and development of materials long before the course begins (Connors, 2008). State-of-the-art resources for faculty development of instructional materials must be available. Training and support for faculty to develop and use the new technology must be present. In addition, support for students must be provided in the use of the technology. With proper resources for development and support, faculty can deliver distance-accessible programs that meet the educational needs of students enrolled in online courses.

Online course management software, commonly called a learning management system (LMS), has had an impact on distance learning. Learning management systems provide an instructional environment that incorporates a support system for course management. This includes course information, announcements, communication for synchronous and asynchronous collaboration, and assessment. The LMS used in conjunction with synchronous and asynchronous strategies opens up the realm of possibilities for connecting with students and providing media-rich content.

With the shift toward computer-based instruction, the number of courses offered exclusively in the form of face-to-face instruction is decreasing substantially. However, many courses offer a blended, or hybrid, approach with other technologies such as video conferencing, audio conferencing, video streaming, podcasting, and other specialized web-based computer applications. Some technologies use synchronous technologies, or technologies that connect people simultaneously, or at the same time. Other technologies use asynchronous approaches, allowing learners to access materials without the constraints of a specific time or place. This chapter covers selected strategies used in educating students who are geographically dispersed and separated from the main campus of instruction, and both synchronous and asynchronous approaches. An overview of delivery systems, their advantages and disadvantages, and other pertinent information specific to each medium are also presented in Table 22-1.

TABLE 22-1

Instructional Delivery Systems

Type	Advantages	Major Disadvantages	Costs Related to Technology
Institutionally based video conferencing systems	• Highest quality audio and video • Easy to use • Multiple sites possible • Students attend classes in groups at their respective sites • Remote sites must have high-speed Internet access but students do not need it in their homes	• Requires hardware at all remote sites • Requires technical support at all remote sites • No ability to provide spontaneous breakout sessions for small group work • Students required to attend at a video conference site and are not able to participate from home	• Very expensive with need for centralized bridge access at the institution level • Hardware units required at host and all remote locations • Support staff at host and remote locations
Institutionally focused web conferencing software (two-way)	• Interactive video from multiple participants • Desktop and document sharing with polling capabilities • Ability to have multiple spontaneous breakout groups concurrently for group projects	• Finite limit to number of participants • Video quality decreases with increased number of participants • High-speed Internet required for all participants	• Institutionally purchased software • Cost of computer, web camera, headset with mic, and access to high-speed Internet for both host and recipients • Support for audio and video difficulties
Webinar	• Real-time video over Internet to personal computers • Screen-sharing capabilities • Requires minimum technical assistance for recipients • Numerous participants possible	• One-way video • Response back may be audio or instant message • High-speed Internet required for all participants	• Institutionally purchased software • Cost of computer, web camera, headset with mic, and access to high-speed Internet for host • Recipients require computer and high-speed Internet • Support for audio and video difficulties
Individual or small group web conferencing	• Very low cost or free software • Easy to install and use	• Limited to one on one or to very small number of interactive video participants	• Proprietary networks require line fees • High demand on network bandwidth • Salaries to provide scheduling and technical support
Audio conferencing	• Learner centered • Low cost • Can be taught from or received at any location that has telephone or high-speed Internet access	• Calls may be joined from remote classrooms or homes • Styles of class presentation may need to be altered • Visual learners and students with hearing limitations may be at a disadvantage	• Long-distance telephone toll charges • Audio conferencing equipment at receive sites, if more than one student is enrolled • Service provider fees • Salaries for site coordinators
Podcast, enhanced podcast, vodcast	• Learner centered • Access anywhere • Real-time and anytime delivery • Engaging across learning styles • Portable • Inexpensive • Fun	• Requires iPod or other mobile device to use in mobile format • Need for faculty to learn new technology • Potential compatibility issues across platforms	• High-speed Internet access • Personal player or computer required • Production staff salaries • Support staff salaries

A very high-fidelity version of institutionally based video conferencing is “telepresence.” Telepresence video conferencing uses a combination of life-size, high-definition video technology and special acoustic mics, speakers, and soundproofing to deliver an experience of near lifelike quality (Educause, 2009). Special attention is given to placement of embedded cameras at eye level, to give the illusion of being able to look the remote participants in the eye. Furniture is configured to match at each location, and the participant visually perceives the remote site as if they were looking across the table at a person in the same room. Currently, telepresence technologies are very expensive to install; however, as technology costs decrease over time, this type of technology may become a more viable and affordable option for more sites.