History of Online Learning

Posted by Isra Anwar

July 06, 2014

The incorporation of technology is not a new concept, and it is a widespread across college campuses. To set distance learning in context of today’s online learning courses, Power and Gould-Morven (2011) suggest that Saint Paul, author of the Corinthians, developed distance learning over 2,000 years ago. Therefore, technology unfolded in the classrooms in stages; the first one began with Saint Paul’s letters to his people followed centuries later by the mid 1800s with Sir Issac Pitman’s introduction of correspondence courses, which acted as the catalyst for what continued to evolve into distance learning (Moore & Kearsley, 2005; Schulte, 2011). Pitman’s early courses used laser discs, cassette tapes, television, CD-ROMs; however, as the times progressed, so did the concept of moving technology instruction out of the classrooms.

Shortly after the time Pitman established his concept of distance learning, the world was introduced to what were called teaching machines. Sidney Leavitt Pressey developed these machines in the 1920s as a way of scoring multiple choice tests. By 1954, B. F. Skinner suggested improvements to these machines to work better in academic settings. The idea was to be an aide for teachers to reach diverse learners in a heterogeneous classroom (Tiemann & Markle, 2009). These machines, however, could not stand alone as a way of learning for students in the absence of an instructor as hybrid and online models can today.

The next phase that came about was the Open University concept that was established at the United Kingdom Open University, which is similar in design to today’s hybrid model. The model included television broadcasts, videos, and even radio (Schulte, 2011). The last phase brought about the present day sense of technology, which is online learning through the computer without students attending campus. The term online learning is being phased out by that of electronic learning or e-learning (Upadhyaya & Mallik 2013).

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Faculty Perceptions

Lederman and Jaschik (2013) presented a webinar for instructors concerning online teaching. According to the researchers of the study, one in five professors state that online courses do not serve students as well as face-to-face courses even though, at some schools, nearly half of the instructors teach or have taught an online course. In addition, nearly half of those instructors believe that online courses are not as rigorous as traditional classes while only 7% believe that online courses could be designed to be equivalent to a face-to-face course (Lederman & Jaschik, 2013).

Lederman and Jaschik (2013) suggest the need for improvement in structure of online learning. This would aid in educating students who want to stu

dy online. The improvements would improve instructor morale and lead to a better experience for everyone. Since many colleges’ online campuses are growing at a larger rate than even their physical campuses, academic leaders must find a way to retain these students.
Naidu (2013) suggests in an editorial the need for teaching practices of online instructors to be reevaluated by academic leaders. Naidu claims that instructors recognize how technology and workloads have shifted, but the professional development by academic leaders in higher education has not been as consistent. Samantha Lentle-Keenan (as cited in Naidu, 2013) calls for “the development of institutional strategic plans and policies around learning and teaching online and with technology, including models for the design and development of online courses as well as support and the professional development of staff involved in teaching online” (p. 2). To further situate the need for online learning professional development, Darabi and Lin (as cited in Naidu, 2013) explains how instructors desire for the quality of online courses to be designed with guidance and support. The primary responsibility lies in the hands of the academic leaders who are to oversee online instruction and student as well as faculty technology needs.

A study conducted by Gabriel, Campbell, Wiebe, MacDonald, and McAuley (2012) includes eight professors at a University in Canada. These researchers used a quantitative data instrument to survey the practices of first year university instructors and their expectations of using digital technology. The purpose of the study was to determine whether they were meeting the expectations of the students. The result of the study was that digital technology embraces both the social aspects of learning and the individual quest for knowledge, but the study concluded that colleges need to offer increased professional development regarding using various technologies in the classroom. Professional development also needs to occur in order to reconsider how instructors need to distribute knowledge and how today’s students learn. Though the students completed their coursework, instructors did not feel they incorporated various ways to use technology in the course because they did not have the necessary prior knowledge.

References:

Armstrong, D. (2011). Students’ perceptions of online learning and instructional tools: A qualitative study of undergraduate student’s use of online tools. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 10(3), 222-226. Retrieved September 6, 2013, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ944973

Katz, R. L. (1955). Skills of an effective administrator. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

Lane, L. M. (2013). An Open, Online Class to Prepare Faculty to Teach Online. Journal of Educators Online, 10(1),

Lederman, D., & Jaschik, S. (2013). Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology. Retrieved September 06, 2013, from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/survey/survey-faculty-attitudes-technology