Below is a list of some of the more common instructional methods you can use in a distance-delivered course.

Self-directed learning: Research shows a student who initiates learning has more of a purpose and greater motivation. He or she also tends to retain and make better use of what is learned. Some activities you could suggest for students that take on self-directed learning projects are to visit libraries, institutes, and museums, talk to professionals, access recent research, and even create publications in a variety of formats. Some characteristics of self-directed learning:

• Learning is initiated and directed by the learner.
• Places the responsibility for learning directly on the learner.
• Online learning supports pursuing individualized, self-paced learning activities.

Lecture can be presented via audio or video over the Internet and Web-embedded online lectures. Some characteristics/features of lectures:

• Allows the educator to lay the foundations for future student work.
• Most effective when used with other instructional strategies.
• Online lectures should be shorter and more to the point than traditional lectures.
• Provides enough information to serve as basis for further readings, research, etc.

Discussion is particularly effective with adults. Allowing adults to utilize their prior experiences is important. Some ways discussions can take place in a distance environment are with chats and bulletin boards. Some features of discussion:

• Listed as most favored by adults
• Interactive
• Encourages active, participatory learning

Small groups allow students to be highly involved with a concept or topic. This strategy allows students to present their ideas as well as get the ideas of others. The instructor’s role in small groups is to act as a consultant to the groups. The instructor can address specific questions, comments, or concerns one group has while another group(s) can continue working. Some characteristics:

• Gives learners opportunity to discuss content, share ideas, and solve problems.
• Small group work often operates on high intellectual levels (analysis, synthesis, and evaluation levels).

The use of mentoring can be an effective instructional strategy because it allows the mentor to serve as a guide rather than a provider of knowledge. The mentor can introduce the learner to new situations, interpret unknown elements, and help point out critical areas of knowledge to enable the learner to function within the field. Two Web sites that feature mentoring are the Electronic Emissary (http://emissary.wm.edu/) and International Telementor Program (http://www.telementor.org/). Some benefits of mentoring:

• Promotes learner development by drawing out and giving form to what the student already knows.
• Technology allows for frequent communication between mentor and student

Projects allow students to have practical experience with a concept and give a sense of accomplishment. These projects can be individual or group and shared with the class, groups, or only the instructor. Examples of projects can be found at these Web sites: The Great Paper Airplane Challenge (http://teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/projects/math/airplane.html) and Keys to Successful Projects (http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/guidelines/Rogers.html). Features of projects:

• Permits learners to engage in a variety of learning activities and delve into the content and context of a concept.
• Projects can serve as a framework that supports a multitude of instructional strategies.

Learning contracts might be an instructional method somewhat newer to you. In public school and even higher education, learning contracts are used to ensure that the student and the instructor agree in writing exactly what needs to happen for something to be deemed a “successful” learning experience. With adults, have the learners write their ideal contract and then negotiate what the final contract will be. A learning contract helps the educator and the learner share the responsibility of learning. Contract learning can result in deeper involvement, on the part of the learner, in the activities they are involved with. Contracts also provide increased accountability and a means for learners to receive feedback on their progress to accomplish the learning objectives. Check these Web sites for example learning contracts:
http://www-distance.syr.edu/contract2.html, http://home.twcny.rr.com/leclair/syllabi/LearningContract.htm, and http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infotrac/islearningcontracts.html.

Collaborative learning is working with others. UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute reports that over a third of courses in higher education use collaborative activities. Again, technology makes this much easier. Although students might be separated by distance, they can use programs such as NetMeeting® to simultaneously work on documents, share files, chat, and more.

Case studies are becoming more and more popular. When evaluating case studies for use in your learning environment, you want to make sure sufficient detail is included so students can partake in powerful problem-solving. The River Dammed: The Proposed Removal of the Lower Snake River Dams (http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/snake_river/snake_river.html) is an example of a case study. To successfully do a case study:

• Requires learners to draw upon their past experiences and use higher-order thinking to “solve problems."
• Selection of an appropriate problem situation which is relevant to 1) student interests, 2) experience levels, and 3) the concepts being taught is extremely important.

Forums are also becoming more popular with the use of telecommunications. Synchronous and asynchronous tools, two-way audio/video, and other technologies allow forums to be used in distance education. The Web-bases symposium, NCSA Emerging Technologies for Science, Education and Business  (http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/edu/course98/html/topics/week4.html), allowed classes from across the country to benefit from the expertise of the four individuals.

Let's focus on two ways that interaction can be accomplished through chat sessions and discussion groups.

Destination 5: 10 of 18