Reflection Distance Learning is a fast growing part of education. This course looks at distance learning and how the distance learner learns and what types of technology is associated with distance learning. The future of distance learning is one of great promise. Dr. George Siemens discusses at great lengths three areas for the future state of distance education. These areas are growing acceptance of distance education, distance education benefits corporations and distance education will be impacted. As we look at the growing acceptance of distance education. There are four main points to convey and they are the increase in online communication, practical experience with new tools, growing comfort with online discourse and ability to communicate with diverse and global groups. How does distance education benefit corporations? This is done by allowing them to interact with different offices around the world. For example, IBM is a global company with offices all around the world. Distance education allows IBM to offer classes or courses to people anywhere and anytime. This can be done through webinars or online instructional tools such as CMS. Lastly, the impact that will be impacted by distance education is new communication technologies, contributions by experts around the world and increased use of multimedia, games, and simulations. Throughout my courses at Walden, we have been introduced to different tools and technologies that enhance our overall understanding of distance learning. We have learned about CMS, Adobe software which includes software such as Dreamweaver and Photoshop. I found this article in education atlas which discusses the future of distance education. The article discusses distance learning for the 1990’s and how impactful it will be in the future. I am using this article to illustrate the importance of distance education today. Brey's (1991) report of U.S. postsecondary distance learning programs predicted that the decade of the 1990's would see such phenomenal growth in distance education programs that most people in the United States would be served by at least one program. Much of this growth is expected to take place in the community colleges. As of 1994, 80% of community colleges in the United States offered some form of distance education program, and that percentage and the extent of their involvement are expected to increase throughout the decade. Here we are 20 plus years later after this prediction was made. We can surely see that this is a prediction that has come true. As we stretch 20 years from today, distance learning will surely be the primary source for education. As an instructional designer, it is our job to continue to grow the knowledge of distance learning and how distance learning is equal or even better than face-to-face learning. According to Swan (2003), student performance in an online course is equivalent or higher than a traditional class with the same assessments and objectives. It is my job as I continue to learn about distance learning and receiving this degree to learn all I can as a designer so that in return I can give back to the next person who one day will be in my shoes. We must become pro active and promote distance learning with a passion like many other passions that are near to our hearts. I have been challenged in this course as well as others because I am stepping outside of my comfort zone. For this reason, I can be a positive moving force for change in the area of distance learning. Brey, R. "U.S. Postsecondary Distance Learning Programs in the 1990s: A Decade of Growth." Washington, DC: American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, Instructional Telecommunications Consortium, 1991. (ED 340 418) Swan, K. (2003). Learning effectiveness: what the research tells us. In J. Bourne & J. C. Moore (Eds) Elements of Quality Online Education, Practice and Direction. Needham, MA: Sloan Center for Online Education, 13-45. Siemens, G. (n.d.). The Future of Distance Education. Retrieved June 13, 2012 from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_549515_1%26url%3D

This week’s assignment deals with open courseware. The course which I am evaluating is from MIT and the course is communication for managers. The course is described as writing and speaking skills necessary for a career in management. Students polish communication strategies and methods through discussion, examples, and practice. Several written and oral assignments most based on material from other subjects and from career development activities (Hartman, 2002). From our reading material for this week and watching the video resources from Dr .George Piskurich, The planning and designing phase of online courses are very important to the overall success of the course. According to Dr. George Piskurich, there are two things needed when developing an online course. The two things are a story board which maps out the flow and a site map which shows the students how to move through the course. The course from MIT is similar to our course outline with Walden. There are six categories which one can navigate through this course. These six are course home, syllabus, calendar, reading, lecture notes and assignments. The syllabus gives further insight into the course as it relates to course meeting times, course objectives, text and material and grading of course assignment. It is clear the course is designed with the distance student in mind. The instructional environment should be viewed as a system, a relationship among all the components of that system---the instructor, the learners, the material, and the technology. Especially when planning for distance education, the instructor must make decisions that will affect all aspects of the system (Moore & Kearsley, 2005). As we look at each reading, there are lecture notes associated that the students can download and keep as their own material. This is a clear indication that the course is designed with the online student in mind because we are students that are in different time zones and different work schedules and this makes it easier for us to access material available for the class. In our text book there are fundamental of teaching online. Some examples of the fundamentals are stated purpose of the assignment, examples of acceptable and unacceptable topics, grading criteria, including areas of special emphasis due dates, point values, instructions for submitting the assignments such as in the CMS drop-box or as an e-mail attachment sent directly to the instructor ( Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek, 2012). The MIT course gives instruction about when the assignments are due. It also reminds the students of key dates for certain parts of their presentations. The course describes how the students are to participate in their oral presentation. It gives the procedure to the students. All of which is listed in the syllabus. Overall, this course is a great example of what we have learned this week. It demonstrates the hard work of the instructional designer which includes the planning and designing of this website. The course shell which includes CMS, LMS, WIKI or HTML is also part of this course. The course is using a CMS such as blackboard. The alpha test and beta test for this course has been applied because the course is very well put together and thought out. http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-280-communication-for-managers-fall-2008/syllabus/ Piskurich G. (n.d.). Planning and Designing Online Course. Multimedia Resources. Laureate Education Piskurich Simonson G. (n.d.). Developing Online Course. Multimedia Resources. Laureate Education. M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearsonch