Altilab2005 - Distance Education Blog

George Siemens (2008) suggests three possible elements of distance education that contribute to more effective learning experiences in distance education, unique from  those in F2F instruction: global diversity, communication, and collaborative interaction. 

To some degree, technology can cut across cultural differences, perhaps even dialectal diversity.  Technology can even bridge a gap when true language barriers exist for a brief period through translation programs. If, by global diversity, one means reaching diverse groups of people within the English-speaking world, then perhaps distance education does have the potential to reach a greater number of diverse peoples than a bricks and mortar course can.  But, does distance education reach multiple nationalities of English-speaking people?  Online course offerings at a diverse organization, such as Walden University, are geared toward diverse Americans.  The Laureate Group offers another online program through the University of Liverpool in Amsterdam, and has affiliation with 7 campus-based universities in Asia, 18 campus-based universities in South America, 10 campus-based universities in Mexico and Central America, and 14 campus-based universities in Europe (Laureate Education, n.d.).  None of these programs are focused on true global diversity.

However, distance education may never approach what human interaction can manage when confronted with true global diversity.  True global diversity in education must encompass other nations, races, ethnic groups, and even languages.  Face to face instruction is best to develop a relationship where body language, facial expression, and eye contact are vital to developing communication bonds among students with diverse backgrounds, and language.  Today’s technology offers programs to include video component, which is not sufficient to bridge a language barrier.  So long as there exists a language barrier among learners, even accessible translation services, and software do not translate fluid language to enable full-length conversations. These are sufficient for brief contact, but only among common languages.

For these reasons, face-to-face instruction is by far the most effective format for instruction among globally diverse learners.

Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d.). Our university affiliation. Available from http://www.laureate-inc.com/univCampusBased.php

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). The future of distance education featuring Dr. George Siemens. [Video program]. Available from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=3821634&Survey=1&47=2623770&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1