Reflection

Based on the growth of distance education in the past 10 years, I presume that it will continue to grow at a rapid rate over the next 5 to 10 years. Once individuals’ perceptions are cleared up about the quality of distant education programs, more individuals may be inclined to take classes. Web technologies are created and enhanced to allow for more effective communication and learning. As these technologies continue to grow, it will help enhance distance education courses and communication methods. It seems probable that distance education will become more main stream and be used in unison with traditional face-to-face classrooms.

As an instructional designer, it is important when creating distance learning environments, to utilize the tools available today. It is important that we stay current with web technologies and continue to advance forward to keep our learners engaged. We can incorporate our ideas and proven learning methods that incorporate distance learning in our work. I think it is also important that we be willing to try new technologies to test the effectiveness as new learning tools are introduced. This will keep us moving forward with technology and avoid being “stuck in the past”.

In addition to our own work, we can also share our ideas and our findings (backed by research and proven results) with our colleagues, friends, and family. This will help us improve the current perception of distance learning.