Distributed Learning in the Years to Come

Distributed learning, as defined by Dempsey and Van Eck (chapter 28) sounds very much like blended learning, where e-learning is combined with traditional learning means and methods. I personally prefer the term blended learning because in computer terminology there is the process called: distributed computing, which is when a process is broken up and worked on by several computers in a computer network.

Here is the definition of blended learning excerpted from Wikipedia:

Researchers Heinze and Procter have developed the following definition for Blended Learning in higher education:
Blended Learning is learning that is facilitated by the effective combination of different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning, and founded on transparent communication amongst all parties involved with a course. (Heinze, A. and C. Procter (2004).

The question as to how education will look in 15 years can most assuredly be answered by saying that distributed learning (blended learning) is here to stay and will inevitably continue to grow.

One important reason is cost. Education costs a lot of money and schools are competing more than ever for students. Some of those costs are direct, and others are indirect. So, in the first place, to manage tuition costs, lower-cost alternatives to buildings with classrooms and real-time instruction to a relatively small group must be developed. An indirect cost is gaining access to brick and mortar campuses. The school that can offer on-line learning programs can attract a worldwide audience that will put their money into tuition rather than cost of living expenses.

Another reason is cultural. An increasing percentage of people prefer to access their lives through the medium of the computer. Shopping, entertainment and education are all possible through the computer. The business world expects employees to accept and respond to change quickly. Only distributed learning has the inherent quality of such rapid response.
The question for us, as instructional designers is to understand our value – will we be seen as valuable after the mystery of this new technology is lifted through experience, or will our role diminish and be taken by technology itself, through the eventual development of advanced applications that do much of the design work for us? No individual will determine the outcome of this issue, but as individuals it is important that we understand our personal worth. We can support the idea of certification. We can discipline ourselves to produce work worthy of making our field a profession, rather than a trade.