On this blog page you will find a few of my ideas about the economics and costs of distance education and tools that are used in DE.
During Module 3: The cost-effectiveness of distance education institutions, we were able to meet an expert in the field, Greville Rumble. We spoke a lot about efficiency and effectiveness. It is very interesting to learn the difference, although it can be difficult to actually separate the two. My basic understanding in the end was that effectiveness has to deal with the final goals being attained. Cost-efficiency has to deal with the amount spent to produce the same output as another. The efficiency part seems like a relative term to me and this is why it is hard to describe on its own. Both explanations from Professor Huelsmann and Rumble were not completely in alignment, but I feel like this often happens with topics in this field.
One of the points that hit home with me the best was the “80:20” rule that Greville explained. He explained that 80 percent of students enrolled in an institution are enrolled into only 20 percent of the courses that the institution offers. This is very interesting, but I can understand why. More students are typically enrolled into first-year courses because that is where the highest amount of recruitment exists. The general education requirements are found to be more populated than all others because these are courses that students will have to take regardless of their major choice. In Module 4: Costing educational technologies I: mass media we went over different correspondences including print, radio, audio, television, and video. The topic I found most interesting in this module was learning about student learning hours. There are different expectations when it comes to student learning hours in America and Europe. Most students in America are used to having to spend 6 hours a week for 3 credit courses. It is interesting to see that there is a difference in other countries. One of the topics brought up by a classmate was the fact that some students try and transfer credit from one continent to another. This can be challenging, and working with students who have tried this transferring process, I have seen many issues. If there were an international standard this would solve the problem. However, I do not foresee this standard ever being created or upheld internationally much like most other things people do not usually agree upon. In Module 5: Costing educational technologies II: E-learning we reviewed different types of e-learning and a few forms of asynchronous interactions. My most memorable part was about videoconferencing. Asynchronous interaction was a very important part of correspondence education and distance education would not be what it is now without television and the former ways things were recorded and presented. We now have the option of videos on YouTube where a person can record and post things online that anyone around the world can view. We also have options like Screenr and Jing that allow people to record what’s on their own individual screens. Then, they can still post the video and share with the world. Although technology has advanced a lot since the beginnings of asynchronous interaction, the foundation was key and I believe it even built the way for synchronous interaction. In Module 6: The economic case for student support we talked about retaining students and drop-out rates. The points that hit home with me were when we really hit all the way back home and the first part of this class. We went back to the theory about more money buying higher education and how only a small group of people will ever benefit from formal higher education. Then those with the higher education end up getting the better jobs and then those families help their children gain their same position leading to a vicious cycle. This week really brought things full circle for me, and reminded me that everything is connected in the end. It also reminded me that HCT is alive and kicking even if in a more subtle way now than it has been in the past few decades. People are given options because we have vocational training, different levels of degree options, and of course home training that is essential for regular daily life. However, I feel as though everything goes back to the better educated you are the more money you will end up making and the better off your children and the following generations of your family will be. It could be the cynical theorist in me, but most people will look out for their own blood and make sure they are taken care of before helping others. That is the way the world is built. In Module 7: The impact of web 2.0, our final module we went over maybe my favorite subjects in current technologies and social media options that are available and readily being used today. Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Wikipedia are all some of the most popular websites that people visit very often. These technologies have become so popular that there is no way they cannot be involved in the future of distance education. Fortunately, these are all easily accessible and free to use applications. The costs in using these are basically moot. The debate on how MOOCs and OERs will last is constantly up in the air. There is only start up help and the survivability really depends on donations from users. One of the biggest questions that we have been exploring in other classes is the future of distance education and how these new technologies will survive the next few years. This is one of the reasons I am so glad to be in this program. I literally get to live and see how the developments in new technologies will develop and grow over the next years and I very much look forward to it. What are we going to be using in five years? What are going to be the next big web 2.0 technologies? Will MOOCs and OERs blow up or disappear. Most of these questions will depend on cost, supply and demand, and I am eager to find out. In the first week of class we were introduced with a debate on whether education was an elixir or snake oil. I found this to be a very interesting first look at the class. The class was split against one another to discuss how education can affect society as a whole. You can find my input in the artifacts section. I was pro-education and was on the side of it being an elixir. The debate was very interesting and put an interesting twist on the class right off the break.
During the first module, we also went over Human Capital Theory (HCT) and Screening Theory (ST), both very prevalent in today’s society. HCT basically being the idea of humans develop themselves in order to produce more capital and have a better life. ST being the idea of humans being grouped by talent and potential level. We examined how they were evident in education in the past and how they can affect education in the future. Module 2 has been about costs and cost analysis. Having some math background has been helpful I have found. There are equations and derivations that I was not totally expecting, but maybe should have since I did know of the cost function previously. There are many different types of costs, and they all have different values and purposes. Learning about the intricacies of each has been interesting and although I am feeling intimidated about this upcoming project, I’m hoping to do well. |
AuthorGarid Gibbs, B.S. Secondary Education and Math Archives |