Effective Science Tools Supporting Best Practice Methodologies in Distance Education Free

Best practice pedagogy is becoming more of an important issue as initia implementation technologica problems and challenges are solved, and online education becomes a more preva lent method of instruction. Electronic courses have saturated the education mar kets. The continuum of material contained in these electronic courses varies greatly from well planned, designed, and delivered products to a text-based list of information. As a result, a plethora of best practice recommendations in distance education have been developed by a number of organizations to improve quality of distance courses. The Concord Consortium, a research-based group that investigates online technologies, states the following in their learning model for online teaching: “Asynchronous collaboration, explicit schedules, expert facilitation, inquiry pedagogy, community building, limited enrollment, high quality materials, purposeful virtual spaces and ongoing assessment” (http://www.concord.org/publications/newsletter/2002winter/e-learning_ model.html, 2002). A large part of the research conducted within the Concord Consortium focuses on the instructional design to promote inquiry and deeper thinking. The techniques utilized to promote the dual goals of inquiry and deeper thinking are visual models, peer collaboration, multiple revisions, scaffolding and ongoing assessment. Other organizations have developed similar best practice lists that mirror the Concord model (Chicker-ing & Gamson, 1999; Palloff & Pratt, 2003).

The design of high quality elements that promote higher level thinking in science are where this article will focus. There are, therefore, many questions that face schools when deciding on appropriate and powerful methods to design distance education courses. Is distance education being taught in a manner that allows for students to learn and understand material, or is it presented in a largely text-based format? Does the present format of lesson presentation increase student achievement or are there better methods? Does the presentation of material affect student achievement or dropout rates? Can students understand complex materials via a text-only format? Are there methods for addressing and reducing the incidence of online cheating and plagiarism? So, what do schools look for when deciding to improve or initiate online instruction? The answer focuses in four areas of concern: higher level thinking, assessment, plagiarism or cheating, and a best practice measure that, if implemented, will make a huge positive difference.

Deeper thinking and promotion of student inquiry have been an educational concern for many years. In online courses, it becomes a larger concern since many instructors, struggling with the technology, and simply input large volumes of textual material into their online courses. Further, the level of thinking required from students is often limited. Most online courses according to Jonassen (2002) support “knowledge acquisition and reproductive learning.” He expounds on the problem: “First, acquiring knowledge does not lead to or facilitate complex skill or problem solving development. Second and more insidiously, knowledge acquisition assumes an absolutist epistemology in which content is believed to be the truth.” Peirce (2003) reiterates this view when he cautions against seeing students as containers to fill with knowledge. Additionally, he promotes the use of higher order thinking skills in online environments. Meyer (2002) concurs and goes on to cite the profusion of text-based instruction in distance environments that do not promote higher level thinking or problem-solving.

Watts (2003) calls for the application of quality face-to-face good practice measures in distance education courses. She promotes the expanded use of critical thinking skills and renewed appreciation for diversity and relationships, a backbone standard in science. Watts believes that technology can be the vehicle to bring people and cultures an increased sensitivity toward others. These are all goals of science education in the new millennium. Jonassen (2002) and Conrad and Donaldson (2004) also forward methods to increase higher level thinking skills and critical thinking. They subscribe to the notion that distance education courses should not mirror the lecture-then-test format so common in face-to-face instruction, but it should be an opportunity to innovate and employ engaging and proven methods. Jonassen also champions the crafting of complex deeper thinking activities as a method for promoting systemic change in online teaching environments.

High-quality assessments go hand in hand with deeper thinking. The attributes of quality assessments, according to Mason (2002) are: they are authentic and holistic, the vehicles for improvement, are reliable, valid and cater to a variety of learning styles and needs. There are a variety of assessment possibilities that require the production of a unique product that cater to differing learning styles and that are tools for understanding.

There is a fundamental shift in interaction, learning paradigms, and assessment techniques that must result from the change as one moves from face-to-face to distance teaching. Online assessment must be authentic, ongoing, multidimensional and reflective to be effective in a distant environment. The added benefit is that online assessments allow the instructor to give weight to each student response to assess his or her own individual understanding (Robles & Braathan, 2002). The move away from multiple-choice knowledge level assessment techniques in distance education is mirrored by Pierce (2003), Mason (2002) and Conrad and Donaldson (2004).

Plagiarism or outright cheating has arisen as a grave concern for online educators due to the unlimited student access to material. Therefore, the use of a technique that reduces the likelihood of copying someone else’s work is recommended (Meyer 2002). One method, the use of visual representations, produces a unique product that can not be copied from others, facilitating original work and thoughts. This forced processing of the material adds to student understanding and reduces the impact of rampant plagiarism (Mason 2002). Other methods include process-based products that while the assignment is the same, the output is different for all students. It requires the instructor to generate a singular assessment that will demonstrate what the student knows and is able to do.

Courses offered at a distance are still education and therefore, while input and output modes are different, they require a set of design strategies that accommodate good educational practice. What is known about this area of study is that good practice methods that work in a classroom also appear to work in distance education. According to Brabee, Fisher, and Pitler. (2004) today’s technology supports Marza-nos’ (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001) nine strategies for increasing student achievement. Some of the supportive technologies are word processing technologies that accommodate making graphic organizers, the building of analogies and allowing for collaborative editing and dialoguing, and Inspiration software that is also a facilitative tool for the development of complex mapping and visual organizers. Digital media creation tools (iMovie, PowerPoint, HyperStudio) are also direct supporters of the creation of best practice distance education products for the promotion of conceptual science understanding.

Egan and Gibb (1997) also promote con-structivist theory for designing online instruction. They studied the components of optimal student-centered learning tools and their application in telecourses. To maximize student outcomes, active, multi-modal, visual activities must be employed in telecourses development. This trend promoting constructivism continues in a study by Berge (2002). He studied a variety of e-learning strategies to determine their effectiveness as tools of distance education, and he persists with emphasis that communication is a tool for development of self-reflection and inquiry skills. Hacker and Niederhauser (2000) also encourage active participation and collaborative problem solving along with effusive feedback and use of real-world examples in distance education.

Good practice distance techniques are also reiterated by the principles put forth by a number of authors in the field (Clark & Mayer, 2003; Conrad & Donaldson, 2004; Henry, 2002; Madrazo & Vidal, 2002; Meyer, 2002; Rosenberg, 2001; Schank, 2002; Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2000). Schank (2002) states that “Memorization has no impact on behavior; it does not translate into learned skills” (p. 62). This notion of learning is rooted in the assumption that memorization meant learning had occurred. This assertion has little evidentiary support in fact or practice. Learning has occurred if the individual processes the information, anchors it in experience, and transcribes the information to the long term memory.

Cyrs calls for increasing visual thinking skills because the new technologies lurking in our future will allow for more access to information for students. This freer access and improved technological tools should not be an invitation to continue less-than-exemplary educational practices, but should free instructors to deliver similar content with better methods and spectacular results (Cyrs, 1997a, 1997b). Cyrs also calls for the essential and expanded use of visual tools to sift, organize, and relate the multitudes of information now available to students, and he encourages online educators to expand their teaching skills to the capacity of the technologies available using the best distance education methods available.

Virtual or authentic manipulatives are also essential elements for exemplary distance education science programs. These manipulatives support National Science Teachers Association goals to provide students with a distant education experience that emulates a laboratory experience in a fully equipped face-to-face lab. Strategic planning and implementation of materials provides not only a kinesthetic anchor, but also an experience that increases and deepens student understanding. In the final analysis, a high-quality distance education science course is as important as quality face-to-face programs. Given the rapid rollout of distance education courses to fill the ever-increasing demand, it is adherence to these best practice measures that will assure a lasting and valid science experience.