1

Laura Howard
OMDE 601 9041
April 22, 2015
Final Reflections

The Foundations of Distance Education and E-learning course, as approaching the end,
has provided me with the knowledge that will facilitate my beginning into the Masters degree
program. The course has taught me about the history, people and components that were and are
involved in distance education. I entered into a field that I was mediocrely familiar with but now
feel that I could explain and present what I have learned to anyone that is interested. I also have
developed a basic understanding of the historical and current aspects and achievements of
distance education. I originally had an idea and assumption on what distance education was but
after taking this course, my perspective has changed. As I have learned from the start of the
course, distance education is not just about online courses. Upon learning about the differences
between distance education and face-to-face courses I recognize that there can be more involved
to fully comprehend and obtain knowledge rather than being verbally fed or given information,
as explained by Andersons thoughts (as cited in Evans and Pauling, 2010, p. 207). I also
discussed this in my previous trends reflections on my reanalyzed definition of distance
education, which illustrates what Anderson (2007) is conveying. Now that I have received new
knowledge about this educational field, I can identify with a desire to know more and continue
my educational pursuit. I am sure there is a lot more to learn, but this course has given me a
substantial amount of knowledge that should be able to utilize in my future courses and career.

Reflecting back on this course, I agree that it was a worthwhile and necessary start into
learning about the distance education field. This was my first real distance education course,
which ironically is about the course of study I am pursuing. I was a little apprehensive to start an
online course and Masters program because I have never taken an official Masters level course
and I was so used face-to-face courses. After fully experiencing the online course environment, I
feel more confident that I have an option to achieve my educational goal. Some of the things that
I felt positively about experiencing in the course was the instructors, presentation, structure and
convenience of resources and access. The instructors and writing assistant have been wonderfully
supportive in providing me with answers to my questions, reassurance and tips. When I needed
assistance, an instructor would respond with a very explanatory and detailed response. This
encouraged me even when I felt I was asking too many questions. The presentation of the course
application and format was well organized. I felt comfortable in navigating what I needed in the
educational content of the course. One component that I felt was not easy to maneuver through
was the comment and discussion posts. The order of how it organizes multiple comments and
posts I thought was hard to follow and difficult to locate after it had been posted. I like that tasks
were assigned a week at a time with due dates towards the end of the week. The due date
structure is what motivated me the most in completing everything. It helps me organizationally to
structure what I need to accomplish. Some tasks were due earlier in the week than others were,
which helped coordinate my scheduling and approach to each task. The library is a huge asset in
assisting and providing convenience with finding resources. The technology and media that was
available to use was another benefit in the presentation of this course. I learned how to use an ePortfolio and collaboration tool that I had never experienced. After using Google Docs, my
feelings about participating in group activity are positively enhanced. A new level of comfort has

been achieved for me in going forward with future group collaboration after learning about and
using Google Docs. The e-Portfolio assignment that I have used with Weebly has been one of the
more enjoyable assignments, especially since it can be personalized to display what you have
achieved and learned. The assignments and reading were reasonable and informative, but at
times, challenging. Sometimes it was difficult to read scholarly writings. I found myself
rereading sentences repeatedly until I could comprehend what it means. However, in some cases
I still was not able to process what I was reading. At times, I did feel overwhelmed with the
amount of readings and tasks assigned per week. There was even times that I felt I did not have
the endurance and mental strength to continue. Thankfully, due to the convenience of an online
class I could take a break when I needed. Allowing this type of flexibility helped in keeping my
ambition and focus. The Foundations of Distance Education and E-learning course has brought
me through challenges, tested and encouraged my mental endurance and has supplied me with
new knowledge to proceed a degree in distance education.

References
Anderson, P. (2007). What is Web 2.0? Idea, technologies and implications for education.
London: JISC.
Evans, T., & Pauling, B. The future of distance education. In M. F. Cleveland-Innes, & D. R.
Garrison (Eds.), An introduction to distance education: Understanding teaching and
learning in a new era (pp. 198-223). New York and London: Routledge.