spfister MODULE 2 - Theories

Theories

January 27, 2019

Simonson’s theory of equivalence of learning experiences should be a major common thought when considering all education. The theory suggests that distance education and traditional education are not identical, but that they are equivalent. Each of the methods come with their own benefits and disadvantages. Many factors come into play when determining which method would be more effective. For instance, if a young student lives in an urban area with access to great in person schools, it may be better for them to attend this school. This could benefit the student by getting good socialization with other students and can benefit the parents as they likely will be able to avoid the cost of a babysitter while their child is in school.

However, other students may not have the same luxury of being in close proximity. These students can benefit from being able to study from a distance and get the same education as the students in the more highly populated areas. This is where it’s important to make sure that each teaching method is equivalent so that these students aren’t getting lesser quality education simply due to the distance from the school.

As much as it may make sense to keep level playing fields amongst teaching methods, some thought leaders feel that distance education is a field that can completely disrupt the traditional education field. It is important to maintain the theory of equivalence so that schools and traditional educators do not suffer from the technological advance of distance learning. We have to keep each of fields growing and teaching.

*How does his theory relate to other theories presented in this chapter or presented in other classes in the EDIT program?
Most of the theories seem to be correct and applicable, but few seem to work for every student to teacher combination. It seems that the theories are somewhat limited to different maturity levels and age groups. For example, younger audiences may find more success in courses where a teacher or tutor is available to help keep the learning process on track. However, more mature and more educated learners may function better when they can work at their own pace and in their most comfortable environment.

Simonson’s theory seems applicable to most all types of education groups and across all ages of learning. The traditional classroom in schools and colleges will not be identical to the distance education, but it should be equivalent. The students from each type should be able to get the same quality of education regardless of which teaching method is being used. Points from the theory of independent study and the theory of transactional distance can also be applied to traditional education as well. Traditional education can be enhanced by using technology used by distance education.