Simonson’s Equivalency Theory
Simonson's emerging theory of distance education and equivalence of learning experiences presents valuable approaches for distance education. Basically, the equivalency theory states that distance education is not identical to traditional education, but it is equivalent. It says learning experiences should be equivalent for both traditional and distance education learners. Since traditional and distant learners have different settings and environment in which they learn. By means of this fact is that distance education should provide learning events that provide distant learners experiences with equivalent value. My personal view is that a variety of differentiated instructional experiences should be provided. As a distant learner, I have experienced so far that some of the online courses have lack of required learning events provided to the learners. In such those online courses, most of the time, the learners are assigned to do an assignment without providing enough learning experiences. For instance, a video created by instructor showing how to do it or at least a video created by someone else was not provided to help the learner to complete the assignment. It looks like distant learners sometime have lack of required learning experiences which makes distance education unequal to the traditional one.
When I read Simonson`s emerging theory of distance and equivalence learning experiences which states that not identical but equivalent learning events should be provided, I remember poster we use in classroom “fair is not everybody getting the same thing, fair is everybody getting what they need in order to be successful.” Distant learners should be provided not the same but what they need to get equivalent value for them. I have experienced from some of the previous online courses that some of the online course designers understands it as less teaching, more assignments. Maybe it is because of the fact that Wedemeyer preferred to call it independent study instead of distance education. It looks like most of the online courses are designed according to the Wedemeyer`s theory.
As a result, I understand that distance education is a completely different experience in certain parts than traditional education.
Simonson's emerging theory of distance education and equivalence of learning experiences presents valuable approaches for distance education. Basically, the equivalency theory states that distance education is not identical to traditional education, but it is equivalent. It says learning experiences should be equivalent for both traditional and distance education learners. Since traditional and distant learners have different settings and environment in which they learn. By means of this fact is that distance education should provide learning events that provide distant learners experiences with equivalent value. My personal view is that a variety of differentiated instructional experiences should be provided. As a distant learner, I have experienced so far that some of the online courses have lack of required learning events provided to the learners. In such those online courses, most of the time, the learners are assigned to do an assignment without providing enough learning experiences. For instance, a video created by instructor showing how to do it or at least a video created by someone else was not provided to help the learner to complete the assignment. It looks like distant learners sometime have lack of required learning experiences which makes distance education unequal to the traditional one.
When I read Simonson`s emerging theory of distance and equivalence learning experiences which states that not identical but equivalent learning events should be provided, I remember poster we use in classroom “fair is not everybody getting the same thing, fair is everybody getting what they need in order to be successful.” Distant learners should be provided not the same but what they need to get equivalent value for them. I have experienced from some of the previous online courses that some of the online course designers understands it as less teaching, more assignments. Maybe it is because of the fact that Wedemeyer preferred to call it independent study instead of distance education. It looks like most of the online courses are designed according to the Wedemeyer`s theory.
As a result, I understand that distance education is a completely different experience in certain parts than traditional education.