Education Leaders Perspectives

Due to the rapid advance in computer technology and Internet access, the landscape of education has changed drastically over the years. Because of this dramatic change, many educational institutions today have realized that teaching, and learning are no longer confined to delivery models such as face-to face instruction, and are in the process or restructuring what goes on inside their school walls. As part of their restructuring effort, distance education plays an important role. Owing to the myriad of benefits for K–12 education offered by distance learning technologies, schools are using these technologies to reach all students, especially those in remote locations, and provide them with challenging and appropriate educational experiences.This article examines education leaders’ perspectives regarding the advantages and disadvantages of distance education in the Turks and Caicos Islands. In order to understand these, it is important that readers have a basic understanding of the islands’ geography, people, and education.The Turks and Caicos Islands consist of eight inhabited islands and about 40 cays. The islands are located at the southeastern end of the Bahamas chain, 575 miles southeast of Miami, and 90 miles north of the island of Hispaniola. The islands are accessible by aeroplanes and boats. The native people are of African descent. The expatriate community of British, American, French, Canadian, Haitians, Dominicans, and Jamaicans gives the islands some international influences.Education is an important feature of the Turks and Caicos Islands and, as such, is provided for students up to the secondary level on most of the islands. With a student population of approximately 6,000 students, enrollment data shows that close to 3,000 students are from culturally diverse backgrounds for the 2006–2007 school year. Similar trends in enrollment were also observed for the 2005–2006 school year. Students completing their primary school education sit for the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), while those after five years of secondary school sit for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.Students who have completed elementary education and do not have immediate access to traditional high school would normally relocate to one of the other islands where the necessary facilities for education are provided. With only two community colleges on these islands, the same can be said for students who have finished high school and want to access college-level education. With the hassle of relocation, costly airline tickets, and the islands being multicultural in nature, distance education technologies can offer a great deal of flexibility, and convenience as to when, where, and how education is distributed to students at the elementary school, high school, and community college in the Turks and Caicos Islands.It is important that definitions that are associated with this approach to instruction be examined so that readers will have a better understanding of the pros and cons of distance education in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Distance education can be defined as: “institution based formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors” (Simonson, 2003, as cited in, Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2006, p. 32). Traditionally, this includes a variety of activities from correspondence program using postal services; courses broadcasted using the radio, distributed video lectures, or other materials to enhance instruction. Today, with the rapid increase in technology, more attention is given to online distance education.Distance education has been in existence for at least 160 years (Simonson et al., 2006), and the medium has changed from paper-and-pencil correspondence study to real-time online education. The development of this “subfield” of distance education has become a central focus of the field of education due to its flexibility, affordability, convenience, and attractiveness. It is distinguished from other previous paradigms of distance education by its ability to create critical communities of inquiry (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2003). Many may still use distance education and online education interchangeably, but it is believed that the distinction is useful in helping us to see the development of this “subfield” of distance education in which technologies have played a major role.Online education is delivered over the Internet. It may be synchronous, in which the teacher and the student interact with each other in “real time.” For example, with two-way videoconferences, students interact with “live” video of an instructor. Telephone conversations are also considered synchronous. Asynchronous delivery, on the other hand, does not take place simultaneously. In this case, the teacher may deliver the instruction using video, discussion board postings, Web sites, or other means, and the students respond at a later time. While adult students are benefiting from online distance education programs, the young and traditional students have increasingly begun to realize the new opportunities that are available to increase their academic achievement.Distance education’s quality is often compared with that of traditional instruction. Most recent reports have shown that there are no significant difference between online learning and traditional instruction in terms of student grades, test scores, and other measures of student achievement (Worley, 2000). Phipps and Merisotis (1999) completed a review of distance education’s effectiveness and concluded that no matter what technology is used, distance education courses are as favourable as traditional face-to-face learning.In the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), education leaders consider some of the key strengths of distance education to rest in its capacity to provide “anytime” and “anywhere” education to students. According to the views expressed by some of the education leaders, distance education affords many adults on these islands the opportunity to access education that would not otherwise be possible.The director of education, Beatrice Fulford, who is presently pursuing her doctoral degree, indicated that distance education is a great learning opportunity for individuals who have jobs and families, and do not want to interrupt their job to go back to school but really want to pursue higher education. While distance education is different from the face-to face traditional setting, she noted that it is very convenient, flexible, and affordable. Convenience suggests that students do not have to spend time commuting to classes during the week or at a particular time of the day. As a distant learning student, she has great freedom to study at times that suit her, be it early morning or middle of the night, and completes her assignments when the time is convenient, whether during lunch hours or after work in the convenience of her home.Thomas Joyner (personal communication, March 20, 2007), the education psychologist, stated that, in these islands, distance education is of tremendous benefit to adult learners who have difficult schedules because they can learn at their own pace and time. In other words, distance learners control their learning environment; school is brought to the student, and not the student to school. Joyner also noted that certain learners, for example those who are shy, will find distance education suitable to meeting their educational needs. Distance learning, he said, eliminates the need for some students to feel judged or embarrassed by their classmates.Distance education can be a worthwhile experience for learners. It can provide convenient locations for both students and instructors because many of the technologies, such as the Internet, videotape, and telephone, can be easily accessed at home, noted the education officer for the literacy program, Kaydeen Miles. She also pointed out that when you look at the benefits of learning new technological skills in order to adequately prepare yourself for the virtual environment, distance learners are at an advantage above the traditional student. She noted that distance education offers great potential for alleviating educational inequity in these islands because the islands are multicultural in nature. Distance education she believes, can also be less costly than that of traditional education. Books, course content provided by the instructor, and other resources are only a click away.In order for students to move on to high school, they have to achieve an average of 50% or more on the Grade Six Achievement Test. When results for the June 2006 examination were analyzed, it was found that of the 292 students who sat the exam, approximately 188 students received a score of 50% or more. This clearly indicates that these students could have benefited from distance education, which could be used as a legitimate teaching method to provide appropriate instruction for students to enhance their academic performance. Students who did not achieve a score of up to 50% might not necessarily be weak students. They could be students with different learning styles, needs, and abilities. Placed in a different learning environment, such as a distance learning setting, where they can work at their own pace, they could show marked improvement.Pass marks for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations range from grade one to three, with one being the highest and three the lowest. On the May/June 2006 examinations, 88 students received a grade one, 226 students received a grade two, and 338 students received a grade three. Therefore, if these students were provided with a distance learning environment, where they can collaborate and work together, and be more actively involved in their own learning, the possibility exists that the number of students who receive a grade one could increase, thereby decreasing the number of students who receive a grade three.Several teachers who were interviewed agreed that, while adult learners are using distance education programs to achieve higher education, in the Turks and Caicos Islands, elementary school students, high school students, and the traditional college students should have access to the new opportunities presented by distance education. Indeed, distance learning represents a network of technologies that can connect the public school systems, and provide greater motivation, reduced learning time, and higher achievements, among others.The community college offers associate degrees to students who have completed high school education. Distance education could allow students studying at this level to pursue courses that are not available on these islands. This educational approach could also address growing populations, limited space, and permit students who have failed a course to take it again. This could eliminate the hassle of getting student visas, and transportation to and from campuses. In addition, students would not have to worry about housing accommodation or the expense of airline tickets to return home because they would not have to go overseas to study. And even if they do, traveling to the institutions campus would not be for any extended period. Distance education is not normally tailored around the schedules of traditional semester schedules. Therefore, students would be more flexible with their time in completing courses.In a multicultural society where students may have language challenges, the distance education environment would be quite appropriate to make them feel more comfortable and relaxed using the English language without the fear of being embarrassed or judged by their peers. Additionally, distance education can afford traditional teachers the opportunity to move away from a mechanistic style of teaching where knowledge is imparted by the teacher to students, to a more active and creative process, one in which teachers design and facilitate activities that are geared towards students using technology to generate, discover, and build their own framework of knowledge collaboratively. Montgomery (1998) argues that not all students learn the same way, and so using multimedia allows students to take an active role in learning in ways that the traditional classroom cannot afford. This implies that distance education environments can be designed in ways that meet each student’s needs.Students’ interisland interaction is limited to inter-island school events, where only the competitors from each school get to interact with each other. Having established a platform for distance education, this would open up the gateway for complete interislands interaction. All of the schools in these islands would be able to interact with each other regardless of geographical location. The adoption of distance education here in the Turks and Caicos Islands, at the elementary, high school, and community college levels could also afford students the opportunity to interact with other students across the globe. Imagine students collaborating with each other, sharing research ideas, and forming study groups for the Grade Six Achievement Test or the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate. This could be a great motivator and a wonderful learning experience!Teachers believe that they could work collaboratively in developing online courses for students at the different grade levels and share resources for the benefit of the students. This could be seen as an advantage wherein, the teachers would not have to develop courses on their own. The design of distance education courses does take time, and much effort, and must be done properly for students to be successful.Through the technologies of distance education, students would be at an advantage in interacting with first world countries classrooms that may be using cutting-edge technologies. Furthermore, the Turks and Caicos Islands, being a third world country, could be brought to modernization, in order to become more productive and inventive.Lack of vision and financial resources may be considered two of the major factors that can disadvantage elementary school, secondary school, and community college students from distance education opportunities on these islands. Other drawbacks include, but are not limited to, lack of face to face interaction, academic dishonesty, no campus atmosphere, stigma attached, and the requirement of new skills for both the instructor and student.The director pointed out that, with her experience in a distance education environment, she believes that the “distance” aspect of distance education seems to have taken away much of the social interaction that is present in traditional instruction. She noted that distance learning may not be for everyone. Those who do not have a strong desire to learn on their own can become easily distracted, playing online games such as pool or simply chatting with friends. In addition, when a student needs assistance with a particular assignment, it can be very difficult for the instructor to assist without being physically present. A student working alone at times can also feel isolated and depressed. Therefore, it is important that distance learners feel connected one way or another to the learning environment.The director stated that some students are at a disadvantage when participating in certain activities for their distance education program. For example, for her program of study, the university offers weekly and monthly on-campus workshops and seminars that are beneficial to her professional development. But as a student in the distance education environment she does not have these opportunities readily available at her “fingertips.” She mentioned that even though students are able to interact with people across the globe, the interaction is not necessarily the same as when you are in a traditional setting. Mediated communication takes away a lot of cues and personalized attention. Fulford also stated that some employers might not value certification through distance education. They tend to believe that the reputation of distance education is questionable. Therefore, students pursuing distance education courses must ensure that the course or program is accredited by a valid educational agency.According to Joyner (personal communication, March 20, 2007), when students pursue online courses, it can be very hard to detect cheating. In the privacy of one’s home students can easily receive an A grade by submitting another student’s work. Hence, this is a matter that must be dealt with by teachers who are considering teaching at a distance. Joyner added that teachers must ensure that instruction is designed so that each student submits authentic work.Miles, the literacy officer, noted that if you are afraid of change or learning new technology skills, then online distance education might not be suitable for you. She further claimed that if the instructor is not adequately prepared to deal with the virtual classroom, learners can become frustrated and drop the course. Therefore, in order for distance education to be successful in these islands, technical barriers would have to be a nonissue.Some teachers believe that the lack of exposure to distance education settings would put some students at a disadvantage. When asked the reason for drawing such conclusion, the teachers simply stated that some students are already accustomed to the traditional classroom, and so exposing them to a faceless classroom environment could prove difficult. They believe that the transition from a face-to-face classroom to a faceless classroom might not be an easy task for some students.The teachers further indicated that students in the current school system who are not yet exposed to the technological skills needed to succeed in a virtual environment would have to be properly trained. Teachers would have to be equipped technically and be trained to develop online courses and implement them accordingly. Institutions would have to acquire and install the needed equipment, course management systems, and other resources required. This could be very costly for the institutions, especially those operating on a tight budget. The success of any distance education program is dependent on the efficiency and effectiveness of a distance instructor and how prepared students are for the virtual environment. Therefore, if adequate training and support are not provided, in the initial stage of participating in distance education programs the attrition rate could be very high.It is also unrealistic to expect young children to attend distance education courses at their own time and convenience. Someone must be able to supervise them. Elementary school students would not have recess time to socialize and play, and of course, social development is vital to the development of the whole child, especially when preparing students to survive in a highly socialized work environment. Not being able to attend important workshops, seminars, and special functions on campus would disadvantage some distance learners, especially those students who are just leaving high school.Students who are weaker academically may be at a disadvantage in the distance learning environment. Distance learners have to be self-directed and intrinsically motivated. They also have to have good reading and comprehension skills. The weaker students may not be to use their own to be are the students who face-to-face interaction in the traditional classroom setting. Therefore, online education may not be for all of in a third world environment, access to may be difficult on the part of some students. 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