Overview
The purpose of the EDDE 801 course is to provide doctoral students with understanding of the key theories, principles, concepts, practices, and opinions of the field, so that they may successfully participate in dialogue, debate, and discussions with their peers and instructors, begin the process of developing their dissertation, and engage in advanced study of the remaining topics in the program.
Outline
The course consists of the following units:
Unit 1: Foundations of Distance Education
- History, scope, and field of distance education (DE)
- Open, Digital & Distance Education (ODDE) as a field of study and practice
- Language, training, and education in DE
Unit 2: Theories and Concepts in Distance Education
- Key theories, pedagogies, and approaches in DE
- Indigenous pedagogy and perspectives
- Philosophical approaches and DE practice
- Research paradigms and models in DE
Unit 3: Issues in Distance Education
- Technology and communication in DE
- Artificial intelligence in DE
- Leadership and globalization in DE
- Open education and open educational resources (OER)
Unit 4: Principles of Practice in Online and Distributed Education
- Interaction, cohorts, and community in DE
- Principles of blended learning
- Best practices in online and distributed teaching
Objectives
Consistent with the course title, the purpose of EDDE 801 is to provide information about basic research findings, concepts and principles, accepted practices, and respected opinion in the field of distance education and training. Students are required to participate successfully in intellectual debate and discussions with their peers and instructors, to continue to prepare for the process of doing research for the dissertation, and to participate in advanced study as the program proceeds.
Specifically, at the conclusion of the course students should be able to:
- Draw on, or contribute to, as required and appropriate, the social and interpersonal resources of the student cohort, to support the personal, social, and learning needs of the EDDE801 course group;
- Discuss analytically (compare, contrast, critique, and evaluate) the content of the readings and other topics and resources that constitute the course subject matter, including the contributions of classmates and faculty, through various synchronous and asynchronous processes and activities;
- Describe and critically examine personal teaching and training beliefs and practices, in light of the findings, principles, concepts, and viewpoints found in the distance education and related literature.
- Apply to personal practice appropriate knowledge and skills acquired from various sources, including reading, observation, discussion, and critical analysis and reflection.
- Participate in various course activities: produce written treatments of course topics, as assigned or as personally designed, and submit these in a timely manner for consideration by the seminar group and for assessment by the course instructor(s); lead synchronous seminar sessions and asynchronous conference or forum discussions; support other members of the cohort, as required and appropriate.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Jeffrey, L., Palalas, A. A., Robert, K., & Wong, Y. L. R. (Eds.). (2023). Presence in the online world: A contemplative perspective and practice guide for educators. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.