United States Distance Learning Association

unstructured nature of distance learning
(Oblender, 2002). In surveys conducted by
Oblender, it was noted that even high
school students academically strong in traditional
classrooms were not disciplined
enough to finish online courses. Student
interviews and surveys administered
before taking online courses might imply
they have the self discipline needed; however,
the success the students showed in
the traditional classroom was not replicated
in the online environment.
Our school had a number of unsuccessful
experiences with distance education
classes in the past. The guidance department
had tried enrolling a number of academically
talented students in online
classes, but the students lacked the time
management skills needed to complete the
courses. Our students had a 100% incompletion
rate for online learning. This experience
led the guidance department to
believe distance education was a “bad idea
for our students” (Anonymous, personal
communication, September, 2003). The students
were not being monitored by an
adult and it was later learned the students
often went for weeks without working on
their courses. These students, in their traditional
classes, all made honor roll.
According to Oblender (2002), students
attending traditional high schools are more
familiar with the traditional class structure.
They have not yet learned the skills
needed to be self-sufficient online learners.
This was the case at our school. If we
wanted to utilize distance education we
would need to use an approach that better
met the needs of learners coming from a
traditional classroom structure.
ONSITE ONLINE PROGRAM DESIGN
As had been learned by our earlier experiences
with distance learning, just having
students take a class did not make for a
successful learning experience. When it
was decided to try distance education for a
second time, the ADDIE model (analyze,
design, develop, implement, and evaluate)
was used (see Figure 1). Gustafson and
Branch (2002), state that an educational
system is not just the students educated in
the system; it is a comprehensive, all-inclusive
process that includes designing, creating,
analyzing, and evaluating a learning
system.
The ADDIE model covered all the items
needed to ensure successful development
of an online distance education program. It
also covered many important factors
missed the first time distance education
had been tried. First, the needs of the
learners and the school’s objectives for utilizing
distance education were analyzed.
Second, a program was designed that
included monitoring students in online
courses. Third, criteria were developed for
choosing online courses that met the
school’s objectives and the needs of the
Figure 1.
The five steps used in the design of the online program.
42 Distance Learning Volume 4, Issue 4