According to Portugal (2006):
As an emerging distance education leader, one must be aware of the potential obstacle that may occur. Barriers and challenges can develop at any time and can affect the success of the distance-learning program. In a study conducted by Santilli and Beck (2005), graduate faculty were surveyed and asked to pinpoint specific obstacles to effective communication in distance learning courses. The surveyed data by Santilli and Beck (2005) revealed what the educators thought to be student deficiencies in an online delivery format:
65% of faculty consider students’ lack of technology skills to be a major obstacle to effective online communication. The second major finding is that 23% of faculty consider timeliness of student responses to be a problem. However, 15% of faculty indicated they had encountered no barriers to effective communication with students (p. 158).
Faculty must be trained in effective communication strategies so that student interactions within online structures remain fluid and unhampered.
Based on the research stated above, evaluate how you might overcome your obstacles with technology? Evaluate how you might help your learners overcome this obstacle. What teaching strategies can you research to develop technology competences for your learners?
