In your e-portfolio (learning journal), please respond to the questions for

reflection for Wave 2:

1. Review your group's (r)evolutionary grid. What aspects of Wave 2
did you find to be the most interesting? Why? What was the least
interesting?
2. What were your "a-ha!" moments during this wave? What incited
these moments and how did they influence your understanding of
DE?
3. After what you have read, learned, or experienced in studying this
second wave, how might you revise your original definition of DE?
What specific readings/experiences have influenced your
understanding of DE?
4. Consider the expert video from Tony Bates. What left a lasting
impression on you? Tell us about your impression and how it affected
your views about DE.
5. Go back to the course objectives listed in the Syllabus. Do you feel
the objectives are being fulfilled and if so, how and to what degree?
Are there objectives that are not being met? If so, which ones?

After completing our group grip, there were several aspects from the second wave of distance
education that stood out. The most prominent one was the open university where for the first
time, the opportunity of education was truly open to the masses. This meant that many more
people were able to participate in learning despite time and distance. Another important aspect
that changed distance education was a change in the teaching and learning approach. In this time
period, there was a significant shift that went from teaching content directly or the transmission
of content to a more learner-based approach where content was constructed. Though a simple
enough change, this has created a completely different style of learners and teachers.
There were other interesting things that came from the second wave. Two terms stand
out: andragogy and Moores transactional theory. Andragogy was a term coined by Knowles and
it describes the adult population and its learning style (Bullen, 1995). Moores theory of
transaction discusses the quantity and quality of communication of exchange between the learner
and the teacher (Peters, 2004). I had somewhat considered the idea of andragogy in past
reflections but knowing the name and the specific qualities in the DE learner population makes it
more concrete. With Moores theory, despite it making sense, it is something that I had not
considered too deeply. These two concepts/ideas, have not changed my definition of DE. Instead,
they have added more weight. In my revised definition, I had already included the adult
population but lacked the communication piece. The definition still stands as:
Distance Education is learning that takes place usually at different times and locations for
the teacher and the group of students through the use of technology and other media. This
form of learning is usually advantageous for adult learners or other groups of students
who may not have access to other forms of education due to geographical, financial, or
personal situations.

After watching Bates (2011) video, he mentions that the lack of teaching models was a
good thing as it allowed for innovative new ways of doing things. This resonated with me for
various reasons. Firstly, it provided a deeper understanding of the challenges that DE faced early
on and it made me appreciate it that much more. It also made me question the usefulness of
learning different models all at once. This is not only in the DE setting but also in the traditional
classroom setting. Is our innovativeness being halted or slowed down by learning and using the
already created models? And if so, where is the line between teaching different approaches and
allowing for creative freedom?
As for the objectives, I have to admit that this class is so far meeting all of them. This is
one of the few cases where I strongly believe that what we are being asked to do matches up with
the objectives of the course. I would like to do more with the seventh objective that discusses the
use of online learning environments. So far, we have used few of those and I would like to
explore different apps, websites, web 2.0 tools, etc.

References
Bates, A. W. (2011, November). The second wave of distance education and history of the Open
University United Kingdom [Online video]. Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/32292234
Bullen, M. (1995, June). Andragogy and university distance education. Paper presented to
the 17th conference on the International Council for Open and Distance Education,
Birmingham, UK. Retrieved from http://www.box.com/s/ap4nq2zf1jujkyo65pz0
Peters, O. (2004). Learning and teaching in distance education: Analysis and interpretations
from an international perspective (pp. 18-54). London & New York: RoutledgeFalmer.