Distributed Learning

There has been significant discussion in recent months around distance/remote/virtual learning largely as a result of COVID-19 and education settings having to rapidly pivot to a different model of delivery.
The initial idea on using the phrase Distributed Learning came from listening to a Podcast that was discussing John O’Duinn’s book on Distributed Teams where he challenged the concept of remote teams, and how these are perceived.

The purpose of this article is to suggest that ‘Distributed Learning’ is a more positive and constructive phrase to use as education settings move to a wider range of learning options being the ‘new normal’ as opposed to just a response to COVID-19. In redefining the variety of learning opportunities as ‘Distributed Learning’, this also sets us on the path to truly democratising learning for all.

The idea of calling the learning distributed as opposed to distance/remote/virtual is that all of these words inherently suggest it’s second-best to in-person learning experiences. Online learning has also been widely used which, whilst more neutral in tone, talks to how it is accessed as opposed to the approach of the learning.

What is it?

There are a number of elements to Distributed Learning that we think are worth considering:
- Synchronous v Asynchronous,
- Face-to-Face v In-person v Online,
- Learning 2.0,
- Democratisation
- Synchronous v Asynchronous

With the recent experience there has been an increased discussion about whether synchronous is better than asynchronous learning experiences. There is nothing inherently wrong with asynchronous learning, nor with synchronous learning. Each is suited to solve different instructional problems, under specific conditions, depending on the goal of the learning, the characteristics of the learners, and the course format, and therefore we would suggest that whether the learning is predominantly online or in-person then there is a mix of both approaches.

For a much more detailed and nuanced discussion on the ‘The Unproductive Debate of Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Learning’ please see the article by Zach Groshell.

Face-to-Face v In-person v Online

Online we think is generally well-understood as how we access the learning opportunities, but we’d like to suggest that we differentiate between Face-to-Face and in-person training. In-person training is when we are physically in the same learning environment, whereas we can be Face-to-Face through video-conferencing (or through avatars but more on that later).

Why might this matter? In our view there is something different (not necessarily better or worse) about experiencing learning in the same physical room as opposed to over a videoconference. Having run webinars over many years now, the energy received from a presenting point of view is not the same as in-person training, and we believe there are differences for the learner too.

Communication more broadly is also difficult with having to rely more on visual or technological cues e.g. coming off mute, for breaks or gaps in the discussion.

Learning 2.0: The Hyper-personalisation of learning

There are numerous articles suggesting this should be 3.0 or 4.0 but we have called it 2.0 as fundamentally we don’t believe the learning experience has significantly changed for many students, and a more inclusive title may be Learning Re-imagined. We would also want to recognise that some education settings are much further along the journey we will now describe than others.
There could be a whole book written on this topic, and a number have been, but for the sake of brevity we believe there are some key elements that directly link to the Distributed Learning concept with the focus on the hyper-personalisation of learning:
1. Learner Agency — this in many ways is the foundation of truly distributed learning. The learner having the choice about the best approach for them to learn what they have identified as being important for them to learn. Supporting young people on the journey to greater understanding of their learning in order to wisely use this agency is, for us, a key component of re-imagining teaching (and more on this in another post).
2. Focus on competencies and essential skills — identifying what the building blocks for successful lifelong learning are, and an emphasis on social and emotional skills leading to the ongoing development of the ‘soft’ skills which we are calling the essential skills to be future fit.
3. Technology to augment learning — there are many significant opportunities to augment learning and truly create the opportunity for distributed learning to best meet the individual learners needs. Whether that’s in-person or through Face-to-Face opportunities with experts in a chosen field — this could be via videoconference or through direct interactions with the expert’s AI-driven Avatar in whatever is your native language.
4. Formal vs Informal learning — given the ever present subjectivity within learning the type and modes of learning people consume and participate in proves to be an important factor. We feel formal learning is probably better understood. Face to face training, digital courses, webinars. What about informal learning though? Those blog posts or articles we read, the podcasts we listen to on the job experiences. These please a critical role in helping to identify the additional learning data and signals that can be used to help provide a personalised and contextualised learning experience.
5. Verified learning — a key driver, historically, has been the need to assess and accredit learning, and in many cases, this has led to a narrowing of opportunity as we have a tendency to measure what is easy to measure as opposed to what is important to measure. However, there are opportunities emerging to truly place verified learning in the hands of the individual learner through the work of such organisation as Credential Engine and the Trusted Learner Network amongst others, and this concept has been explored further in the article on The Learning Wallet

Democratisation

The final element of Distributed Learning for us is democratisation. Peter Diamandis, one of the co-founders of SingularyU, talks about the digital growth cycles of technologies and how this positively impacts society in his theory ‘The Six Ds of Exponential Organisations’ in his book Abundance. You can find out more here but ultimately the key step to reaching this democratised state for learning is digitisation.

When learning can be accessed on anything, anytime, anywhere, by anyone we have reached true democratisation of learning. We believe the acceptance of distributed learning as equally valid, if not preferred, to any other forms of learning we’ll find ourselves that much closer to providing access to education and learning for more of the planet. Watch out for a future article from us unpacking this in more detail shortly.

Concluding thoughts

So why might adopting the phrase Distributed Learning as opposed to online/remote/distance be of value?

As we said in the intro, we believe it is a much more productive and constructive word that will influence mindsets and views around learning at an explicit or implicit level, both of which are important. It also helps reinforce the idea that over time more and more of the planet will be able to access learning as a distributed and democratised experience.

Some students thrived in the COVID-19 approach to teaching and learning, whilst some didn’t. There are many reasons for this but many of the arguments fall into the, largely unproductive, bias humans have for ‘either/or’ thinking. We believe adopting a ‘both/and’ approach is a much more productive and useful approach and is central to the Distributed Learning concept.

Nick Burnett Co-Founder of LearnTech Lab

Many thanks to my co-author Dan Fish for his insights and knowledge.

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