Attached is a completed assignment that has combined the assignment instructions of the two options rather than just focusing on 1 option from the instructions. Please edit the attached assignment to meet ONE of the two options listed below (it is most likely easiest and quickest to keep the annotated bibliography portion of the attached assignment and edit the rest of the assignment to do Option 2 literature review):
Assignment Breakdown
You have two topics from which to choose for Assignment 3:
Analyze the current use of open, digital, or distance education in an organization, institution or business.
Review the literature in a selected area relating to open, digital or distance education.
Your paper will draw upon the course readings and the research and theory you have encountered in this course. The assignment may be written in the form of a paper (Option 1 or 2) or proposal (Option 2).
Your paper should be 3500 – 4000 words (without references), double-spaced, in 11 or 12 point sans serif font. Cover page, abstract, references and appendices (if needed) are not within the word count.
Option One – Analyze a distance education organization, program or workshop:
For this option, you will analyze the current use of open, digital, or distance education (e.g., online course/program, workshop, training) designed/provided by an organization, institution or business. The course/program can be from an organization you are working in, or one you have taken part in. The more direct experience or background information you have about the course/program, the better. In your analysis, be sure to make connections to topics examined in this course.
Use the following questions/prompts to guide your analysis paper:
Describe the need or problem that your [distance education] organization will address. Discuss the social, political, economic, and/or educational context in which the need/problem exists.
Provide a name (real or pseudonym) for your organization and describe its structure. The choice is up to you — it might be a private company, a non-profit agency, a public or private school, a government department, a department within an existing organization, or some other form of organization. Identify the basic management or administrative structure for the organization.
Describe the characteristics of the target student population. For example: How many students does the organization intend to serve? What are the students’ primary motivations or why would they choose this organization?
Discuss the pedagogical and curriculum-related aspects of the organization. For example: What programs are provided? How and by whom are the course(s) planned, developed, and delivered? What pedagogical approaches or models inform the course/program?
Discuss the technology involved. For example: How are courses delivered? What platform(s) are used? How is communication and student interaction supported?
Discuss Learner Support considerations. For example: What kinds of learner supports are provided? How does the organization enable student success?
Provide some recommendations for improving the teaching/learning experience as part of the course/program.
Option Two – Review the literature in a selected area relating to distance education
For this option, you will choose and review the literature on a particular topic that is of interest to you. You may have identified a problem, issue, or area that you wish to further pursue as a result of your research, readings and discussions in this course. The topic must be relevant to one or more of the units examined in this course.
If you decide on the literature review option for Assignment 3, you will need to submit in advance a one-page outline to your instructor for approval before proceeding (or at least one week before the deadline). The outline should include (1) the issue/problem/topic you wish to review, (2) the reason(s) you chose this topic, and (3) a list of the articles/papers you plan to review.
You should review a minimum of 8 articles but no more than 10. In preparation for writing your review, create an annotated bibliography.
How to write a literature review, from Birmingham City University provides further information about how to write your literature review. Your literature review should include:
title page
introduction
reasons you chose the topic
search parameters ( similar to Assignment 1 but briefer)
your annotated bibliography
a critical analysis of the articles
summary of key themes/findings
discussion of what impact the review has had on your understanding of the issue/topic/problem and/or implications for your future practice
references
Follow the AU Library Guidelines for a literature review. Note that the Library guidelines include this passage: “Literature reviews should be written in an academic voice rather than in an informal tone. Be sure to be fair in your discussion of the materials that you are reviewing, even if you think that something is a poor piece of scholarship. If you are being critical of a document, be sure to provide evidence to back up your claims, rather than just stating your opinion. If absolutely necessary, use direct quotes from the items you are reviewing, but try wherever possible to describe the points the author makes in your own words, and if appropriate, relate it to the other items you have reviewed. Do not shy away from citing controversial literature or literature that supports a view different from your own – including these documents will result in a balanced look at the topic.”
Support your ideas by integrating what you have learned from the readings, research, and theory in the course. Use APA style for in-text citations and references.
