Behaviorism

1. How is behaviorism applicable to the distance education environment?  In the distance education environment is very applicable because you have to do something in order to demonstrate your understanding of whatever the topic is that you are studying.  When in the distance educational environment your answers to questions, participation in class discussions, collaboration with classmates and various other correspondence demonstrate your comprehension of the subject matter.
2. What concepts of behaviorism do I see as useful to distance education instructional design?  The practice, modeling, reinforcement and active learning are all concepts that are useful to distance education. The eLearning students have to use these different concepts to prove to the instructor that they understand the material.  The students will put into practice the lesson that is learning.  The instructor as in the case of this class which uses a very extensive web presence which contains a great deal of information to help the students succeed.  The resources are made available by the instructor and model for the student the type of distance learning environment that the instructor values and this is important.  Constant contact via email and blogs and feedback being given to the student is a way of reinforcing the concepts being taught.  Active learning involves the students in the process of engaged learning, they will have to demonstrate their understanding by producing a document that involves the lesson being taught.
3. What are some concrete examples of behaviorism (aside from the ones listed in this module?)  Concrete examples of behaviorism in this class will include as I listed above our requirement to create a blog to produce our responses.  The professor gives constructive feedback that reinforces the learning both by email and on the discussion board. The Blackboard that is used for this class is very thorough and has many different ways for students to gain access to the information being taught.  There is an audio presentation of the content and then there is also a written format so that the different types of learners can find the method that is best for them and learn in that way.