Introduction

As the internet expands around the world, education is no longer limited by the location or time of learners. Open learning and distributed learning are applied as new methods to deliver and receive knowledge depending on an individual’s conditions. Distributed learning and an open learning environment can overcome the barriers like a challenge from COVID-19 this year. Distributed learning environments can be applied to solve the concerns of Alex’s scenario, such as access, timing, and engagement.   

Our persona Alex is majoring in Chemistry at UVIC, but he is currently in China due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is good at making and uploading videos on YouTube. He wants to be a teacher in the future in his hometown. To better adapt to work in the future, he went to be a TA of his aunt’s class. 

Access

Alex benefits from distributed learning, such as by how he can complete courses in a different time zone, gain a better understanding of the course with his classes, and get credit from courses. Firstly, Alex is living in China and has courses online. In a distributed learning model, Alex can access course material anytime, anywhere. He has experience in using different applications on his laptop, so it is easy for him to access course materials (recorded lecture videos, Microsoft team) easily. Secondly, Alex will get better grades by repeatedly watching recorded lecture courses. Alex has three laptops which are good for him to access course materials. Also, the calendar in the online platform will remind him to study. Son (2012) stated that when multiple things are to be learned—the case in almost any educational setting, formal or informal—interleaving seems to be beneficial to long-term learning. Lastly, Alex needs the credit of the class to graduate to find future jobs. Although open learning is more flexible and convincing, our group believes he needs the credit and graduation certificate or other certificates related to education which helps him find the ideal job. 

Timing 

Distributed learning is an ideal learning environment for Alex since it creates better opportunities to achieve the goals of education. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a typical face-to-face learning environment seems to be impossible. Also, the different time zones result in the challenge of synchronous attendance. Instead of living sessions, asynchronous courses offer flexibility on time arrangements for his convenience. At the University of Victoria, Brightspace is a platform for students to access online courses during tough times. The syllabus and course material are posted on the site, and the lecture videos as well. Therefore, Alex would not have any concerns about missing a class and he can complete assignments on Brightspace. Professor can also view students’ work and give feedback at different times. According to Major (2015), asynchronous courses allow students to have a longer period in which to form their thoughts and compose comments and responses before having to contribute them to the class, while synchronous classes can favour quick thinkers and fast typists. Another reason why distributed learning better fits the persona is how course material and videos are allowed to be studied repeatedly if Alex has any trouble understanding the content. Finally, Alex is working in a cram school as a TA to gain work experience for his future career, so he might need to balance his time well enough between study and job. He can study the course content after work as long as he accesses Brightspace through the Internet. He can also download the course material on his tablet and glance over it anytime so he can focus on his job when he is on duty. 

Engagement 

Distributed learning is recommended since it is appropriate for Alex’s expectations and goals. First of all, he needs to achieve credit by completing the program from university, and credit and work experience are necessary for his teaching career in the future. To be more specific, the contribution of a student’s work is hidden by the school system. Moreover, discussion and cooperation can occur with other students in the same course which can help him to stay engaged and keep following on course content. In contrast, open learning allows a massive amount of people to be engaged within students’ work, which may narrow the chances of Alex finding a similarly committed and familiar cohort. Second, Alex is motivated by his expectations; he is looking forward to being a high school teacher. Distributed teaching is an outstanding method to deliver knowledge in an institution. Alex will already be familiar with the framework of distributed learning from the experience in university by that time. He can teach through a similar platform like Brightspace to create a better learning environment for his students. Last, we believe that Alex can accomplish the success of distributed learning and teaching because technical issues would not be of any concern. He can handle software easily and has powerful skills in editing videos. The teaching experience from cram school and good skills in delivering and explaining the knowledge would help him to break the barrier of distributed teaching.