Incorporating Blackboard into Penn Foster Career School
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to provide a technology that will facilitate and enhance online and distance education institutions. The institution chosen is Penn Foster Career School in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Penn Foster offers online college and high school in combination with correspondence school. Learning is self- paced. Penn Foster’s mission is “to enhance the lives of other students and clients through the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and credentials that can help them work toward their goals of advancing in their chosen field, starting a new career, or pursuing lifelong learning (Penn Foster, 2015).” They strive to meet their mission through multiple ways discussed later in this paper. My recommendation to enhance the learning experience at Penn Foster would be to add a Learning Management System. Specifically, I would suggest Blackboard.
Background
Penn Foster is an online college, career, and high school institution. Penn Foster offers many specialty programs including 2 bachelor’s degrees, 20 associate degrees, 7 undergraduate certificates, 10 individual college courses and a high school…show more content… Currently Penn Foster, had an independent study program. Learning is self- guided and self- paced. Students have no connection to their peers and minimal contact with instructors. Students currently take an assessment online, so they are able to move to the next section. Garrison states that “The nature of the interaction must be more structured and systematic if a collaborative process of critical inquiry is to be initiated and sustained (2009).” Blackboard increases interaction in all aspects. It allows interactions between student-to-teacher and student-to-student. These interaction can enhance the learning experience and the quality of the program. Blackboard allows for collaborative assignments where students can learn from one
