1. Emphasis on the process of learning; it is my contention that learning is the medium in Distance Education.
2. Self-determination, as reflected in learner autonomy, self- direction, and self-evaluation; this concept is emphasized in the Loci of Control idea in that the three state variables, the inquiry-advocacy, positivity-negativity and other self (internal-external) supports the self-evaluation process. The inquiry-advocacy is an internal mechanism of assisting the learner to evaluate the material in a way of examination and re-evaluation and subsequent reinforcement.
3. Mutual caring and understanding among teachers, learners, and others (connectedness); the concept of inquiry-advocacy can extend into the Group-Context arrangement and allow for collaborative construction of learning.
4. Relevance of material, including readiness of the student to learn; the sense of acceptance into the platform can benefit the learning process by veering away from the emphasis on the dependency on the experiential construct.
5. Integration of affect and cognition in the teaching-learning process;
6. An "awareness of the environment, culture, history, and the political and economic conditions in which learning takes place" (Shapiro, 1987, p. 160);
7. Preference for affective and experiential learning approaches;
8. An approach to social change that is anti-authoritarian with the intent to "serve society by improving its education institutions" (p. 160); this is the Discourse section offered in the traditional schools and needs to be further implemented into the structure of distance education.
Social Justice needs to be the “cause and effect” construction of the endeavor as indicated by the experience of the author of this paper. Discourse is gained from experience and the end-result is the benefit of the “experience of having taken the courses online” where the student-learner gains in experiential contexts as a result of his or her studies and affects his or her life in much the same way that traditional students do in their life.
9. Equity, consensus, and collaboration through democratic participation in the learning process;
10. A personal growth orientation that stresses self-actualization via self-awareness; this is a step-wise learned process of individual exploration and search into the constructs of life in general. It is an expression of the Maslowian levels and as a system of learning theories, has a certain amount of brevity within the design of the Humanistic model.
11. A people orientation based on trust and a positive view of humanity, such as is reflected in McGregor's (1960) "Theory Y"; discussed earlier.
12. Emphasis on individualism; and also on the Group-Context.
13. A concrete, pragmatic view of reality;
14. Self-evaluation that emphasizes formative over summative evaluation; this section can support the concept of “increase of worth.” The sense that knowledge is a commodity and the value of the commodity is presented as being the extent of “self-worth.” This concept alone can allow for a self-supporting mechanism and elevate the motivational limits that we experience in the class system.
15. Variety and creativity, as reflected in spontaneity, originality, and diversity in learning; this is indicative of “situated meanings,” as expressed in semiotic theory, and also indicates discourse.
The above are the true objectives of the distance learning platform, and is the desired outcome in any online course format.
16. A transpersonal orientation that stresses holistic development of the person, including potential for spirituality. In the Humanistic model, we find that the emotion construct is the pathway for the development of maturity and self-worth; where both are the desired outcomes for any distance learner.
Brockett, R. G. & Hiemstra, R. (1991) Self-Direction in Adult Learning: Perspectives on theory, research and practice. London and New York: Routledge
McGregor, D.M. (1960). The human side of enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill
Shapiro, S. B. (1987). The instructional values of humanistic educators: An expanded empirical analysis. Journal of Humanistic Education and Development, 25(3), 155-170.
Strand, Margith A.(2010)Distance Education/Humanism Attributes
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