Michael G. Moore
Dr. Michael Grahame Moore is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Education at the Pennsylvania State University.[1] He is known for his major contributions to the field of distance education. In 1972, he published his first statement of theory. His theory stated that "distance education is not simply a geographical separation of learners and teachers, but, more importantly, is a pedagogical concept".[2] After approximately 11 years, Moore was finally able to put a name to his theory; Transactional Distance Theory.
After many years of working in different countries, Moore was employed by the Pennsylvania State University as a Professor of Education in the Department of Learning and Performance Systems. There he taught the first course developed in distance education. Around the same time, he planned an Annual Distance Education Conference, which was the first of its kind, in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1986, he launched the American Center for Study of Distance Education and subsequently developed the first American Journal of Distance Education; the first educational journal to be developed in the United States.
Moore served on all editorial boards relating to distant education journals. He was successful in publishing over 100 articles and two books, with translations in four different languages.
In 2002, Moore was inducted into the United States Distance Learning Association Hall of Fame[3] and subsequently in 2013, he was inducted into the Adult Education Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Michael Graham Moore grew up in England and enjoys spending summers at his apartment in Devon, with his wife. He has an active professional life but finds time to spend watching cricket and rugby, visit National Trust properties and eating Cornish pasties. Moore was initially educated in the United Kingdom, but received his Ph.D. in 1973 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He then begun his academic career in Canada, but later returned to the UK, to work at the Open University.
Education and academic career
- 1970–1973: University of Wisconsin-Madison : Ph.D.
- 1959–1960: Goldsmiths' College, London : PGCE
- 1956–1959: London School of Economics : B.Sc. (Econ.)
After working in East Africa and realizing that there was a need to make knowledge and education more accessible to people, Moore began studying the work of Charles Wedemeyer. In Africa, Moore noticed that people's main form of communication was through battery operated radios, as they couldn't afford basic telecommunications. It is through this observation that he began to explore ways of bringing knowledge via radio to the people of the village.[4] Eventually, Moore was employed as a research assistant to Charles Wedemeyer. While working with Wedemeyer, Moore began his doctoral studies in adult education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It is during his studies that he began to notice a disconnect in the literature he was reading for class and the research he and Wedemeyer were conducting, so he "set out to write a theory about teaching-learning in which the learners and teachers were not in the same place-time environment," (Shin, 2000, p. 215) which became the topic of his dissertation research; the theory of independent learning and teaching.[4]
Professional career
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 1959 | University of London, Bachelor of Science in Economics |
| High School History and Geography Teacher | |
| Adult Education Teacher | |
| 1963 | Education Officer in Africa |
| University of East Africa – Instructor in Adult Education Department for seven years | |
| 1967 | Began reviewing work of Charles Wedemeyer, because of his interest in providing knowledge via radio to those in East Africa |
| 1969 | Began graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Research Assistant for Charles Wedemeyer | |
| 1972 | Published first distance education theory – The Theory of Independent Teaching and Learning |
| 1973 | Received Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin – Madison |
| Relocated to Canada as an Assistant Professor for three years at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia | |
| 1977 | Returned to UK to work in academic and managerial roles at the Open University for eight years |
| 1983 | Transactional Distance Theory name is applied to his 1972 distance education theory |
| 1985 | Responsible for the First Annual Distance Education Conference is held in Madison, Wisconsin |
| Relocated back to the states and began working as Professor of Education for Pennsylvania State University (PSU) in the Department of Learning and Performance Systems | |
| 1986 | Established The American Center for Study of Distance Education |
| 1987 | Established first distance education journal: The American Journal of Distance Education |
| 1988 | Responsible for organization of the first American research symposium on distance education |
| 1988-1992 | Vice President-International Council for Distance Education (ICDE) |
| 1990 | Created first on-line network in distance education; Distance Education Online Symposium (DEOS) • Established first distance education graduate courses |
| 1992 | April 7: Distance Education and Corporate Training Seminar at Ford Motor Corporation |
| 1996 | Consultant at World Bank |
| 2002 | Inducted into the United States Learning Association’s Hall of Fame |
| 2003 | Published Handbook of Distance Education |
| 2007 | Published Handbook of Distance Education, 2nd Edition |
| 2008 | Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge • Visiting Professor at the Open University |
| 2009 | Keynote Address for 25th Anniversary of The Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning |
Research
- Transactional Distance Theory (TDT)
Moore developed the concept of Transactional Distance Theory. In Moore's view, TDT focuses more on pedagogy than on geography: before this idea was advanced, distance education definitions were focused on the physical separation between the learner and the teacher.
There are three key variables to consider regarding Transactional distance: structure, dialogue, learner autonomy. Structure is determined by the actual design of the course, the organization of the instruction, and the use of various media of communications. There are also different forms of dialogue: two-way, real-time communication versus dialogue internalized within the student. Finally, learner autonomy depends upon the individual learner's sense of personal responsibility and self-directedness. Depending on the individuals involved, the interaction of these elements can be very different and vary greatly along the continuum. For example, high levels of learner autonomy would necessitate lower levels of teacher control. An instructional situation is considered more distant if there are lesser amounts of dialogue among the participants and less structure. For less distant situations, the converse is true.[5]
Publications
Moore's publications are numerous. Below are just a few from recent years.[6]
| Year of Publication | Description |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Moore, M.G. & G. Kearsley. Distance Education: a Systems View. Second Edition. Belmont, Ca. Wadsworth Publishing Company |
| 2005 | Foreword in: Bonk,C. and C. Graham. Handbook of Blended Learning Environments: Global Perspectives, Local Designs. San Francisco Ca, Pfeiffer Publishing. |
| 2005 | Michael G. Moore, Kay Shattuck and Aisha Al-Harthi. “Cultures meeting cultures in online distance education”. Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society. Milan, The Italian e-Learning Association Journal, Issue 1 - No. 2 - September |
| 2005 | La educacion a distancia en los Estados Unidos: estado de la cuestion. In: Master International en e-Learning:applicacion de las TIC en educacion y la formacion. Barcelona. Universidad Oberta Catalania |
| 2006 | Using New Technologies in Open and Distance Learning. (2006, Dec.) Open Education Research. Vol.12 No.6 pp 16–20 |
| 2006 | Professional development, graduate study and research. In Tulloch, M., S. Relf and P. Uys (Ed.), Breaking Down Boundaries: International Experience in Open, Distance and Flexible Learning. (46-56). Bathurst, NSW, Australia: Open and Distance Learning Association. |
| 2007 | Moore, M.G. (Ed). The Handbook of Distance Education. Second Edition. Mahwah, N.J. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. |
| 2007 | The Theory of Transactional Distance. In M.G.Moore (Ed.) (2007) The Handbook of Distance Education. Second Edition. Mahwah, N.J. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. pp. 89– 108 |
| 2007 | Critical Minds for a Change. In Burge, E.J. (Ed.) (2007) Flexible higher education: Reflections from Expert Experiences. pp 120–126. Open University Press/McGraw Hill Education. |
| 2007 | Foreword to: Dron, J. Control and Constraint in E-Learning: Choosing When to Choose. Hershey, Pa. Information Science Publishing |
| 2007 | “The Theories and the Theorists: Why Theory is Important for Research” Distances et Savoirs Vol 5/3 pp. 427–457 |
| 2009 | The Bottles are New but what of the Wine? Managing Learning and Teaching in Web 2.0. In Bernath, U., Szűcs, A., Tait, A, and M. Vidal: Distance and E-learning in Transition – Learning Innovation, Technology and Social Challenges. Published by ISTE and Wiley. |
| 2010 | The Time Factor in e-Learning. In B.Gros, E Barbera & P. Kirshner (2010). Time factor in e-learning. eLC Research Paper Series, 0,1-32. Barcelona, eLearn Center, UOC 2012 Moore, M.G., & G. Kearsley. Distance Education: A Systems View, 3rd Edition. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth. |
| 2012 | Moore, M.G. (Edit). The Handbook of Distance Education. Third Edition. New York. Routledge. |
| 2012 | Continuing education and distance education: a marriage of convenience The University of the Fraser Valley Research Review volume 4 : issue 3 (Winter, 2012/2013) 1-15 |
Additional references
References
- ↑ "Penn State College of Education website".
- ↑ Michael G. Moore. "Theory of transactional distance" (PDF). c3l.uni-oldenberg.de. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/20150215084948/http://www.usdla.org:80/Current_Winners_s/1828.htm?. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2015. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - 1 2 3 "WikiEdProfessional DE Concepts/Michael Moore". WikiEducator. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
- ↑ "The CMC Resources Site - Transactional Distance Theory". Cde.athabascau.ca. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
- ↑ "Michael G. Moore : Resume" (PDF). Ed.psu.edu. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
- ↑ "Flexible Higher Education: Reflections from Expert Experience - Burge, Society for Research into Higher Education". Books.google.com.ag. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
- ↑ "Michael G. Moore". News KSU. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
- ↑ Alfonso Padilla (2011-04-25). "Michael G. Moore - Learning Theories ETC547 Spring 2011". Sites.google.com. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
- ↑ "Technology Day 2011". Bmcc.cuny.edu. 2011-03-31. Retrieved 2015-08-14.