Technological Challenges and Opportunities of Three Generations of Distance Education Pedagogies

Terry Anderson, PhD and Professor

Overview

• Technological Determinism in Education and Training

• Generations and Technologies of Distance Training Pedagogy

• Type of Knowledge appropriate to each generation

• Your Comments and Questions!

Why I am here!

Values• We can (and must) continuously improve the

quality, effectiveness, appeal, cost and time efficiency of the learning experience.

• Student control and freedom is integral to 21st Century life-long education and learning.

• Continuous Education opportunity is a basic human right

7Th Grade Learning Today

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEls3tq5wIY• Wendy Dexler

Traditional Technology Generations of Distance Education

Learning as Dance (Anderson, 2008)

• Technology sets the beat and the timing.

• Pedagogy defines the moves.

Social Construction of TechnologyNetworked Education is, by definition, technologically mediated

and thus is influenced by technological determinism.BUT…. • Interpretative Flexibility

– each technological artifact has different meanings and interpretations• Relevant Social Groups

– many subgroups of users with different applications• Design Flexibility

– A design is only a single point in the large field of technical possibilities• Problems and Conflicts

– Different interpretations often give rise to conflicts between criteria that are hard to resolve technologically

• (Wikipedia, Sept, 2009)

Bijker, W. (1999). Of Bicycles, Bakelites and Bulbs: Towards a Theory of Sociotechnical Change.

Three Generations of Distance Education Pedagogy

1. Behaviourist/Cognitive – Self Paced, Individual Study

2. Constructivist – Groups3. Connectivist – Networks

and Collectives

1. Behavioural/Cognitive Pedagogies

• “tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em,

• tell ‘em • then tell ‘em what you

told ‘em”

Direct Instruction

Gagne’s Events of Instruction (1965)

1. Gain learners' attention2. Inform learner of objectives3. Stimulate recall of previous information4. Present stimulus material5. Provide learner guidance6. Elicit performance7. Provide Feedback8. Assess performance9. Enhance transfer opportunities

Basis of Instructional Systems Design (ISD)

Enhanced by the “cognitive revolution”

• Chunking • Cognitive Load• Working Memory• Multiple Representations• Split-attention effect• Variability Effect• Multi-media effect

– (Sorden, 2005)“learning as acquiring and using conceptual and cognitive structures” Greeno, Collins and Resnick, 1996

Behaviourist/Cognitive Knowledge Is:

• Logically coherent, existing independent of perspective

• Largely context free• Capable of being transmitted• Assumes closed systems with discoverable

relationships between inputs and outputs• Readily defined through learning objectives

LMS as primary B/C Teaching Tool

• Secure – hackers, vandals• Robust• Custom designed for teaching• Simple, consistent and adopted• Supported and Integrated with other institutional

systems• Tracking and recoding• Sophisticated (branching, printing, permissions)

New Developments in Behavioural/Cognitive Systems

• Reflection Amplifiers• Social Indicators

– Global feedback– Digital footprints– Archives– Competition and games

• Multiple Representations• Student modeling and adaptation - analytics

Slide 16

Adaptivity in ubiquitous learning

Extensive modelling of learner’s actions, interactions, “mood”, trends of preferences, skill &

knowledge levels, implicit and explicit changes in skill &

knowledge levels

Real-time monitoring of learner’s location, technology use, and change of situational aspects

Open Student Models

• “the learner model now plays a new role – not only can the learner contribute information to help increase the accuracy and therefore the utility of their learner model for adaptation purposes, but the model can also become a learning resource for the student in its own right. “ Susan Bull et al. 2007

• removing the blindness that has to date prevented educators from viewing and learning directly from learner behaviours

Learning Analytics• Unlike traditional adaptive hypermedia and

intelligent tutoring systems that work on a known closed corpus of material,

• Learning analytics is used across multiple, unknown activities and interactions across the net, mining information about patterns of behaviour in order to extract useful information about learning which can then be applied to improve the experience.

1st International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge 2011

Open Open Content and Open Educational Resources

Because it saves time and money!!!

Are you More than Your Content?

• lack of motivation for distance education content developers to use OERs ??

• Many DE developers and Faculty define themselves by the production of quality content – not by the consumption and customization of content created by others.

Technology in use to Create C/B conten

Dyck and Carey ID Model:specialized expertiseteam workdivision of labour

Cog/Beh teams demand• Effective Project Management• Synchronous and asynchronous distributed

communications• Archiving, and version control• Interoperability• Reuse• Distributed

Many ways that technologies enhance production and learning

of 1st generation Cognitive/behaviourist pedagogy.

2nd Generation DEConstructivist Pedagogy

Constructivist Learning Pedagogy • New knowledge is built upon the foundation of previous

learning • The importance of context• Errors and contradictions are useful• Learning as an active rather than passive process, • The importance of language and other social tools in

constructing knowledge• Focus on negotiation, meta-cognition and evaluation as a

means to develop learners’ capacity to assess their own learning

• The importance of multiple perspectives - groups• Need for knowledge to be subject to validation and

application in real world contexts – (from Honebein, 1996; Jonassen, 1991; Kanuka & Anderson, 1999)

Constructivist Knowledge is:

• Learning is located in contexts and relationships rather than merely in the minds of individuals. Greenhow, Robelia & Hughes

(2009),

Kathy Sierra http://www.speedofcreativity.org/

Constructivist learning is based onGroup Learning Providing:

• Motivation• Feedback• Alternate and conflicting viewpoints

Why Groups?• “Students who learn in small groups

generally demonstrate greater academic achievement, express more favorable attitudes toward learning, and persist …

• small-group learning may have particularly large effects on the academic achievement of members of underrepresented groups and the learning-related attitudes of women…” • Springer; Stanne, & Donovan, (1999) P.42

Impact (Mean effect size) of Cooperative versus Individualistic

Learning contextsDependent Variable

Achievement .64 -88

Interpersonal Attraction .67-82

Social Support .62-.83

Self-esteem .58- .67

Time on task .76

Attitudes towards task .57

Quality of reasoning .93

Perspective taking .61

From Johnson and Johnson (1989). Cooperation and competition. Theory and research

Advances in Constructivist Learning Tools

• Collaborative tools– Document creation, management, versioning– Time lines, calendars, – Strong notifications

• Security, trust – hosting on institutional space?– Behind firewalls, away from search engines

• Decision making and project management tools• Synchronous and asynchronous

conversations/meetings

User Model & Adaptation for Groups:

TRAC system “extract patterns and other information from the group logs and present it together with desired patterns to the people involved, so that they can interpret it, making use of their own knowledge of the group tasks and activities” (Perera, 2009).

SNAPP Moodle analytics

Gestures, body language rich human presence tools

• Avatar Kinect

Asynchronous Voice technologies

Problems with Groups• Restrictions in time, space, pace, &

relationship - NOT OPEN• Often overly confined by leader

expectation and institutional curriculum control

• Usually Isolated from the authentic world of practice

• “low tolerance of internal difference, sexist and ethicized regulation, high demand for obedience to its norms and exclusionary practices.” Cousin & Deepwell 2005

• “Pathological politeness” and fear of debate

• Group think (Baron, 2005)• Poor preparation for Lifelong Learning

beyond the course

Constructivist learning in Groups is necessary, but not sufficient for advanced forms of learning.

3rd Generation - Networked Learning using Connectivist Pedagogy

• Learning is building networks of information, contacts and resources that are applied to real problems.

Connectivist Learning PrinciplesGeorge Siemens, 2004

• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.

• Learning may reside in non-human appliances. • Capacity to know is more critical than what is currently

known. • Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to

facilitate continual learning.• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and

concepts is a core skill. • Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.

Connectivist Knowledge is

• Emergent• Distributed• Chaotic• Fragmented• Non sequential• Contextualized

Networks add diversity to learning

“People who live in the intersection of social worlds are at higher risk of having good ideas” Burt, 2005, p. 90

Connectivist Learning is Emergent

• the very uncertainty and lack of predictability of learning outcomes will be the key factor that adds value to a learning community

• emergent systems will provide the necessary triggers to enhance knowledge and understanding

• emergent learning will be one of the critical triggers to unleash individual creativity (Kays & Sims, 2006, p. 411)

Connectivist Learning designs

Awareness and Receptivity

Connection formingSelectionFiltering

Contribution and Involvement

Reflection and Metacognition

Pettenati, M. (2007).

Special Issue of IRRODL on Connectivism coming Feb. 2011

Free Subscriptions at www.irrodl.org

Communities of Practice • Distributed• Share common interest• Mostly self organizing• Open – Learning beyond the course• No expectation of meeting or even knowing all

members of the Network• Little expectation of direct reciprocity• Contribute for social capital building, altruism and

a sense of improving the world/practice through contribution.

• Increases exposure to the adjacent possible

(Brown and Duguid, 2001)

Networks

Transparency, Persistence• “shared awareness allows

otherwise uncoordinated groups to begin to work together more quickly and more effectively (forming networks)” Clay Shirky 2008 p. 162

• “adjacent possibilities” Stuart Kaufman – ideas sufficiently close geographically or conceptually to propel adoption

How do we Build Networks of Practice ?

• Motivation – learning plans, self and net efficacy, net-presence, modeling and exposure

• Structural support – Exposure and training– Transparent systems– Wireless access, mobile computing

• Cognitive skills – content + procedural, disclosure control

• Social connections, reciprocity– Creating and sustaining a spiral of social capital building

• Nahapiet & Ghoshal (1998)

What does the Research literature have to say about Networked Learning?

• Most reports by early adopters and innovators with potential bias

• As always in education, too few studies and especially too few focusing on learning outcomes.

• Tremendous variation in learning context• “The question on whether the use of wikis can

improve learners' outcome such as writing ability is unresolved” Hew & Cheung, 2009

Challenges of Connectivist Learning Models

• Privacy • Control • Dealing with disruptive change• Institutional Support• Sustaining motivation and

commitment

Access Controls in Elgg

Group Network

Leveraging the Collective

Dron and Anderson, 2011

Sets

50

Set

Anderson, Krathwohl et al (2001) revision of Bloom’s (1956) model of the cognitive domain

Graphics from Atherton (2010)

Cog/Beh1st Gen

Constructuvist.2st Gen

Connectivist.3st Gen

Ist Gen Cog/Behav is Hard

• Rigid Structures• Increased transactional distance• Scaleable• Reduces choice,• Reduces Insecurity

Jon Dron 2011

2nd Gen Constructivist is Softer

• Less Structure -> more dialogue (Michael Moore)

• Doesn’t scale

3rd Generation Connectivist

• Emergent, soft• Scalable• Forces learner control

3rd Generation Connectivist

• Emergent soft

Soft is Hard

3rd Generation Connectivist

• Emergent soft

Soft is Hard

Soft is the Real World

Connectivism Connects Formal and Informal

• Selwyn, 2009 examined the log activity of over 900 UK undergraduates to identify their use of Facebook appears to – a space where the 'role conflict' that students experience in their

relationships with university work, teaching staff, academic conventions and expectations can be worked through in a relatively closed 'backstage' area.

– So rather than enhancing directly participation in formal learning, the social networking services to help learners develop, reflect upon and share their identify grow and conflicts.

• “positive relationships between intensity of Facebook use and students' life satisfaction, social trust, civic engagement, and political participation” Ellison Steinfield & Lampe 2007.

2010 Survey of 125 US learning and training leaders - CARA

Recommendations for teachers

• Be as fearless as your students.• Seek out or create opportunities to

collaborate with and learn from your peers.• Develop your own personal learning system• Explore, experiment and have fun

Conclusion• Behavioural/Cognitive models are useful for

memory and conceptual knowledge acquisition.• Constructivist models develop group skills and

trust.• Connectivist models introduce networked

learning and are foundational for lifelong learning in complex contexts

• 21 Century Literacy's and skills demand effective use of all three pedagogies

Anderson & Dron (in press) 3 generations of DE Pedagogy. International Review of Research in Distance and Open Learning (IRRODL)

Slides available at http://www.slideshare.net/terrya/hub-de-summit-sydney

Terry Anderson terrya@athabascau.ca

Blog: terrya.edublogs.org

Your comments and questions most welcomed!