Emergence Project

Constructivism

&

eLearning

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

Confucius

From an eLearning Perspective

A wave of new technology is opening constructivism to a wide range of previously unexplored possibilities. Traditionally, constructivist learning would take place in classrooms or through other in-person experiences. Now, with the emergence of eLearning, the model is shifting to incorporate the targeted use of technology (Karagiorg, & Symeou, 2005).

Twenty-first century instructors can use eLearning design to create an environment that facilitates learning, one that is rich with resources, asks stimulating questions, prompts collaborative discussion that aid the community of learners, and supports learners as they explore and build.

According to Huang (2002), effective constructivist eLearning has seven features:

1. Interactivity. Learners interact with the content, the instructor, and each other. e.g. Discussion groups, online chat, video conferences, interactive games, etc.

2. Collaboration. Learning involves interacting with other people, which allows individual learners to better process the instructors' guidance as well as to learn from their more experienced peers.

3. Effective Facilitation. Instructors provide guidance and monitor discussion to create a safe environment in which learners can express themselves, share their ideas, and ask questions. A good facilitator will create a positive, safe, and motivating environment.

4. Authentic Learning. Learning is tied to real life experiences that learners find meaningful and authentic. For example, adult learners will want to learn skills that reflect their real personal or work experiences, and knowledge they can use to improve those experiences.

5. Learner-centered. Learners should have a sense of ownership of the learning process. e.g. self-directed learning, experiential learning, a problem-solving approach to learning, etc.

6. High Quality. Online learning environment's integration with the internet means that learners must learn how to absorb and construct meaningful knowledge from internet sources. Instructors should guide learners as they build critical thinking skills: "how to manage, analyze, critique, cross-reference, and transform information into valuable knowledge" (Huang 2002).

Structuring for Constructivist eLearning

Instructors should be aware that constructivism can be difficult to incorporate into certain eLearning models.

Many models used for eLearning usually teach “top to bottom”, while constructivism functions through learner autonomy, or “bottom to top” (Karagiorgi & Symeou, 2005). Ensuring that an eLearning framework supports "bottom to top" learning is an essential step toward an effective constructivist course.

Consider the following two models for constructivist eLearning:

David Jonassen's constructivist model (Jonassen 1999)

Koohang, Riley, Smith, & Scheuer's constructivist model (2009)

Assessing eLearners

Constructivist eLearning modules should base assessment on three sources:

The learner’s experience while exploring various problems
The learner’s sharing of knowledge and experience with their peers
The instructor’s assessment

All three sources of assessment should be constantly tracked and recorded throughout the course (Koohang, Riley, Smith, & Scheuers, 2009).

Remember: Constructivist learning is about actively incorporating and building on knowledge, not on rote memorization.

Place the emphasis on exploration, continued learning and participation, and assignments that actively practice and build on the skills learned, rather than unit tests, midterms, and finals.

Constructivism Case Studies

Watch Brooke Hahn from Open Learning Resources explain how to use constructivism while teaching units of measurements to an elementary school classroom:

Read about an award-winning training program created using an eLearning constructivist model:

Listen to learn more…

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