Towards a Theory of Online Learning, Terry Anderson

A good theory helps us see the bigger picture, to see new worlds, and to help us build on what we already know (Wilson, 1997, 1999).

Bransford, Brown and Cocking (1999) listed some attributes of learning:

• 1) Learner/Learning Centred – It needs to take into account students existing knowledge and (mis)understandings. This can be difficult online.
• 2) Knowledge Centred – Knowledge is centred in the world view of the discipline. The internet widens the knowledge that can be accessed.
• 3) Assessment Centred – Assessment should be more formative than summative. This is more work for the tutor. Can online assessment/self assessment help this. Sophisticated LSA software might be able to help score essays.
• 4) Community Centred – Vygotsky’s ideas of creating new knowledge collaboratively. Lipman’s (1991) and Wenger’s (2001) ideas about the community of practice/enquiry. There are issues regarding the lack of participation (Mason and Hart, 1997).
• 5) Content Centred – There is increased access to materials, resources and community. Jonassen (1991, 1992) has looked at hypertext and learning. Hyperlinks give students control over how they order their learning.
  
  The web increases the possibility for interaction between the learner, the content, the teacher and the community.
  
  How we learn influences our decisions. We can start by asking what are we trying to encourage the students to learn? What technologies will support and encourage this? The web can contain everything that could be supplied face to face, except that richness of interaction with people.
  
  The article also mentions Educational Modelling Languages and The Semantic Web.