Learning is a Social Process

I recently viewed a video on an instructional design website about the social aspects of learning, and the importance of ensuring that is maintained online.  The video (embedded after the break) brings up some great points that Michael Moore published in 1989 in the American Journal of Distance Education.  Moore wrote in his article that there were three types of interaction: Learner-Content, Learner-Instructor, Learner-Learner.

1. Learner-Content - Between the learner and the content.  "A defining characteristic of education. Without it there cannot be education, since it is the process of intellectually interacting with content that results in changes in the learner's understanding, the learner's perspective, or the cognitive structures of the learner's mind."


2. Learner-Instructor - Between the learner and the expert.  "...regarded as essential by many educators, and as highly desirable by many learners-is interaction between the learner and the expert who prepared the subject material..."


3. Learner-Learner - Between the learners in the class environment.  "This is inter-learner interaction, between one learner and other learners, alone or in group settings, with or without the real-time presence of an instructor." 

In the video, Richard Cullata, challenges educators to consider the type of content that is utilized within the online course.  The easiest process is to simply place a number of required readings within the course as assignments and utilize the test-bank for a multiple choice test at the end of the module.  This is a great reminder that "easiest" more often than not doesn't translate to "best."

As online educators, there is considerable value in trying to replicate the traditional classroom and lecture to an online environment as much as possible.  Face to face interaction affords us the chance to sometimes dig deeper into topics based on students inquiries or current event discussions.  In an asynchronous learning environment, that can certainly be a challenge because we aren't all together at the same time.  Through further implementations of tools such as blogs, wiki's and other social media platforms, the social component can be expanded within the online course.

These changes are of course design and structural changes that will require some additional effort to implement, but the payoffs can be big.  When looking at adding these components, the course content of course must be the main focus, but the method through which students are engaging or showing that they have skill mastery can be changed to a more social nature.

~Donald Lipham