CONCLUSIONS
We hoped you enjoyed working through the content and activities within our Online Learning Presentation related to Online Learning Theory (OLT). As you have experienced, we've reviewed OLT through the lens of three different learning theories, behaviourism, cognitivism, and constructivism. To provide some closure for the week’s activities, here we have included summaries of each of Anderson’s (2008) learning centers. Finally, you can review our brief discussion about how a teacher or instructional designer might incorporate components of each theory into the design of an online learning environment.
Learner-Centered
As we have outlined a learner-centered approach closely aligns with both Cognitivism and Constructivism. Both theories place an emphasis on individualized learning and identifying pre-existing knowledge. Online diagnostic and instant feedback tools allow today’s students to identify their current level of understanding and provide personalized learning for the individual person. Behaviourist theories do not fit in quite as well with a learner-centered approach, but they definitely have a place in this approach. Even in an online setting, instructors can use positive and negative consequences to drive a specific behaviour from their students in the course.
Knowledge-Centered
A comparison of the three theories with a knowledge-centered approach has one common theme in that online courses can offer an immense archive of resources, but it must be broken down for the learner. Behaviourism looks for material to be delivered in small instructional steps such as rules or definitions. Cognitivism dictates that content be chunked in order to be properly processed. Finally, a constructivist approach promotes the idea that the teacher or instructor facilitates and guides the learner through the material. All three theories also incorporate some form of reflection or feedback. Cognitivism and constructivism use reflection to compare new information with prior knowledge to expand learning. Behaviourism uses reflection and feedback as reinforcement, positive or negative to impact performance. These examples show how all three theories appear to share many similar processes, but usually for slightly different reasons.
Community-Centered
As we went through the comparing each theory to the different learning centers outlined by Anderson (2008), it became apparent that the community-centered approach was the most difficult to make direct correlations. Part of the issue is related to the fact that instant feedback and individualized learning fits in well with these theoretical perspectives. Online learning allows each learner the ability to work at his or her own pace, thus creating separation within the group. This is not to say that a community-centered approach is not important, especially as constructivist theories have become more prevalent in teaching. Teachers and instructional designers must work to avoid anonymity and isolation through online learning as students need to be able to connect with a community of learners and teachers. Many synchronous communication tools such as Google Hangouts now provide the option of video to help break down the lack of “placedness” (Anderson, 2008).
Assessment-Centered
An assessment-centered approach applies to all three theories we explored this week. Online learning offers numerous options for providing the students with automated assessments resulting in timely feedback. In a cognitivist approach, the learners will take this feedback to assimilate the new information into their cognitive structure. Behaviourist theory instructors would have the learners take the immediate feedback and use it to correct them towards the desired outcome. Finally, constructivism would take the feedback and use it to challenge pre-existing knowledge. Online tools also allow for simulations and more collaborative environments to assess students, which matches up with Constructivism.
What is the best theory for OLT?
After comparing three theories of behaviourism, cognitivism, and constructivism to online learning theory, which is the best approach? As it is often the case, there is no simple answer and the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Many factors come into play when designing online learning environments and choosing which theories to implement.
An instructional designer or teacher should ask a number of questions to determine what approach to take. What is the age and level of experience of the learners? What is their prior knowledge of the given topic? What type of content being taught (facts versus problem-solving)?
These are just a few of the questions that can help identify some of the theories that can be best used to design an online learning environment. “We believe that the critical question instructional designers must ask is not “Which is the best theory?” but “Which theory is the most effective in fostering mastery of specific tasks by specific learners?”
Prior to strategy(ies) selection, consideration must be made of both the learners and the task (Ertmer, 2013, p. 61). The figure to the right from Ertmer (2013, p. 62) demonstrates a comparison of the three theories based on pre-existing knowledge, and the cognitive processing required by the task.
As you can see, the most appropriate theory can change depending on the learner’s knowledge and the level of cognitive processing required for the task. In a different chapter in Terry Anderson’s book (2008) Mohamed Ally provided a relevant summary of the three theories with respect to online learning:
“Under a close analysis of the behaviorist, cognitivist, and constructivist schools of thought, many overlaps in the ideas and principles become apparent. The design of online learning materials can include principles from all three schools of thought. According to Ertmer and Newby (1993), the three schools of thought can, in fact, be used as a taxonomy for learning. Behaviourists’ strategies can be used to teach the what (facts); cognitive strategies can be used to teach the how (processes and principles); and the constructivist strategies can be used to teach the why (higher-level thinking that promotes personal meaning, and situated and contextual learning)”(p. 20).
As we have outlined, behaviourist, cognitivist, and constructivist theories all have a place when designing online learning experiences. When you add in connectivism and collaborative approaches, the cupboard is full of theories to tap into!
Each learning opportunity is unique, so it is up the teacher or instructional designer to implement the most appropriate strategies for the specific situation. “the role of designers remains that of understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each learning theory in order to optimally select and implement strategies that support student learning in a variety of contexts (Ertmer, 2013, p. 69).