Constructivism as a Best Practice in Distance Education

Information that was given on some of the most effective practices in distance education stated that effective distance education practices are based on constructivism and social constructivism. Purdue University’s website states that good distance education courses “make use of all the technology available whether that is audio, video or printed material” (Purdue, 2012).

Constructivism as a paradigm or worldview posits that learning is an active, constructive process (Learning Theories, 2012). I also have a constructivist approach to teaching and learning.  I agree that learning is an active process where the learner must participate. Students take the information that they already have and add to it with new information. A misunderstanding of the Constructivist learning theory is that teachers should never “tell” their students what to do. However, if students are left to themselves, they can get frustrated. Instructors should act as a guide to help their students learn more. They should not give all of the answers to their students. Yet, the students should not be left alone to “figure out” how to do new assignments. For example, students can get frustrated when taking a virtual field trip (Hara, et el, 1999) or doing anything else online. Hara, et el (1999) describe some of the students' frustrations about an online course. As an online student, I understand that their can be frustrations while being enrolled in an online course. 

On the other hand, distance education teachers can consider the different learning theories and learning styles that students have and try their best to help design their course(s) in such a way that it will be able to effectively help the most students and cater to any students who may need some differentiated instruction. LeFever (2004) says that if teachers do not understand the different learning styles, the teacher(s) could miss out of an opportunity to reach out to students in which God has assigned those teachers to reach. Some students [even adult learners] may learn certain information better than other information and teachers can help “construct” activities that help these students to learn the most, in the most effective way for them. I agree that God has given us [educators] an opportunity to teach/reach students and help them become the best students that they can be. Further, I think that the Constructivist approach can help “construct” great learning environments [tradition brick and mortar or online] that help facilitate learning for all students, regardless of the teachers teaching style or the students’ learning style(s).

Learning Theories (2012) Retrieved on May 08, 2012 from:

http://www.learning-theories.com/constructivism.html/

LeFever, M.D., (2004). Learning styles: reaching everyone God gave you to reach.

David C. Cook. Colorado Springs , CO.

Hara, Noriko, AND Kling, Rob. "Students' frustrations with a Web-based distance

education course" First Monday [Online], Volume 4 Number 12 (6 December

1999).

Purdue (2012). Retrieved on May 08, 2012 from:

http://www.pnc.edu/distance/bestprac.html/.

Webliography

Webliography

Chapter 11 of the Mayor and Clark (20  "Does practice make perfect?"

Summary

Chapter 11 of the Mayor and Clark (20  "Does practice make perfect?" goes beyond managing cognitive load and it discusses how educators can physician transition gradually from just giving students examples of assignments to giving them full assignments to practice. Practice in e-learning helps optimize learning from online practice. The chapter echoes the expression that "practice makes perfect," explaining that the more a person studies/practices something, the more he or she will know about it. The authors used the term "regurgitated" to describe some types of learning/practice. The chapter explains the value of repetition and feedback. The chapter also explains the value of repetition and feedback.

The authors also listed four (4) factors that can help make the most of practice: (1) Practice that focuses on specific skill gaps; (2) Explanatory corrective feedback;  (3) Practice in distraction free environments and  (4) Practice that builds skills that will transfer from learning environments to work environments. Distributed practice yields better long-term retention.  Finally the authors concluded that practice does not necessarily lead to  perfect, but that deliberate practice with effective feedback does.

Critique

I agree that practice does help students retain information. Repetition in something helps students in managing cognitive load. Studies have been done that reveal positive results. Teaching and learning should be for the long term, distributed practice can help that occur. The authors list the value of feedback, but, then mention how research has not determined how much feedback is appropriate or when it is appropriate to give feedback. This has been debated. I think positive feedback is good, but too much could hinder a student's growth.

Reference:

Mayer, R. E.; Clark, R. C. (2008). E-learning and the science of instruction. 2nd ed. San            Francisco: CA. Pfeiffer.

Online Education Assessment

Online Education Assessment

                   The evolution of mobile and online education has revolutionized and introduced challenges for assessment. The advances in technology have changed the way that students learn. Students are no longer confined to a desktop or corner workstation in their  classroom, they're now able to finish assignments and multitask from anywhere that they are in the world. From their smart phone or tablet, they're able to do work at their own convenience and not be bound by the setting of a traditional classroom or the  schedule of hours for a traditional class. Students could work on their assignments or listen to a lecture at two o'clock in the morning if they wanted to.
Some of the challenges that educators are now facing regarding assessment

Dick, Carey and Carey (2005) share four types of assessment methods that are being used 1. Entry assessment 2. Pre assessment 3. Practice assessment and 4. Post assessment. Some examples of assessments that have been helpful for instruction include tests, essays, papers, live performances, projects and portfolios.

Since the advances in technology,  some things about assessment have changed. Many schools have focused on the scores of standardized tests, fill-in-the-blank, multiple-choice, true or false.  Having a correct answer does not necessarily provide a valid assessment of what a student knows. Students can memorize information that is anticipated to be on a test. Technology has exacerbated a problem of cheating. But, technology, to me, provides many more positives, in the field of education, than negatives.

I think that online learners be assessed based upon what they know by using their learning style to demonstrate to their teacher what (s)he knows. For me, personally, I do not like to take tests/exams. Regardless of how knowledgeable I am in any area, I, sometimes, do not do well on tests. I prefer to work with my hands and demonstrate how to do something. Many educational institutions in our country are assessing students, incorrectly, with standardized tests or "go through the motion" lectures and courses. I have an undergraduate degree that is full of hands on, real-life experiential learning assignments.  Granted, I have learned a lot in my online graduate degree, but it is a different experience than being in the classroom. Online learning is more student-centered with indirect instruction. The opportunities for instructors and students to be able to collaborate together can help the instructors to be able have a better assessment of the students.