Distance Education in Transition - Master of Distance Education ...

The Pedagogical Flexibility of the Virtual University
Currently, a large number of psychologists and educationists are convinced that learning
can never be understood in this way. We do not copy the objective real world in our
minds, but rather construct our own reality. “Innate categories and concepts (...) are
imposed by individuals upon the world” (Paris & Byrnes, 1989, p. 170). Consequently,
learning is basically an individual process, greatly influenced by former experience.
This constructivist approach is based on findings of Paul Watzlawick (1981): “Man
does not passively copy the real environment – neither by perceptions nor by actions,
but creates it by active processes of constructing” and of Jean Piaget (Städtler, 1998, p.
589): “The cognitive development does not consist of a passive increase of experiences,
but of an active development of cognitive structures”.
What are the consequences of this paradigm change?
� Learning is a highly individual process. The traditional model of expository teaching
and receptive learning seems to be the wrong approach. The individual student is to
take the initiative in defining, redefining, changing and supplementing his or her
cognitive structures.
� Perceiving, thinking and acting are not linear sequences, but circular, recurrent
processes.
� The task of the teacher is no longer to impart knowledge and skills, but to create
learning environments that are conducive to self-regulated learning.
� The new task of faculty members is to enable and to empower students to learn in
their own way.
� This kind of learning cannot develop easily in college classes and lecture halls.
Virtual universities, however, are very conducive to practising it.
A Sociological View: The Virtual Society
The ongoing processes of digitising our world have caused a far-reaching transformation
which has dramatically changed the processes of production, distribution and
communication and has divided our traditional world into two parallel worlds: a real one
and a virtual one. According to Achim Bühl (1997) these two worlds differ greatly in that
the virtual world is de-coupled from place, time, and conventional social relations. In
spite of this, or even because of this, it assumes great importance as it functions as a
centre of gravitation which permanently influences the real world. Therefore, Bühl calls
our society a »virtual society«.
If we accept this view, it becomes obvious that the virtual university will function as a
component of this virtual society. Hence, we have to operate in two learning worlds, in
real and in virtual learning spaces. And the virtual learning world may also become a
centre of gravitation influencing what happens in the real learning world. This sheds
some light on the possible impact of the virtual university on all higher education.
Summary: Flexibility Gained
The way in which individual students have used the net for their own learning purposes
shows strikingly how their learning behaviour can be developed and improved simply
because the net allows much more flexibility than traditional forms of learning, provides
limitless space and invites students to become active, to try out new and unusual
approaches, to venture into self-learning.
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