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

Visions of Autonomous Learning
� Presentation of the problem
� Learners post their first perceptions of the problem
� Learners explore the problem and the first perceptions
� Learners revise their first perceptions of the problem
� Learners prepare and post a critical reflection record.
The learners develop hypotheses and possible solutions and search for evidence to support
their hypotheses. In this way it is possible for them to compare and modify solutions.
7.6. Distributed Learning by Design
Recently »design« has attracted considerable attention by instructional designers. The
reason for this is a transformation of this pedagogical approach. Formerly special
abilities and skills in designing were developed with students of architecture, fashion
designers, engineers, and developers of software. But now experts find that the »learning
by design approach« can also be applied in other disciplines as it can intensify learning
of a more general nature as well. It is pedagogically attractive because it activates the
students, encourages reflection, communication and collaboration and can become a
considerable source of motivation when this particular type of learning-by doing is
successful. Furthermore, the task to be solved is usually an authentic one. It requires the
formulation of questions and the assessment of possible solutions. The designed artefact
must be repeatedly compared with the original. Different levels of abstraction must be
distinguished.
Design approaches of this kind have been described by Peter Reimann and Jörg Zumbach
(2001, pp. 145–152), with reference to Lahti, Seitamaa-Hakkarainen and Hakkarainen
(2001), Hmelo, Holton and Kolodner (2000), Schank (1994) and by Schank, Fano, Bell
and Jona (1994). Jörg Zumbach and Peter Reimann (1999) tested the method of learning
by design by developing a project of “information design” and compared this method with
a Hypertext programme and with a tutorial program in which the same contents were
imparted. The result: the learning-by design students showed more intrinsic motivation,
more rational and better balanced argumentation and better acquisition of structural
knowledge in a post-test.
7.7. Learning in Virtual Seminars
Like the three models referred to above, a virtual seminar is – a special form of community
learning. If we compare it to a real seminar we become aware again how much the
pedagogical structure is rearranged in the virtual learning space. The interplay between
autonomous learning and communicative learning is decidedly different. The individual
part is much stronger as each participant remains an autonomous learner for long time
units and is able to study all the contributions of all active participants in asynchronous
seminars. In a way a virtual seminar is a cohort of autonomous learners who communicate
and collaborate together in a mediated way.
Teachers and learners must adapt to the different learning situation. (Weinberger &
Mandl, 2001). The teachers' role changes considerably, because they are expected not to
teach the autonomous learners, but to moderate the seminar (Salmon, 2001). The learners
have to develop individual strategies in order to be able
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