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

New Learning Spaces
scenes from fairs, circuses and variety theatres. It took some time before the new
technology was used for film's own dramaturgy (e.g. exterior shots, takes, moving
cameras, close-ups, detailed shots, cutting, montages, animation, cartoons, blue box),
and before film-makers departed from the traditional pattern of stage representations
and arrived at completely new solutions. The enormous difference between a theatrical
performance bound by time and place, and a film, which is bound by neither time nor
place, took some time to be recognised. There will probably be a similar development in
the pedagogy of the digitised learning environment. In a similar way, this may open up
new dimensions to a system of teaching and learning liberated from the bonds of place
and time. Innovative forms of learning in virtual learning spaces may be a result of this
development.
However, before this happens, we must become aware of the enormous difference
between real and virtual learning spaces.
Summary
We have seen that there is a vast difference between traditional and real learning spaces
and virtual learning spaces. This is important because it helps us to understand why it
might be beneficial and even necessary to innovate learning processes drastically when
using the net. Careful adaptations will not be enough.
Another consideration can reinforce this assertion. Traditional or real learning spaces as,
for instance, lecture halls, seminar rooms, classes in colleges or schools are part of our
everyday experience. All of us are intensively familiar with them as we are products of
what happened in these learning spaces. But have we ever thought about the main and
fundamental function of these traditional technical learning environments? Basically,
they were planned, designed and built for accomplishing one main purpose: to provide for
convenient locations where students and professors can meet face-to-face, assemble, live
and learn together. Convocatio (calling together and assembling) was the fundamental
organisational principle of the medieval university as well as of all campus universities
today (cf. Hall, 1996a, p. 7). The reason for this was that at this time teaching was and still
is today basically an oral process. There was no other way for oral instruction than
coming together in order to speak and listen to each other. The real learning spaces
represent the technology of traditional teaching and learning. The size and proportions of
rooms were adapted to the requirements of certain formats of oral teaching.
These traditional learning spaces have specific and important properties: learning
activities have to be fixed with regard to time and location. These spaces protect from
outside disturbances, facilitate the forming of groups, make possible experiences of
togetherness, feelings of belonging, and the common aspiration after and the common
quest for knowledge. Furthermore, there is an interaction between real learning spaces
and the students. Students absorb their incentives, not only through their eyes but
through all their senses. This induces feelings, associations and attitudes. Even more,
somehow they also influence form and contents of their interactions.
Small wonder that these real spaces created the preconditions for very specific strategies,
techniques, procedures of teaching and learning have been developed. We should be
aware of the fact that these strategies have developed in a long historical process which
reaches back to its sacred origins in archaic times. And we should realise that all
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