Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Teachers College Educational ...

Although it has been hinted at throughout different eras, under the guise of Activity Theory and
Social Learning Theory, Connectivism was coined as “the learning theory for the digital age” by
George Siemens and Stephen Downes (2004). Siemens and Downes have developed distinct
principles, which imply connectivisms’ relevance to modern students. Connectivism is founded on
individual ideas and opinions, valuing diversity in the perspectives of others, lifelong learning,
building relationships, interdisciplinary connections, current information, and risk taking (Siemens,
2004). These same principles can be found in many current technologies that students use daily
such as Facebook, Diigo, Wikis, YouTube, etc. In order for online learning to be successful and
meaningful it must provide students with more than the transmission of data. New online
environments must offer students the opportunity to become a participant and creator much like
they are used to doing in everyday life.
Online Learning as a Dissociative Process
Central to the debate is the concept that “educational technology participates in the cultural
context and is as much a part of the learning problem to be identified as it is of the solutions
implemented” (Belisle, 2001, p. 25). Saugstad (2002), when examining the work of Aristotle,
suggested that knowledge is primarily seen as a product rather than a competence which
suggests human activity (p. 378). This suggestion contributes to a critical view of the relevance of
current online educational systems. Separating the person from the product does not contribute
to learning. It also suggests that online learning in higher education, in its current state, does not
sufficiently provide students with engaging and rigorous material in preparation for professional
careers. Belisle (2001) suggests that this perspective of learning is flat and focused on learning
as opposed to teaching (p. 15). Hamilton (2004) refers to the delivery of knowledge style systems
as fast knowledge or ‘McKnowledge’ (p. 844).
Critics of online education argue that virtual environments are not able to provide students with
the same quality and caliber of education that traditional, face-to-face courses can. They also
suggested that online environments expect too much from students in terms of self-discipline and
this expectation can lead new students and students unfamiliar with online education to failure
(Bejenaro, 2008, p.412). It is easy for students to become isolated and completely independent in
online course without the facilitation of the instructor/ Instructors should provide students with
“corrective feedback, encouragement, and motivation” to ensure success in learning (Young,
2006, p. 73).
References
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and what have we lost along the way?. Communication Education, 57(3), 408-414.
Belisle, C., Rawlings, A. & Van Seventer, C. (2001) The educational multimedia taskforce
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Luxembourg: European Commission. Retrieved from: http://www.cordis.lu/ist/ka3/
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Green, N. C., Edwards, H., Wolodko, B., Stewart, C., Brooks, M., & Littledyke, R. (2010).
Reconceptualising higher education pedagogy in online learning. Distance Education,
31(3), 257-273.
Hamilton, D., Dahigren, E., Hult, A., Roos, B., & Söderström, T. (2004). When performance is the
product: problems in the analysis of online distance education. British Educational
Research Journal, 30(6), 842-855.
Hoskins, B. (2011). Demand, growth, and evolution. Journal of Continuing Higher Education,
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Rheingold, H. (2010, September/October). Attention and other 21st century social media
literacies. Educause Review, 45(5), 14-24.
Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal
of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning. Retrieved from
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
Young, S. (2006). Student views of effective online teaching in higher education. American
Journal of Distance Education, 20(2), 65-77.
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