GDE – ACE:

Educational Computing
Computer-Integrated Education

Theme 1: Theories of Learning

 Themes
 Theme 1:Theories of Learning
 Theories of Learning - Historical Perspectives
 From “Learning to Be” to Learning Activity Design
 Theories for Online Learning
 Theme 2:The Digital Learner in the Information
Age
 Theme 3:Design of Learning Environments
 Design Essentials
 Human Computer Interaction
 Theme 4:Evaluating Educational Technologies
 Rubrics for Evaluating Educational Technologies
 Research Trends
 Theme 1: Theories of Learning
Salient points
 Does the medium influence learning?
 Online learning
 Schools of learning:
 Behaviourism (Ertmer & Newby, 1993: The ‘what’)
 Cognitivism (Ertmer & Newby, 1993: The ‘how’)
 Constructivism (Ertmer & Newby, 1993: The ‘why’)
 Behaviourism and the implications for online
learning
 Cognitivism and the implications for online
learning
 Constructivism and the implications for online
learning
 Does the medium influence
learning?
 Ongoing debate whether:
 technology /computers or
 the design of learning environments that
improves learning (Clark, 2001; Kozma, 2001)
 Technologies provide access to learning
materials but do not influence student
achievement (Clark, 1983)
 Schramm (1977) - learning is influenced
more by the content and instructional
strategy than by the type of technology
used to deliver instruction
(1 of 2)
 Does the medium influence
learning?
 Design of learning environments must
 promote higher order thinking learning
 create challenging activities
 create meaningful knowledge - authentic
 enhance engagement and interactive
 facilitate collaboration
 stimulate metacognitive abilities
 bring about real-life models and simulations to the
learner
 sound design principles

 Yes, medium does influence learning (Kozma,

2001) (2 of 2)
 Online learning
 What is Online learning?
 e-learning,
 Internet learning,
 distributed learning,
 networked learning,
 virtual learning,
 computer-assisted learning,
 web-based learning, and
 distance learning
 Benefits of online learning
 Flexible, access from anywhere and
anytime,
 Quality of learning materials,
 Updated resources,
 Authentic,
 Interactive,
 Supportive, collaborative – designer,
tutor, other learners
 =learning theories and sound design
principles
 Schools of learning
 How to take learning theories
 behaviourism,
 cognitivism
 constructivism
 translate them into concrete practical ideas and
exercises for learning
 What value in all of these theories:
 the types of learners,
 the types of teachers presenting the material,
 The type of material itself and
 the context in which it is to be presented
 The three schools of thought: A
taxonomy for learning
 Behaviourists’ strategies can be used to
teach the “what” (facts) (observable),
 Cognitive strategies can be used to teach
the “how” (processes and principles), and
 Constructivist strategies can be used to
teach the “why” (higher level thinking that
promotes personal meaning in a situated
and contextual learning environment)
interpretation Ertmer and Newby (1993)
 Behaviourism
 Learning is a change in observable
behaviour caused by external stimuli in
the environment (Thorndike, 1913; Pavlov,
1927; Skinner, 1974)
o observable behavior indicates whether or not
the learner has learned something, and not
what is going on in the learner’s head
 Behaviourism and the implications for
online learning
 Learners should be told about the explicit
outcomes of the learning
 Learners must be tested to determine
whether or not they have achieved the
learning outcome
 Learning materials must be sequenced
appropriately to promote learning
 Learners must be provided with feedback
 Aims to modify the behaviour of a learner
 Cognitivism (Memory)
 Learning is an internal process: - the
amount learned depends on
 the processing capacity of the learner,
 the effort expended during the learning process,

 the depth of the processing (Craik & Lockhart,

1972; Craik & Tulving, 1975), and the learner’s
existing knowledge structure (Ausubel, 1974)
 Learning involves the use of memory,
motivation, thinking, and reflection
during learning process
Cognitivists see learning as an
internal process
Information from the
senses

Sensory store Information persists 1

second - Attention

Information persists
Short – term memory 20 seconds - WM

Long – term memory

 Cognitivism and the implications for
online learning
 Learners must perceive and attend to the
information - transferred to working memory
 Learners must retrieve existing information
from long-term memory - new information
 Information should be chunked to prevent
overload during processing in working
memory
 Learners should apply, analyse,
synthesise, and evaluate info in MW – LTM
memory more effective
(1 of 4)
Cognitivism and the implications for
online learning
 Learning materials should include activities
for the different learning styles: (E.g.
Kolb, Meyers-Briggs)
 Concrete-experience – activists (feedback &
support)
 Reflective-observation - observers - before taking
action
 Abstract conceptualisation – theorists not with
people
 Active-experimentation – pragmatists (feedback)

 (2 of 4)
 Cognitivism and the implications for
online learning
 Cognitive style – how do learners prefer to
process information ◦ Field-dependent vs
field-independent
 Adequate supports should be provided for
students with different learning styles
 Information should be presented in different
modes to accommodate individual
differences
 Learners should be motivated to learn
 Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction
 (3 of 4)
 Cognitivism and the implications for
online learning
 Learning should encourage learners to use their
metacognitive skills
 Online strategies should facilitate the transfer of
learning to different and real-life situations or
experiences
 Information is either assimilated (fits into existing)
or accommodated (existing is changed)
 Cognition is the scientific term for "the process of thought“
 The term cognition (Latin: cognoscere, "to know" or "to
recognize")
 information processing is the change (processing) of
information in any manner detectable by an observer
(4 of 4)
 Constructivism
 Learners learn best when they can
contextualise
construct knowledge what they learn for
immediate application and
 to acquire personal meaning

 Learners interpret information and the

world
 according to their personal reality, and that they
learn by
 observation
 processing
 Constructivism and the implications
for online learning
 Learners should be active in the learning
processing and not passive
 Learners should construct their own
knowledge rather than receive knowledge
 Collaborative and cooperative learning
should be encouraged to facilitate learning
 Learners should be in control in the
learning process
 Learners should be given time and
opportunity to reflect (1 of 2)
Constructivism and the implications
for online learning
 Learning should be made meaningful to
learners
 Learning should develop personal
meaning (interpretation)
 Situated learning
 Transformative learning
 Radical and Social Constructivism

(2 of 2)
 Assignment 1A
1. Participate in the online discussion using the
Discussion Tool (5)
2. Create an electronic mind map in which you
map your understanding of the three main
theories of learning (10). You need to
attach your file

Due Date: 6 March 2010 15:30

 Discussion: Constructivist
Learning
 I want you to REPLY to this message.
What do you think about a Constructivist
approach to learning? Is it better than a
behaviourist approach? Why, or why not?
 Do you think it is feasible in your context?
(1 mark for each contribution of substance
that you make, five marks max)