Online Learning: Concepts, Strategies, and Application / Edition 1

by Nada Dabbagh, Brenda Bannan-Ritland

Overview

Online Learning: Concepts, Strategies, and Application is based on the principles of learning as a social process. It details a journey from theory to practice, informing the design of powerful and engaging online learning environments. A consistent theme in this book is the interaction between pedagogical models, instructional strategies, and learning technologies. This process is embedded in a flexible, yet systematic and integrative instructional design framework that enables the reader to envision, plan for, and implement customized instructional designs for online learning.

Features of this text:

• Three-part organization: Part I offers theory, research, and pedagogy as groundwork leading to Part II, which provides specific instructional design methods and strategies. Part III discusses the history and future of instructional technologies and gives readers the tools and techniques with which to select the appropriate e-Learning delivery applications.
• Authentic scenarios related to the design, development, and implementation of online learning in higher education contexts, schools, and corporate settings are provided at the beginning of each chapter, providing real-world relevance to the chapter content.
• Learning activities at the end of each chapter engage students in applying online learning concepts and strategies in real-world contexts. For Chapters 2, 3, 5, 6, and 9, these learning activities are completed on the interactive companion website at www.prenhall.com/dabbagh , where students browse interactive tables, download PDF files, and examine an array of examples of instructional contexts and cases for analysis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780130325464
Publisher:	Pearson
Publication date:	05/12/2004
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.05(h) x 0.94(d)

Read an Excerpt

Online Learning: Concepts, Strategies, and Application offers a unique approach to thinking about teaching and learning in online and Web-based contexts. Beginning with a conceptualization of online learning based on the principles of learning as a social process and globalization, the book meticulously details a journey from theory to practice,. informing the design of powerful and engaging online learning environments. A consistent theme in this book is the interaction among pedagogical models, instructional strategies, and learning technologies. This process is embedded in an integrative instructional design framework that is dynamic, iterative, and transformative, which enables the instructional developer, online instructor, school teacher, or educator to envision, plan for, and implement customized instructional designs for online learning.

This book was written after several years of designing, developing, researching, teaching, and implementing technology in online and distributed learning contexts. The proliferation of course management and learning management systems developed to deliver Web-based instruction and training in higher education, school, and corporate settings led us (the authors) to closely examine the instructional use of such systems on the basis of theory, research, and applied practice. The book reflects the results of this examination and our views on how course management systems and other online learning technologies can be used to design flexible and engaging learner-centered online learning environments.

The book title, Online Learning: Concepts, Strategies, and Application, reflects the theory-into-practice methodology we adopted when we were thinking about and presenting the content. Moving from the conceptual to the concrete, Chapters 1-3 cover the theoretical, pedagogical, and technological constructs contributing to the emergence of online learning, the online learner, and the online instructor, and the ensuing research implications. In Chapters 4-7, we discuss instructional design for online learning, providing the reader with a systematic yet flexible process that capitalizes on the interaction among pedagogical models, instructional strategies, and learning technologies. This process enables novices and experts to engage in systematic, effective, and contextualized online learning design. Chapters 8-9 provide a discussion of the evolution of authoring systems—from their use in developing computer-based instruction to Web-based instruction—and the emerging nature of course management and learning management systems. This discussion provides the reader with a thorough understanding of past, present, and future instructional technologies and a comprehensive set of tools and techniques with which to select appropriate e-learning delivery applications and implement online learning in multiple contexts.

In this book, we attempt to contextualize the content to three main educational settings: higher learning, K-12 school, and corporate training. Whether you are a teacher, an instructor, a professor, an instructional developer, a trainer, an educator, an administrator, or a graduate student, Online Learning: Concepts, Strategies, and Application will contribute in a unique way to your understanding, implementation, and delivery of online learning. Its nine chapters and interactive companion Web site can be consulted individually or collectively according to need and context. Briefly, Chapter 1 covers the evolution of distance education from pedagogical and technological perspectives and presents a theoretical framework for thinking about online learning based on learning as a social process and the impact of globalization on sociocultural practices. Several pedagogical and technological constructs for online learning are also discussed in this chapter. In Chapter 2, we describe the roles and competencies of the online learner and the online instructor and the learning affordances and logistical and implementation challenges that learning technologies present for the learner and the instructor in online learning. The chapter also covers institutional and administrative challenges associated with online learning, including copyright and intellectual property issues as they relate to electronic media and online courses. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the current state of research on online learning and a synthesis of specific results for application and consideration in designing, developing, and supporting online learning environments.

Chapter 4 details a systematic process of design and development for online learning environments called the Integrative Learning Design Framework for Online Learning. This framework is grounded in the time-tested processes of traditional instructional design as well as emerging pedagogy, the result of which is an innovative and flexible process for developing online learning environments grounded in learning theory. Based on knowledge acquisition models and learning theories that have permeated the field of instructional design and technology, Chapter 5 covers constructivist-based or learner-centered pedagogical models and includes a description of their instructional characteristics and application in online learning. Moving from models to strategies, in Chapter 6, we present 13 instructional strategies that synthesize the instructional characteristics of constructivist-based pedagogical models and describe their enactment in online learning, using specific learning technologies. Chapter 7 details a systematic process for evaluating online learning based on the developer's goals and contexts. The chapter provides a review of both formal and informal evaluation examples that can inform evaluation efforts involving online learning environments.

Chapter 8 provides an overview of authoring tools, course management systems, and learning content management systems, and their past, present, and future implications for the design and development of learning content and instructional activities. The focus of Chapter 9 is specifically on course management systems. We describe their pedagogical and technological features and provide explicit examples of how these features can be used to support instructional and learning activities in online learning. The chapter also includes guidelines for selecting course management systems from both an institutional perspective and an administrative perspective.

Pedagogical Features

Each chapter contains the following pedagogical features:

• Learning objectives: A set of learning objectives is provided as an advance organizer for the content. Students can use these objectives as a framework for organizing their learning and as an evaluation tool for assessing their understanding after completing the chapter. These objectives can also be used as guidelines for keeping a reflective journal.
• Authentic scenarios: Scenarios related to the design, development, and implementation of online learning in higher education contexts, school settings, and corporate settings are provided at the beginning of each chapter. The scenarios are designed to provide real-world relevance to the chapter content and to activate prior knowledge.
• Prompting questions: Questions related to the scenarios are woven into the chapter text to actively engage the reader in thinking about the concepts and issues discussed.
• Figures and tables: Multiple figures and tables are used throughout the chapters and at the companion Web site to provide visual aids.
• Learning activities: The learning activities at the end of each chapter are designed to promote reflective thinking. Some are linked to the scenarios presented at the beginning of each chapter, others are linked to previous chapter content and activities, and many are linked to the Companion Website, which contains additional examples of the concepts discussed. These learning activities engage students in applying online learning concepts and strategies in real-world contexts. Students can work on them individually or collaboratively (see also the Companion Website).
• Resources: Online resources are provided for each chapter at the Companion Website. These resources can be used for structuring additional learning activities based on the instructor's and/or student's need and context.
• References: This book integrates current theory and research. An extensive list of references is provided at the end of each chapter to support further exploration and research.

Table of Contents

1. What Is Online Learning?

2. The Roles and Competencies of the Online Learner and Online Instructor.

3. Research On Online Learning.

4. Integrative Learning Design Framework for Online Learning Environments.

5. Constructivist-Based Pedagogical Models: Principles, Characteristics, and Online Application.

6. Instructional Strategies and Their Role in Designing Authentic Learning Activities for Online Learning.

7. Evaluation for Online Learning: A Process Model.

8. Authoring Tools: Paradigms, Usage, and Future Implications.

9. Course Management Systems: Pedagogical Features, Selection, and Limitations.

Glossary.

Preface

Online Learning: Concepts, Strategies, and Application offers a unique approach to thinking about teaching and learning in online and Web-based contexts. Beginning with a conceptualization of online learning based on the principles of learning as a social process and globalization, the book meticulously details a journey from theory to practice,. informing the design of powerful and engaging online learning environments. A consistent theme in this book is the interaction among pedagogical models, instructional strategies, and learning technologies. This process is embedded in an integrative instructional design framework that is dynamic, iterative, and transformative, which enables the instructional developer, online instructor, school teacher, or educator to envision, plan for, and implement customized instructional designs for online learning.

This book was written after several years of designing, developing, researching, teaching, and implementing technology in online and distributed learning contexts. The proliferation of course management and learning management systems developed to deliver Web-based instruction and training in higher education, school, and corporate settings led us (the authors) to closely examine the instructional use of such systems on the basis of theory, research, and applied practice. The book reflects the results of this examination and our views on how course management systems and other online learning technologies can be used to design flexible and engaging learner-centered online learning environments.

The book title, Online Learning: Concepts, Strategies, and Application, reflects the theory-into-practice methodology we adopted when we were thinking about and presenting the content. Moving from the conceptual to the concrete, Chapters 1-3 cover the theoretical, pedagogical, and technological constructs contributing to the emergence of online learning, the online learner, and the online instructor, and the ensuing research implications. In Chapters 4-7, we discuss instructional design for online learning, providing the reader with a systematic yet flexible process that capitalizes on the interaction among pedagogical models, instructional strategies, and learning technologies. This process enables novices and experts to engage in systematic, effective, and contextualized online learning design. Chapters 8-9 provide a discussion of the evolution of authoring systems—from their use in developing computer-based instruction to Web-based instruction—and the emerging nature of course management and learning management systems. This discussion provides the reader with a thorough understanding of past, present, and future instructional technologies and a comprehensive set of tools and techniques with which to select appropriate e-learning delivery applications and implement online learning in multiple contexts.

In this book, we attempt to contextualize the content to three main educational settings: higher learning, K-12 school, and corporate training. Whether you are a teacher, an instructor, a professor, an instructional developer, a trainer, an educator, an administrator, or a graduate student, Online Learning: Concepts, Strategies, and Application will contribute in a unique way to your understanding, implementation, and delivery of online learning. Its nine chapters and interactive companion Web site can be consulted individually or collectively according to need and context. Briefly, Chapter 1 covers the evolution of distance education from pedagogical and technological perspectives and presents a theoretical framework for thinking about online learning based on learning as a social process and the impact of globalization on sociocultural practices. Several pedagogical and technological constructs for online learning are also discussed in this chapter. In Chapter 2, we describe the roles and competencies of the online learner and the online instructor and the learning affordances and logistical and implementation challenges that learning technologies present for the learner and the instructor in online learning. The chapter also covers institutional and administrative challenges associated with online learning, including copyright and intellectual property issues as they relate to electronic media and online courses. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the current state of research on online learning and a synthesis of specific results for application and consideration in designing, developing, and supporting online learning environments.

Chapter 4 details a systematic process of design and development for online learning environments called the Integrative Learning Design Framework for Online Learning. This framework is grounded in the time-tested processes of traditional instructional design as well as emerging pedagogy, the result of which is an innovative and flexible process for developing online learning environments grounded in learning theory. Based on knowledge acquisition models and learning theories that have permeated the field of instructional design and technology, Chapter 5 covers constructivist-based or learner-centered pedagogical models and includes a description of their instructional characteristics and application in online learning. Moving from models to strategies, in Chapter 6, we present 13 instructional strategies that synthesize the instructional characteristics of constructivist-based pedagogical models and describe their enactment in online learning, using specific learning technologies. Chapter 7 details a systematic process for evaluating online learning based on the developer's goals and contexts. The chapter provides a review of both formal and informal evaluation examples that can inform evaluation efforts involving online learning environments.

Chapter 8 provides an overview of authoring tools, course management systems, and learning content management systems, and their past, present, and future implications for the design and development of learning content and instructional activities. The focus of Chapter 9 is specifically on course management systems. We describe their pedagogical and technological features and provide explicit examples of how these features can be used to support instructional and learning activities in online learning. The chapter also includes guidelines for selecting course management systems from both an institutional perspective and an administrative perspective.

Pedagogical Features

Each chapter contains the following pedagogical features:

• Learning objectives: A set of learning objectives is provided as an advance organizer for the content. Students can use these objectives as a framework for organizing their learning and as an evaluation tool for assessing their understanding after completing the chapter. These objectives can also be used as guidelines for keeping a reflective journal.
• Authentic scenarios: Scenarios related to the design, development, and implementation of online learning in higher education contexts, school settings, and corporate settings are provided at the beginning of each chapter. The scenarios are designed to provide real-world relevance to the chapter content and to activate prior knowledge.
• Prompting questions: Questions related to the scenarios are woven into the chapter text to actively engage the reader in thinking about the concepts and issues discussed.
• Figures and tables: Multiple figures and tables are used throughout the chapters and at the companion Web site to provide visual aids.
• Learning activities: The learning activities at the end of each chapter are designed to promote reflective thinking. Some are linked to the scenarios presented at the beginning of each chapter, others are linked to previous chapter content and activities, and many are linked to the Companion Website, which contains additional examples of the concepts discussed. These learning activities engage students in applying online learning concepts and strategies in real-world contexts. Students can work on them individually or collaboratively (see also the Companion Website).
• Resources: Online resources are provided for each chapter at the Companion Website. These resources can be used for structuring additional learning activities based on the instructor's and/or student's need and context.
• References: This book integrates current theory and research. An extensive list of references is provided at the end of each chapter to support further exploration and research.

Editorial Reviews

"...its major strength is that it coordinates research with practical concerns about online learning in a systematic way." — David VanEsselstyn, Ph.D., Long Island University, C. W. Post Campus

"The ...text provides more in-depth coverage of online learning than any other books currently available ...This book has the potential to provide a much-needed foundation for a research-based approach to considering online instruction." — S. Kim MacGregor, Ph.D., Louisiana State University

"As it is presently cast, this book will exercise a leadership role in the evolution of the course." — R. Donald Hardy, Troy State University

"This project is the most definitive one I've seen regarding online learning, its history, application, and management." — Ron McBride, Ph.D., Northwestern State University

From the Publisher