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8/9/2019 10814380 Implications of Constructivism With Online Instruction
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PR Log - Global Press Release Distribution
Implications of Constructivism with Online Instruction
By Cynthia Joffrion
Dated: Jul 24, 2010
The purpose of this paper is to provide salient evidence that supports the implementation of the
constructivist theory in conjunction with online instruction.
The purpose of this paper is to provide salient evidence that supports the implementation of the
constructivist theory in conjunction with online instruction. Many argue that online instruction requires a
qualitatively new pedagogy built on a unique relationship between the instructor and the learners (Hung,
2002). Recently, the constructivist theory has received increased attention related to online instruction. In
fact, online learning is the newest form of distance education and is growing rapidly (Moabite, 1997). This
is due to the advancement of the Internet and the increased growth of online course offerings. The United
States Department of Education (2000) recently reported that the Internet promotes an e-learning agenda as
the centerpiece of our nations education policy. As a result, many educators are rethinking many aspectsof instructional delivery and looking to educational theory to guide them in the right direction its relation to
the relevant theory.
Educators now are focusing their attention towards teaching and learning theories, such as constructivism,
that can be applied to the online courses. According to Driscoll (2005), implementing constructivist
strategies with online instruction can be very effective as opposed to other media; therefore, it is important
to examine the relationship of constructivist theory to online instruction. There are numerous positive
reasons for the implementation of the constructivist theory in online instruction. The remainder of this
paper will review the constructivist theory and its application within the online instructional setting in terms
of online interactivity, course room design, facilitated learning, and teacher-student roles.
Online Interactivity
A key area of focus related to online instruction is the degree of interactivity experienced by online
learners compared to the traditional classroom instruction. Applying the constructivist theory in both
settings, it is evident that both the traditional classroom and the online classroom focus on the learners
control of learning processes, and they both narrow the gap between the school world and real-life society.
The online environment provides a more conducive setting for implementing the constructivist model. The
primary reason for this is the interactivity available in the online setting allows for enhanced social
interaction.
In the traditional classroom, social interaction is varied, but it is predominately teacher to student.
Occasionally, students work in groups or engage in an experiential learning activity. In this setting, the
social face-to-face interaction is important to the learning process. In contrast, the social interaction in the
online course room is profoundly different. The interactions occur through online discussions, e-mailcommunications, instructors feedback, classmates feedback, group class projects, and browsing different
online sites. These types of interacts substitute for the traditional face-to-face, but in contrasting online
instruction with traditional instruction, the online learning environments provide much greater freedom of
control to the user (Laurillard, 1998). For social constructivists, learning should involve interaction with
other people or environments, which fosters potential development through instructors guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers (Huang, 2002). In addition, constructivists are known for stressing
learners ownership of the learning process, experiential learning, and a problem-solving approach to
learning (Knowles et al., 1998). Therefore, the online course room provides an optimum environment to
apply the constructivist theories by allowing student control in an interactive environment.
Online interactions are deemed by research to be just as effective if they are well designed and foster
interactivity through the online community. The institute for Higher Education Policy (2000) identified
several benchmarks of quality for online courses. Two benchmarks which target the teacher and student
interacts were identified. First, student interactions with faculty and other students are an essential
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