Foundations of Educational Theory for Online Learning

Abstract

This chapter will explore the implications of courseware design and use in online learning environments for not only individual learner expectations but also expectations of the learning community as a whole. The concept of context density and its importance in formal online learning environments will be stressed. It will be argued that the lack of adumbrations in online communication necessitates explicit communication by participants in the process of co-creating meaning and context density. From this focus on the context embedded in online learning environments the discussion will zoom out to view the larger learning landscape through a wider lens, i.e. the context within which online learning is taking place for individual learners and the global society. While technology offers us the potential to create real change in our approaches to education, such change can only be realized if we proceed with reflective awareness. Before we can see such change, we must be willing to question our assumptions about what we have done so far and envision the truly different, the new model that makes the existing model obsolete in Buckminster Fullers words. A change in education is not inherent in our new technology; it must be a manifestation of the world in our collective imagination.