Student learning ecologies in online higher education: a model to support connected learning across contexts

Abstract

As individuals face the challenge of rapidly changing and increasingly diversified study and work environments, online higher education (OHE) has become a mainstream solution for pre-service teachers and working professionals. Both universities and students have had to navigate connected, collaborative and globally networked learning scenarios. Focus has been placed on how to meet the needs of students who are re-entering university as lifelong learners with varying learning trajectories, professional backgrounds and levels of readiness. Given that connecting university learning to the wider world has been a longstanding challenge in higher education (HE), the motivation of the current study is situated in the well-established problem of integrating formal and informal learning. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to present a model of student learning ecologies in OHE to support connected forms of learning across contexts. The findings present a model which is based on the results from a mixed methods exploratory sequential design, which features data integration through a joint-visual display. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications and value of the model for OHE research and program development, as well as the capacity for transfer to other educational contexts.