5650: Week 5 - Learner-Centered

This week I read an article by Barbara L. McCombs and Donna Vakili entitled A Learner-Centered Framework for E-Learning. This article was based around the idea of making sure elearning is learner-centered, and it can be made so by following certain principles. In the article they said that changes in 21st-century education “alters the purpose of education to that of helping learners communicate with others, find relevant and accurate information for the task at hand, and be colearners and partners with teachers and peers in diverse settings and learning communities that go beyond school walls” (p.1582). Learners are expected to be more involved in what they learn and how, so there comes a need to motivate them to take responsibility for their learning. They say that learner-centered is more of a dual focus on the learner himself with a focus on learning. This goes a long way from the idea of students sitting passively in a classroom taking in information. Now it is important to research how new technology and new methods of teaching and learning can be implemented to help students achieve their highest potential.

A big part of what the article talks about is the social aspect. I think this is an important point and have noticed how helpful it has been while taking online courses to be able to discuss ideas and projects with peers. It feels less isolated to have classmates there and to be able to communicate via email or eCollege (or even tools like Twitter) with the professor to get help and guidance. Having this support system can be a great motivator for students. McCombes and Vakili say that “research also shows that learning is enhanced in contexts where learners have supportive relationships, have a sense of ownership and control over the learning process, and can learn with and from each other in safe and trusting learning environments” (p.1586).

Towards the end of the article there is a list of principals and ideas for making elearning more effective and learner-centered. One that I found jumped out was under the motivational and affective factors. It says to “avoid the assumption that online learners are those who prefer less personal contact with instructors, are independent learners, have high motivation to learn, are self-disciplined, and have high personal self-efficacy; this assumption is not warranted for a growing number of students” (p.1592). When designing elearning it is most definitely important to remember who the students are and how they actually work so that the program can be more effective and serve its purpose well.