Synapsys Blog - March 2004

Constructivism and Online Education

This is the first entry in our new category, learning theory. We find it incredibly interesting to see how ideas about learning that have been around for decades are finding a home in the eLearning universe. Constructivism is one theory that is often bandied about in online learning circles, but how often are learners really constructing their own knowledge? This is a paper by Peter Doolittle from 1999 that addresses the opportunity and scores online learning across various constructivist dimensions.

http://edpsychserver.ed.vt.edu/workshops/tohe1999/text/doo2s.pdf

Learning in Communities

This is a great article by Stephen Downes covering many of the basics related to fostering community, and reminding us just how powerful a learning tool they can be.

He also makes some great points about the practice of tacking 'community features' onto courses, only to have the communities die when the course ends. His proposal is that the community be central to the learning experience and traditional course content peripheral. Interesting ideas.

http://www.learnscope.anta.gov.au

The Problems with Training (and What to Do About It)

This essay sums up a lot of important principles in the creation of training, mainly related to motivation and engagement. The authors, Scott Berkun and Vanessa Longacre, ran training events at Microsoft, so you could say they've had a bit of experience...

"...we learned that there are two essential ingredients in great learning experiences: A team of smart energetic people committed to doing something good, and a thoughtful plan, crafted with creative energy and smart logistical planning."

More here:

http://www.uiweb.com/issues/issue29.htm