Online Learning in the Digital Age: A Connectivist Viewpoint

Connectivism is a concept that we have all encountered over the last decade in our exploration of educational practices. But how much do we really understand about the idea? In this presentation session, we will be sharing various aspects of the ‘theory’ of Connectivism. As educators, we are all familiar with the stalwart, traditional learning theories – behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. But in this session, we look towards the future to explore a theory that is emerging with the expansion of online learning in the digital age, yet one that does not seem to be universally understood. Connectivism very directly relates to the focus of TCC 2016 by describing how learning technology “has reshaped how we engage students in teaching, learning and creativity” and especially how learners create and communicate new meaning in the networked environment of our online communities.

Our goal is to present an overview of Connectivism, providing definitions through the words of its founding fathers, and then balance this information with some of the strengths and weaknesses as illustrated by researchers. We summarize several, specific learning applications by way of research studies in order to provide a sense of how Connectivism is being actualized in the field, how it is harnessing Web 2.0 tools to transform learning in online communities. We then further suggest how Connectivism has implications in various aspects of life. We end with insights and reflections on Connectivism. Please join us in this exploration.