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PR Log - Global Press Release Distribution

Implications of Constructivism with Online Instruction

By Cynthia Joffrion

Dated: Jul 24, 2010

The purpose of this paper is to provide salient evidence that supports the implementation of the

constructivist theory in conjunction with online instruction.

The purpose of this paper is to provide salient evidence that supports the implementation of the

constructivist theory in conjunction with online instruction. Many argue that online instruction requires a

qualitatively new pedagogy built on a unique relationship between the instructor and the learners (Hung,

2002). Recently, the constructivist theory has received increased attention related to online instruction. In

fact, online learning is the newest form of distance education and is growing rapidly (Moabite, 1997). This

is due to the advancement of the Internet and the increased growth of online course offerings. The United

States Department of Education (2000) recently reported that the Internet promotes an e-learning agenda as

the centerpiece of our nations education policy. As a result, many educators are rethinking many aspectsof instructional delivery and looking to educational theory to guide them in the right direction its relation to

the relevant theory.

Educators now are focusing their attention towards teaching and learning theories, such as constructivism,

that can be applied to the online courses. According to Driscoll (2005), implementing constructivist

strategies with online instruction can be very effective as opposed to other media; therefore, it is important

to examine the relationship of constructivist theory to online instruction. There are numerous positive

reasons for the implementation of the constructivist theory in online instruction. The remainder of this

paper will review the constructivist theory and its application within the online instructional setting in terms

of online interactivity, course room design, facilitated learning, and teacher-student roles.

Online Interactivity

A key area of focus related to online instruction is the degree of interactivity experienced by online

learners compared to the traditional classroom instruction. Applying the constructivist theory in both

settings, it is evident that both the traditional classroom and the online classroom focus on the learners

control of learning processes, and they both narrow the gap between the school world and real-life society.

The online environment provides a more conducive setting for implementing the constructivist model. The

primary reason for this is the interactivity available in the online setting allows for enhanced social

interaction.

In the traditional classroom, social interaction is varied, but it is predominately teacher to student.

Occasionally, students work in groups or engage in an experiential learning activity. In this setting, the

social face-to-face interaction is important to the learning process. In contrast, the social interaction in the

online course room is profoundly different. The interactions occur through online discussions, e-mailcommunications, instructors feedback, classmates feedback, group class projects, and browsing different

online sites. These types of interacts substitute for the traditional face-to-face, but in contrasting online

instruction with traditional instruction, the online learning environments provide much greater freedom of

control to the user (Laurillard, 1998). For social constructivists, learning should involve interaction with

other people or environments, which fosters potential development through instructors guidance or in

collaboration with more capable peers (Huang, 2002). In addition, constructivists are known for stressing

learners ownership of the learning process, experiential learning, and a problem-solving approach to

learning (Knowles et al., 1998). Therefore, the online course room provides an optimum environment to

apply the constructivist theories by allowing student control in an interactive environment.

Online interactions are deemed by research to be just as effective if they are well designed and foster

interactivity through the online community. The institute for Higher Education Policy (2000) identified

several benchmarks of quality for online courses. Two benchmarks which target the teacher and student

interacts were identified. First, student interactions with faculty and other students are an essential

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