Theoretical and Empirical Foundations of Connected Learning at Virginia Commonwealth University

Theoretical and empirical foundations of connected learning as

practiced at VCU

Laura Gogia, MD @Googleguacamole – www.lauragogia.com

Academic Learning Transformation LabVirginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA

Slides: http://www.slideshare.net/LauraGogia/

Additional Resources:Rampages.us/connectedlearningcollection

Let’s start from the beginning.

The VCU quality enhancement plan aspires to learning that matters, or generalizable

education: “education that has substantial and lasting impact beyond any particular course,

major, or degree.”http://sacs.vcu.edu/quality-enhancement-plan/Photo Credit: http://graduate.admissions.vcu.edu/why/

The QEP identifies two learning goals: Integrative Thinking & Digital Fluency

http://sacs.vcu.edu/quality-enhancement-plan/

Photo Credit: http://graduate.admissions.vcu.edu/why/

Identified educational approach:Exploring the intersection of connected & open

http://sacs.vcu.edu/quality-enhancement-plan/

Photo Credit: http://graduate.admissions.vcu.edu/why/

VCU: “Learning that matters”

Integrative Thinking

Digital Fluency

Connectivity(Experiential Learning)

Open Education

Connected Learning

Emergence Theory

Social Constructivism

Connectivism

Progressive Education

1. EDUCATIONAL APPROACH

2. LEARNING GOALS

Course Design:Openness—Creativity—Participation—Agency

Social Learning

Knowledge Transfer

Constructivism

Cognitivism

Connectivism

http://rampages.us/connectedlearningcollection/2016/01/04/the-connectivity-model/

http://rampages.us/connectedlearningcollection/2015/11/12/considerations-for-connected-learning-course-design/

3. Pedagogical Strategies

Personal Learning Networks

E-portfoliosRam

Pages

ConnectivityDigital Fluency Integrative Thinking

4. Evaluation&Assessment Strategies(for Connectivity)

Student Use of Annotation Devices

Hyperlinks

Embedding

Mentions

Hashtags

In terms of

Rubrics

Dashboards

Network Maps

Consistent with Connectivity Learning

Outcomes & my research findings

http://rampages.us/connectedlearningcollection/2016/01/04/connectivity-based-learning-goals/


Educational Approach: Intersection Between Open & Connected

Open Education

Connected Learning

• Edu-Equality and Access• Networked Participation• Self-determined Learning• Active Learning• Authentic Experiences

VCU

OPEN EDUCATION

MISSION

THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS

PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH

MISSION:

The development & promotion of high quality, democratic, sustainable, & scalable education

through open educational resources & practices.

(Veletsianos & Kimmons, 2012)

OPEN EDUCATION

MISSION



Open educators tend to cite social constructivism

Knowledge construction through relationships between individuals; individuals & societies &

cultures; individuals & technologies

Bruner, 1966; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Vygotsky, 1980

OPEN EDUCATION

MISSION



In addition, open education is closely tied to digital technologies.

Digital spaces are the default environments of most open education discussions.

OPEN EDUCATION

MISSION



The digital nature of open education is supported by emergence theory.

(Engelbart, 1963; McLuhan, 1967; Siemens, 2004; Veletsianos, 2010)

Emergence Technologies:• Co-evolve with the humans who use them• Exist in a state of “coming into being”• Not necessarily new, but not fully researched• Digital networks and pedagogies are examples of

emergence technologies because the over abundance of information is altering the way we think learn and act even as we continue to innovate.

(Engelbart, 1963; McLuhan, 1967; Siemens, 2004; Veletsianos, 2010)

OPEN EDUCATION

MISSION



Open Education Perspective: The integration of the digital into formal learning environments is not an optional thing. Without it, formal learning environments will eventually become irrelevant to the world in which they exist.

White, Connaway, Lanclos, Hood, & Vass, 2015

OPEN EDUCATION

MISSION



Connectivism is a digitally-situated augmentation for social constructivism

Downes, 2006; Siemens, 2004

Connectivism argues that learning is networked on three levels:

• Neural - Dendrites, axons & synapses • Schema - Heuristics for storage & retrieval• Environmental - Social interactions

OPEN EDUCATION

MISSION



Networks are embodied by the creation, preservation, & utilization of information flow (workflow) that takes place within & between them. Learners should focus

on developing workflows rather than memorizing static content.

Barbarasi, 2002; Gleick, 1987; Downes, 2006; Siemens, 2004

OPEN EDUCATION

MISSION



Learners must develop capacity to make decisions about filtering, curating, & connecting pieces of information within rapidly shifting environments

around them.

Downes, 2006; Siemens, 2004

AGGREGATION: Collecting from the information stream

ORGANIZATION: Filtering information to

make it manageable

ANALYSIS: Understanding implications &

critiquing sources

REPURPOSING: Synthesizing & transforming

information pieces

FEEDING FORWARD: Sharing new

knowledge to receive feedback & assist

others

Connectivist Workflow

Downes, 2008; Kop, 2011

CONNECTEDLEARNING ALLIANCE

MISSION



MISSION: To design and advocate for the use of digital

technologies in ways that improve educational equity and opportunity for all young people.

http://clalliance.org/who-we-are/


MISSION



The Connected Learning approach to student success:• Increasing student engagement• Diversifying pathways to academic &

professional success



MISSION



Educators & students must begin to value, discuss, & incorporate student agency as well as student hobbies, passions, & peer activities into formal academic environments.



MISSION



“Learning Lives:”The compilation of informal & formal learning

experiences that makes up the student’s learner identity.

Kumpulainen & Seton-Green, 2014


MISSION



Ito et al., 2013

“Progressive education for the digital age”Dewey & Montessori

Student Agency – Production & ExperiencePurposeful Interactions with the Environment

Putting it together: The intersection of open education &

connected learning

Fostering student engagement with opportunities for active & social learning

through acts of digitally networked participation.

Educational inclusivity & relevance though theintegration of informal & formal learning &

recognition of the co-evolutionary qualities of digital networks & technologies

VCU: “Learning that matters”

Integrative Thinking

Digital Fluency

Connectivity(Experiential Learning)

Open Education

Connected Learning

Emergence Theory

Social Constructivism

Connectivism

Progressive Education

1. EDUCATIONAL APPROACH

2. LEARNING GOALS

Course Design:Openness—Creativity—Participation—Agency

Social Learning

Knowledge Transfer

Constructivism

Cognitivism

Connectivism

http://rampages.us/connectedlearningcollection/2016/01/04/the-connectivity-model/

http://rampages.us/connectedlearningcollection/2015/11/12/considerations-for-connected-learning-course-design/

DIGITAL FLUENCY

Ability to leverage digital processes to develop

productive, meaningful, & flexible workflows within

& across networks of people and platforms.

(Jenkins et al., 2009)

INTEGRATIVE THINKING

Ability to embrace the existence of multiple

perspectives & generate creative solutions that move all stakeholders

beyond the tensions that lie between them.

(Sill, 2001)

CONNECTIVITY

The ability to make connections with people and across concepts, space, and time to create cohesive

meaning and inform future action.

CONNECTIVITY

SOCIAL LEARNING THEORIESBandura, Bruner, Harel & Papert, Lave & Wenger, Mezirow, Vygotsky

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFERBransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2010; Anderson, Krathwohl, & Bloom, 2001)

SCHEMA THEORY & THRESHOLD CONCEPTSAusubel, Bruner, Downes, Meyer & Land, Novak & Canas, Piaget, Vygotsky

People

Concepts

Space and Time

CONNECTIVITY



E-portfoliosRam

Pages


4. Documentation Strategies(for Connectivity)


Hyperlinks

Embedding

Mentions

Hashtags

In terms of

Rubrics

Dashboards

Network Maps

Consistent with Connectivity Learning Outcomes & Research

Findings



What is a Personal Learning Network?

Pedagogy

Sociology

Technology

Self-designed, self-initiated systems meant to support life-long learning through the development of digital learning communities

A platform for having voice and being significant in a global, multi-way conversation.

A savvy use of a combination of search engines, websites, self-publishing, and social networking sites to support information gathering and dissemination.

(Ching, Santo, Hoadley, & Peppler, 2015)

Three ways to think about personal learning networks.

People & Topics

Digital Platforms

Workflow

(Cormier, 2010)

People & Topics in my Twitter Network

Digital Scholarship

Networked Learning

Open Education

Connected Learning

Higher Education

Social Justice

Social Network Analysis Strategies

Medical Education

PLN workflowI participate in the Twitter component of a c-MOOC.

Through my participation, I become recognized as someone researching connected learning for her doctoral work.

I share my mock prospectus slides on my blog (via an embed from slideshare.net)

I advertise my blog post on Twitter, using the c-MOOC hashtag.

I notice a trend in the comments (both on my blog and Twitter) towards an interesting research question.

I propose the research question and summarize the comments through a Storify (which I publish on my blog and promote through Twitter).

Several scholars express interest; we communicate through google plus and arrange times for regular google hangouts.

We collaborate via google hangout and google docs towards a conference proposal and publications.

The same people with whom I tweet in the c-MOOC look at my presentation and provide feedback through comments.

Key Points about PLNs

Personal Learning Networks can support a number of public & private, peer & mentoring interactions.

These scenarios put people with different skill sets and levels of experience together for rich learning experiences

These mentoring scenarios span geographic distances, which can be particularly helpful for marginalized voices or niche interests.

They belong to the student not the institution, so they have access to them at all times.

Cormier 2010; Ito et al., 2013

E-Portfolios

Digital, electronic, or e-portfolios help students demonstrate coherence and integrated learning

while developing a sense for connections, reflectiveness, and intellectual community.

Definition

Affordances

(St. Olaf College, 2015)

E-Portfolios

Definition

Affordances

Public writing

• When students write in public, they engage with the concept of writing for an audience.

• The commenting feature of blogging allows for peer as well as instructor feedback on work

(Deng & Yuen, 2011)

E-Portfolios

Definition

Affordances

Embedded, multimodal expression

Opportunities for connectivity, creativity, illustration, metaphor, imagery, and the development of aesthetic sensibilities.

(Yancey, McElroy, & Powers, 2012)

E-Portfolios

Definition

Affordances

Hyperlinking

Hyperlinks connect the main content of the post with other web documents to provide source, background,

or supportive information.

(Gao, Li, and Zhang, 2012)

E-Portfolios

Definition

Affordances

Hyperlinking

As students order and re-order, link, unlink, and relink their learning points and accomplishments,

unexpected patterns and connections emerge across academic achievements, professional pursuits, and

personal interests. (Yancey, 2004)

E-Portfolios

Definition

Affordances

Categories & Tags

Organizing systems that allow bloggers to label, order, or filter and provide options building narrative and

forging connections across posts.

(Efimova & DeMoor, 2005))



E-portfoliosRam

Pages


4. Documentation Strategies(for Connectivity)


Hyperlinks

Embedding

Mentions

Hashtags

In terms of

Rubrics

Dashboards

Network Maps

Consistent with Connectivity Learning Outcomes & Research

Findings



Theoretical and Empirical Foundations of Connected Learning at Virginia Commonwealth University

Education

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