Communities of Learning and Constructivist Learning Environments

In our module on E-Learning theories this week, we looked at Communities of Learning and how they support and enhance Learners' experiences. One of the recommended readings suggested to us was Jonassen's piece on developing constructivist learning environments. These topics gave me significant pause for thought during the past few days.

Communities of Learning

A Community of Learning is where the students of a course collaborate, sharing ideas, knowledge and experiences to facilitate a higher level of learning throughout the entire group. One of the best examples I can think of is the forums we as a class use to discuss the course, primarily the module-specific discussions on UL's virtual learning environment SULIS and our class Facebook group. In both of these places, students discuss assignments, seek advice on issues that they are having and provide feedback to other members. Even in the short six months that we have been using these methods, the advantages are clear to see.

As a group, being able to easily share our ideas has helped us all to learn from each other. As the class comes from a wide variety of backgrounds, we each bring our own unique experiences to discussions. This sharing of perspectives has opened up new interpretations of material which would not have been initially apparent to the individual. These forums have also been invaluable in terms of solving any problems we may be having with the coursework. Answers to questions or concerns posted in these text-based settings are ideal as they require forethought before submitting and they remain visible permanently (rather than disappearing into the ether as a casual chat would). I believe this has made those of us who participate in these conversations engage with the subjects to a much superior degree than we otherwise might have, were we solely working independently.

Constructivist Learning Environments

Communities of Learning are a crucial feature of a Constructivist Learning Environment according to Jonassen. Further, the piece suggests that another important factor is that the Learner must reflect on their learning. They must stand back and objectively analyse their performance. It struck me for the first time that that is precisely what this blog assignment seems to be aiming to achieve. Regular reflection on our experiences of the MA programme will help us form a deeper understanding of what it is we are learning. 

Admittedly, I had not considered this when our lecturer set out this work. It was fascinating to read the theory behind what we are being asked to do. It serves as a lesson to me for when I am developing my own E-Learning course in the coming months. I will need to be conscious of trying to provide as much context as possible as to why the topics I am attempting to teach are essential to the participant. I believe I have also gained a greater appreciation for this very blog. I will be intrigued at the end of the semester to reread these posts to examine my assessment of my performance amid the programme versus those I have once the course concludes.

Taking an Alternative Route

A project we have been working on this semester is to develop a digital learning resource. Presented with a complex topic, of which few (if any) of the class have prior knowledge, we need to research the subject and develop our solution. The goal here is, in my opinion, very worthwhile. Being able to implement a solution on a problem we are not experts in is an excellent reflection of what our future careers may involve should we choose to go down this route. Gaining experience interacting with subject matter experts (SMEs), learning how to research a topic and figuring out how to obtain more information from said experts are clearly essential skills for anyone involved in E-Learning or Technical Writing to possess and strengthen.

Unfortunately, this week I felt it was necessary to make the decision to take the alternate path which was offered to us by our lecturer. That route was the option of selecting an area of personal interest for development if we found the prescribed topic overly challenging. After battling with the assigned subject matter for over a week and being still very much at square one in terms of my understanding, I needed to admit that I simply didn't "get" it. Not only was I unable to comprehend the topic, but I was also failing even to gain enough basic knowledge to be able to ask the SME follow-up questions to increase my understanding.

So in the end, I have opted to develop a resource on a subject with which I'm far more comfortable. Or at least a topic I'm far more confident about being able to research to a satisfactory level. Taking one of the goals of the assignment into account, I deliberately chose a topic which lay a little outside my comfort zone. This compromise should still enable me to learn those valuable skills outlined earlier (although, regrettably, I will no longer have access to an SME to consult), while simultaneously being pragmatic about my capabilities and personal goals regarding the overall MA programme.

This post may read like an admission of outright failure or as an admonishment of the assignment itself. Nothing could be further from my intentions.

I'm a firm believer that as long as one learns from a set-back, it has been a useful experience. I have definitely learned significant lessons from this experience. I've learned that it's important to challenge myself and step outside of my preferred subjects when it comes to choosing projects. In industry, one will not always have the choice to focus on their preferred topics. I've also learned that it's vital not to take on more than I can handle and explore alternative routes when they exist. I believe I can still obtain valuable experience from this assignment by choosing a more manageable area for my focus. At the same time, opting to take this path will prevent this project from becoming overwhelming, which would inevitably be to the detriment of other work.

So while it never feels good to admit your limitations, I think this experience has been thoroughly rewarding. I can now proceed with the assignment with more confidence and will hopefully have a dramatically improved final product as a result.