TOPICAL LEARNING PARADIGMS FOR ONLINE EDUCATION

Abstract

Affordances of information-communication technology enable faculty to migrate the face-to-face courses into an online environment within a rapid time frame. Leaning problems are approached from varied theoretical perspectives. An eclectic approach to teaching and learning could combine a traditional educational perspective with the perspectives of constructivism, social constructivism, sociocultural theory and experientialism. The vital factors in online education are teacher guidance, collaboration with peers, social interaction, language, culture, the structured activity of instruction, teaching methods, assessment of the evolving cognitive capacities in students, feedback, remedial activity, changing environment, recurring patterns, memorization and rote learning. The teacher is a facilitator in the learning process. The learner is active in gaining knowledge. Mediation between the learner and the material to be learned is carried out through the teacher and organized learning activity. Discourse is an educational focus. Thought is seen as internalized discourse. Reality is a personal concept as every person constructs their own version of reality. Knowledge is a social construct. Social and individual processes are interdependent in the construction of knowledge. Meaning and thought are embodied. People are not free to think anything as the same neural and cognitive mechanisms are involved in perception, movement, conceptualization and reasoning.