This learning object tries to demonstrate how the theory of cooperative freedom may influence a student on taking an online course at NKI. This work is a result of my research for for Unit1 "Cooperative Freedom" of the course "Pedagogical Processes for elearning"

1. Unit 1 of 3
Processos Pedagógicos em eLearning
Mestrado Pedagogia do eLearning

2. This is Erica. She lives in Norway and
she is thinking about her academic
future.
She finished her graduation recently,
but is already looking for a master
degree.
She wants to start working but, at the
same time, continuing her studies.
She heard that online education may
be a good solution for her new
educational goals.
But how is she going to adapt to a
new learning experience?

3. Erica decided to search the
Internet for online courses in
Norway and found Norwegian
Knowledge Institute (NKI).
http://www.nki.no/
But what could Erica expect
from online education from
NKI?
NKI is Scandinavia’s largest provider of
distance education and among the European
Megaproviders of online education.
Having 14.000 students, about two thirds of
the students are enrolled in NKI’s more than
450 online courses.

4. To support their online students,
NKI operates a self-developed
LMS system named SESAM.
It is developed to support
cooperative freedom
and
transparency
in a large-scale NKI facilitates individual freedom
online education By doing within a learning community in which
environment. this online students serve as mutual
resources without being dependent on
each other.

5. The pedagogical approach of NKI for
How to online education is based on the
combine this
learning Theory of Cooperative Freedom,
styles? developed by Morten Paulsen
The theory claims that
adult students:
Seek individual flexibility
and freedom.
Others may need or
prefer
cooperation and social
unity.

6. Challenge:
How to help those who are
interested in cooperation to
engage in a network of
learners and learning
resources?
The Theory of Cooperative Freedom is
And to stimulate the rest to based on the following three pillars:
contribute to the learning
community? 1. Promoting individual flexibility.
2. Voluntary, but attractive
participation.
3. Promoting affinity to the learning
community.

7. But how is this pedagogical
philosophy going to influence
Erica’s learning progress ?
How is she going to:
Prepare her study? Individual
Organize her study time? flexibility
Keep motivated? Cooperation
Interact with other and social unity
students?

8. Students may prefer to study
during the weekends, at night or
whenever they have time
available.
A high level of freedom allows
students to communicate
whenever it is convenient for
them.
An LMS is available 24 hours a
day, 365 days a year.
It gives instantaneous access to
information whenever it is
convenient for the students.
Erica can study whenever she wants

9. Distance education programs
with a high level of freedom let
students choose where they
want to study.
Some may want to meet in a
classroom with their peers,
while others prefer to study at
home, at work, or wherever a
busy life situates them.
An LMS can be accessed
worldwide, wherever there is a
Internet connection.
Erica can study wherever she wants

10. Pacing implies meeting deadlines
for starting a course, for
examinations, and for
assignments.
Deadline should be flexible
allowing students to set the
deadlines or select one of several
deadlines.
Students should be allowed to
spend the time they require to
complete a course and to decide
when to start a course and how
fast to progress in it.
Erica can study at her own pace

11. Programs with a high level of
freedom provide students with
access to several media or
sources of information:
print, video, web, online
meetings, chats, social networks,
etc.
This approach will support
different learning styles and
prevent exclusion of students
lacking access to, or knowledge
of, high technology media.
Erica can select her study materials

12. Programs that aspire to a high
level of freedom must eliminate
discrimination on the basis of
social class, entry qualifications,
gender, age, ethnicity, or
occupation.
Students should decide for
themselves whether they are
capable of pursuing the course of
study.
With the massive dissemination of
Internet access, more people learn
from using computers at home,
school, or work.
Erica can access new learning opportunities

13. A high level of freedom allows
students to choose among a
range of courses and to transfer
credits between programs and
universities.
Online Education has the
potential to enhance
inter-college collaboration,
allowing students to select their
curriculum.
Erica can select what she wants to learn

14. Erica is very pleased with the
learning opportunity offered by
NKI.
She found an educational
philosophy that offers individual
flexibility and freedom, just like
she needed.
But at the same time, she wants to
seek group collaboration and social
unity with other online students.
But how will she achieve unity and
cooperation?

15. In the following units I‘ll try to show how Erica is
going to develop her learning activities in NKI:
Unit 2: Online Teaching Techniques.
Unit 3: Transparency in Online Education.

16. This work was based on the following bibliography:
Paulsen, Morten Flate. “The Hexagon Of Cooperative
Freedom: A Distance Education Theory Attunedto Computer
Conferencing.” The DistanceEducation Online Symposium
DEOSNEWS, 1993, Vol. 3 No. 2 edition.
http://www.nettskolen.com/forskning/21/hexagon.html.
Paulsen, Morten Flate. “Cooperative Online Education.”
Seminar.net. http://www.seminar.net/index.php/volume-4-
issue-2-2008-previousissuesmeny-124/100-cooperative-
online-education.
Hugo Domingos
www.visualcv.com/hugodom