This document discusses the progression of online learning from distance education to networked learning aided by advances in technology. It notes that students today are more engaged with social networking and mobile technologies, preferring connected learning over traditional classroom settings. Finally, it outlines implications for Stevens Institute of Technology, including embracing progression towards more asynchronous and networked models of learning that incorporate social networking and student engagement.

1. Learning Goes Social
Presentation to Stevens Institute of Technology’s Web
Campus Board
April 2011
By Pat Sabosik, President and Board Member
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2. Online Learning
 Distance Education
“Distance education or distance learning, is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and
technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not
physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom.” Wikipedia
 Synchronous Learning
“Synchronous learning refers to a group of people learning the same things at the same time in the
Progression
same place. Lecture is an example of synchronous learning in a face-to-face environment and with the
advent of web conferencing tools, people can learn at the same time in different places as well. “ Wikipedia
 Asynchronous Learning
“Asynchronous learning is a student-centered teaching method that uses online learning resources to
facilitate information sharing outside the constraints of time and place among a network of people[1].
Asynchronous learning is based on constructivist theory, a student-centered approach that emphasizes
the importance of peer-to-peer interactions.” Wikipedia
 Networked Learning
“Socially networked collaborative learning extends some of the most established practices, virtues, and
dispositional habits of individualized learning. include taking turns in speaking, posing questions,
listening to and hearing others out. Networked learning, however, goes beyond these conversational
rules to include correcting others, being open to being corrected oneself, and working together to
fashion workarounds… “ Future of Learning Institutions in a Digital Age, MIT Press
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3. Students’ Communications Technology Use Increases
Net Generation students
have more actively integrated
Social networking into their
lives than older students.
Social Networking Services
(SNS) like Facebook and
Twitter increased as Instant
Messaging decreased
showing preference for
SNS tools
Source: ECAR Research Study 6 , 2009; Students and Information Technology, 2009. Figure 4-9
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ers0906/rs/ers0906w.pdf
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4. Student Ownership of Internet-Capable Hand-Held
Devices Increases
S
Will student adoption of mobile
technology outpace institutional
support, or will institutions rise
to the challenge…student use
of mobile technology [has]
opportunity to improve the
educational environment for
college students.
Source: The Revolution No One
Noticed by Alan Livingston, quoted
in this ECAR report.
90% of students
use social networking sites
Source: ECAR Research Study 6 , 2009; Students and Information Technology, 2009. Figure 1-5
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ers0906/rs/ers0906w.pdf
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5. How Students Like to Learn with Technology
After describing the institution’s
library system as “amazing,” the
student wrote, “I love it how I
can send a text message on my
Phone to locate the book.”
The feature of real-time
Chat is a great way to
Stimulate class discussion
[in online courses].
Networked learning is
committed to a vision of
the social stressing
cooperation, interactivity,
mutuality and social
engagement for their own
sakes and for the powerful
productivity to which it more
often than not leads.
Source: ECAR Research Study 6 , 2009; Students and Information Technology, 2009. Figure 5-1 The Future of Learning
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ers0906/rs/ers0906w.pdf Institutions in a Digital Age.
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6. Student Engagement with Each Other
When students work together
on coursework, both inside and
outside of the classroom, they
learn more, think more critically,
and gain an appreciation for
diverse perspectives. (Pascarella &
Terenzini, 2005; Gerlach, 1994)
Students who engaged in learning
activities with their peers were
more likely to participate in other
effective educational practices and
had more positive views of the
campus learning environment.
Source: National Survey of Student Engagement, Annual Results 2010
http://nsse.iub.edu/NSSE_2010_Results/pdf/NSSE_2010_AnnualResults.pdf
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7. Student Engagement by Selected Disciplines
Seniors majoring in general business
administration participated in active
and collaborative learning activities
more frequently than peers in other
fields.
Students have more time for
collaboration and outside class
activities.
Source: National Survey of Student Engagement, Annual Results 2010
http://nsse.iub.edu/NSSE_2010_Results/pdf/NSSE_2010_AnnualResults.pdf
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8. 10 Principles for the Future of Learning
1. Self Learning …institutions of learning have changed
far more slowly than the modes of inventive,
2. Horizontal Structures collaborative, participatory learning offered
by the Internet and an array of contemporary
3. From Presumed Authority to Collective Credibility mobile technologies.
4. A De-Centered Pedagogy (inductive, collective
pedagogy)
5. Networked Learning A key term in thinking about these
emergent shifts is participatory learning…
6. Open-sourced Education—A Many to Multitudes Model includes the many ways that learners (of any age)
use new technologies to participate in virtual
7. Learning as Connectivity and Interactivity communities where they share ideas,
comment on one another’s projects,
8. Life-long Learning and plan, design, implement…ideas together.
9. Learning Institutions Mobilizing Networks
10. Flexible Scalability & Simulation
From the book: Future of Learning Institutions in a Digital
Age by Cathy N. Davidson and David Theo Goldberg, with the Those coming into our educational
assistance of Zoë Marie Jones. The John D. and Catherine T. system rely on participatory learning
for information about virtually
MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning, everything in their lives.
published by MIT Press, 2009
http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/chapters/Future_of_Learning.pdf
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9. Implications for Stevens Web Campus
 Progression from synchronous to asynchronous learning to
networked learning
 Progression aided by technology, particularly mobile and social
networking
 Demographic shift, Net Generation is wired and learns in
connected ways; uses social networking as part of daily
communication
 Preference shift away from the 1:1 towards the 1:many
 Leading nonprofit educational foundations are investing in
online learning, aided by technology, to reach more students
cost effectively
 Learning outcomes improving
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10. Appendix
 Cost management and hybrid learning models that help frame
the discussion about the impact of social networking and
student engagement on learning in post-secondary institutions
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11. Faculty Model for Teaching Online Courses
Unbundling the faculty
roles enables faculty to
focus on their areas of
expertise. In online class-
rooms, instruction is
separated from delivery,
making the process more
modular and easier to
identify and manage
costs.
Source: “Unbundling Faculty Roles in Online Distance Education Programs,” by Patricia Neely &
Jan Tucker. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 11.2 (2010).
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/798/1543
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12. Successful Uses of Technology for Student Learning
 Open Learning Initiative Carnegie Mellon
University
 Adopted hybrid models of digital and classroom
teaching to accelerate learning
 College statistics course was taught in two
different ways using comparable groups of
students
 Hybrid class lasted half as long — 7.5 weeks —
as the traditional setting
 Students’ test scores and retained learning,
measured later in the year, were as high as or
higher than those of the conventional lecture
class Source: Inside Higher Ed, December 28, 2009 Hybrid Education 2.0,
What if you could teach a college course without a classroom, or a
 Hybrid approach doubled the productivity of Professor, and lose nothing?
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/12/28/carnegie
education in that program
Source: In Higher Education, a Focus on Technology, by Steve Lohr, The New York Times, Business Day
section, October 10th 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/11/technology/11online.html?_r=3
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