expansive learning & web 2.0: shifts in learning culture? case study 'minerva

Expansive Learning & Web 2.0: Shifts in learning culture? Case Study 'Minerva'

Dr. Ilona Buchem Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin

Research project „Mediencommunity 2.0“

Online Educa Berlin 2011, 02.12.2011

Theme: NPA – New Pedagogical Approaches to Learning

Mediencommunity 2.0

Overview

1. Mediencommunity 2.0

2. Expansive Learning

3. Case Study „Minerva“

4. Community Size

5. Open Questions

2 Buchem/OEB2011/Case study: Minerva

Mediencommunity 2.0


Shift in learning culture …

1. Industry-wide cooperation

2. Modernised vocational training

3. Educational permeability


Media designers : Vocational School

Final exams twice a year all over Germany 5 Buchem/OEB2011/Case study: Minerva

Participation?


Exam!

Alarm!

Expansive Learning


Learning by expanding Learning is an „action which differentiates itself from other actions by its goal to extend ones own control possibilities.”

Holzkamp, K. (1993). Lernen. Subjektwissenschaftliche Grundlegung. Frankfurt/M. Campus

Klaus Holzkamp

Foto: http://www.flickr.com/photos/letcombe/1586241241/


Expansive vs. defensive Learning

Expansive Learning Extending one‘s power to act as

intentional

subject

Defensive Learning

Averting negative poor grades, punishment, sanctions

Buchem/OEB2011/Case study: Minerva 8

effects such as

Web 2.0: Expansive Learning


Learning 2.0

Learner-centered design “(…) is more than just adapting for different learning styles or allowing the user to change the font size and background color; it is the placing of the control of learning itself into the hands of the learner.”

Stephen Downes

Downes, S. (2005) E-learning 2.0. eLearn Magazine, Association for Computing Machinery.

Case Study „Minerva“


Wiki

Moderate Exam tasks

Collaborate

Minerva


Over 400

members!

Minerva

Who is Minerva?

• 29 year old media designer

• First PC with Internet at age of 12

• Fan of strategy/adventure games

• Learned web design in online forums

• Former archeology student

• Made her hobby to her career


Minerva


What motivates Minerva? ***

What are her subjective reasons to moderate a group of peers preparing for the final exam?

… a virtual substitute

“ I was missing my own peer group as I was already out of school and working full time. I had no peers around that I could learn with.”


Minerva

?

… a missing benchmark

“ I was unsure about what I have to learn. I did not know what the others already knew and how I compared to them.”


Minerva

?

… a favorable environment

“There was simply no other possibility to set up an own group. I had the tools and the peers, who were in the same situation like me.”


Minerva

?

… role identity


Minerva

? “I had the responsibility for leading the group. Sometimes it was difficult , for example when I had a stressful day at work. But I knew if I did nothing, people would drop out. So I tried to contribute on regular basis.”

expansive learning …

… starts with a subjective perception of a discrepancy between current abilities and the task requirements.

The learner aims to

master the task.


Foto: http://www.flickr.com/photos/waltstoneburner/3372746317/


… prosumers?

Consume Produce

Rarely Often

Why are they only consuming?


• MISTAKE: Cautious to publish in public, because it could be a mistake and others from school would laugh at you, mock you.

• QUALITY: Cautious to produce own content, because it may be incorrect and mislead others.

• NORMS: Cautious to learn with/from the Internet, because books have been recommended by teachers for years.

• EXPECTED UTILITY: Unwilling to invest time, energy, because unsure what this will bring, if this will be of use at all.

Defensive learning …

… takes place in order to avert negative effects such as bad grades or other sanctions. The learner tries to cope with challenges With a minimum effort.


Foto: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcandrelariviere/3251428624/


Other reasons?

… almost 800 members!


Allysia Allysia

Ringelmann effect …

• Individual members of a group become less productive as the size of the group increases.

• Reason 1: Loss of motivation

• Reason 2: Coordination problems


http://ht.ly/7Kto9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringelmann_effect








Social loathing …

• Individuals put less effort to achieve a goal when they work in a group than when they work alone.

• Deficit 1: Personal accountability

• Deficit 2: Uniqueness of contribution


http://ht.ly/7KuJs



… subjective reasons?

• “Too many cooks spoil the broth, so I better help somewhere else.”

• “I seldom got any responses to my contributions or they came late”.

• “ I contribute only when I am sure I can bring in my special knowledge”


Allysia

Community size???

• Critical Mass Theory: Active users produce enough content to motivate others to join.

• Information Overload Theory: Contribution rates drop as user population and their contributions grow.

• Social Loathing Theory: The larger the group, the less personal effort.


Lessons learned …




Promote expansive learning

Prevent social loathing

• Create opportunities for taking responsibility • Foster self-organised forms of learning • Promote positive error culture

• Foster sub-groups for strong membership • Assign individual members specific goals • Recognise personal, unique knowledge

Open questions


• How many members are needed to trigger a community?

• Is effective group size dependant on the type of technology used?

Thank you for your attention!

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Mediencommunity: http://www.mediencommunity.de Dr. Ilona Buchem: http://www.ibuchem.com/

Buchem/OEB2011/Case study: Minerva