Learning relationships: A condition and consequence of learner-learner interaction

in online contextsDr Dolene Rossi d.rossi@cqu.edu.au

• Rapid evolution of distance education

• Change: In pedagogy, curriculum, infrastructure, policy, organisation and governance

• Demand for new skills: Educators and learners

• Capacity versus capability

• Opportunities and unrealised potential

Online learning contexts

• Learner-content

• Learner-teacher

• Learner-learner

• Teacher-teacher

• Teacher-content

• Content-content

• Learner-interface

A typology of learning interactions

Learning relationships

Developing relationships

Mediated interaction

Participation

Constructing and reconstructing knowledge

A substantive theory of learning relationships in online contexts

Course design

Social structure

Sense of place

Learning context

Communication strategies

A sense of community

Knowledge and understanding

Transformation (personal and collective)

Increased awareness (self and others)

• Fiona (W3LGD) …There are distinct advantages to communicating online because the noise factors are reduced through lack of physical/environmental interference to the "conversation". Visual and non-verbal distractions are non-existent allowing a clearer, uncomplicated climate for discourse...

Mediated interaction

 Asynchronous communication

Group 2 (n=3)

Group 3 (n=4)

Group 4 (n=5)

Group 6 (n=3)

Group 9 (n=5)

TotalSmall groupposts

Total Large group  posts (n=20)

W1 3 4 11 16 8 42 55W2 12 11 10 43 13 89 49W3 18 13 14 29 26 100 38W4 12 14 38 23 15 102 49W5 31 12 52 55 11 161 72W6 15 5 38 52 8 118 107W7 18 10 33 34 20 115 59W8 29 10 37 32 28 136 66W9 22 8 26 19 16 91 45W10 12 4 40 14 23 112 50W11 10 1 49 38 29 127 57W12 20 5 28 30 21 104 56Total learner posts

221 97 376 385 218 1297 703

• Jane (W8SG6-AS) ...This is definitely a good example of increase in size = decrease in participation...A lot of the things that I want to say are already said...hence participation in my case has decreased.

• Avril (W8LGD)... I feel no cohesion within a group this large as nothing seems personalized or related to me. There is less contribution from each member...it is not worth the effort when trying to learn in the class discussion board...

Social structure

• Kelsie (W8SG9-AS)... Although I am a member of two groups for this online course I feel I have only experienced a bonding with my smaller group with which I conduct my group activities... In this small group we have worked together and communicated towards reaching a mutual goal ... The small size of the group has allowed our communication to flow beyond our task topic and include personal information that has highlighted our differences and similarities...

Actions and interactions

• Kirin (W8LGD) ...I am keeping up to date with my readings and trying to have the weekly tasks finished on time, I am putting so much effort into this subject, mainly because I don’t want to let my group down...

• Jenny (W8SG2-AS) I know that we are classed as a group (of) ladies but do you think that we are evolving into a team, due to the intimate knowledge we are collecting of each other, achieving more independence as our abilities grow and not needing as much tutor help, the ability for us to co-ordinate ourselves and resolve issues to achieve the end goal and work as a unit? If we were disbanded and made to reform to other groups we would not have the cohesion required to work as well as we do…

Actions and interactions con’t…

• Learner-learner interaction– Instructional design: Required

participation and the size of learning groups

• Dialogic learning– Textual communication– Learner control and responsibility

• Development of a sense of community– Learning relationships: personal

knowledge investment of time and commitment to group goals

Conditions conducive to: