Online Constructivism: Tools and Techniques for Student Engagement and Learning
Abstract: Teachers strive to maximize learning effectiveness, and one way to improve student success is to help learners discover and construct their own meaning. In the effort to implement such constructivist approaches, online learning can provide teachers with challenges that are not typical in a traditional classroom. In and of themselves, the instructional strategies used in an online environment may be similar to the strategies used in a traditional classroom. However, the implementation of those strategies can vary greatly from one format to the other, and teachers need tools and techniques to ensure success. This paper discusses the psychosocial learning environment and effective approaches that course designers and teachers should understand to maximize constructivism in an online classroom.