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Learn how explicit and implicit theories shape online learning outcomes, fostering self-awareness, reflection, and transformative change.
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How Theory and Action Inform One Another in the Online Learning Environment
Background • Two kinds of theory play a crucial role in the online learning process • Explicit, or canonical theory, is the one most familiar to academics • It is the theory embodied in books, journal articles, models, and methodologies • “Group of statements, taken as a related whole, that is uses as our basis for design, judgment, and guidance of action • It is open to scrutiny, constantly tested against results it can provide, and open to modification • Implicit, or tacit theory, is embodied in our unconscious assumptions, silently but powerfully shaping our perspectives and actions. • It is so all-pervasive that it becomes illusive and, as such, is highly resistant to change
Conclusion: Five Key Outcomes • Enhanced Awareness of Self • Enhanced Awareness of Others • Enhanced Capacity for Reflection • New Perspectives and Knowledge • Enhanced Capacity to Initiate and Sustain Change
1. Enhanced Awareness of Self • Working in an online environment requires the participants articulate their thoughts, feelings, and perceptions in written form rather than reacting based on a sense of urgency and unconscious impulses • This environment enhances individual knowledge when participants become aware of, understand, and are able to explain the basis of their thoughts and actions
2. Enhanced Awareness of Others • Because the work of all participants is viewed and commented on by the entire group, participants often learn from one another as much as they do from the program facilitator • Each participant provides substantive feedback to each other • Thoughts and ideas or each participant are viewed from multiple perspectives rather than from the relatively narrow view of the facilitator or teacher
3. Enhanced Capacity for Reflection • Unlike purely verbal communication, the asynchronous learning environment also permits added time for reflection before response, giving the dialogue a level of depth that is uncommon in other communication media • This capacity of the learning system thus enables participants to become aware of, more fully understand, and appreciate the thinking of others
4. New Perspectives and Knowledge • The ability to weave multiple viewpoints together creates new knowledge and a broader perspective • Increases internal coherence and capacity to initiate more effective and coordinated change ainitiatives
5. Enhanced Capacity to Initiate and Sustain Change • Emerging out of the team’s heightened awareness and new perspective, members were able to propose several new initiatives that had a significant impact on the culture and operation of their organization • These initiatives were generated in a structured and highly collaborative manner, resistance to implementation was greatly diminished