Theorectical Fram
eworkCHAPTER 2 Theoretical Framework and Literature Review
We are on the cusp of a completely “new era”, and changes must be made in education to ensure that all students leave school prepared to face the challenges of a redefined world.
(Thornburg, 2000)
2.1
Introduction
Collaborative learning through structured blending of online tutorials, and lecture supplemented with Socratic dialogue, role-based group assignments and other similar activities seems to be a viable option in the context of the University of Botswana (UB). Successful blending requires an understanding of the pedagogical attributes and affordances1 of new and emerging learning technologies, the most desirable aspects of face-to-face teaching and the ways in which these aspects can be appropriately integrated as discussed in the following sections. Therefore, this chapter discusses the scope of these technologies in Higher Education (HE) from various perspectives, its potential impact on the net generation students, its affordances in student learning and research, distinct features of elearning and blended learning, how these modes of delivery compare with traditional face-to-face approaches, and their benefits to higher education as well as the challenges they pose. This chapter also helps to gain understanding of the conditions under which the enabling potential of technology will be realised and further, establish the purpose of this study. In order to establish the rationale of placing blended learning at the core of this study, this chapter proposes a theoretical framework that serves as the foundation for the study; it is critical to have a theoretical framework as this is a descriptive and interpretive qualitative case study; it helped the Researcher to review the underlying theories, philosophies, assumptions, and methodological techniques of the study, and to formulate the basis for developing instruments for data collection.
The organization of learning and engagement
We are on the cusp of a completely “new era”, and changes must be made in education to ensure that all students leave school prepared to face the challenges of a redefined world.
(Thornburg, 2000)
2.1
Introduction
Collaborative learning through structured blending of online tutorials, and lecture supplemented with Socratic dialogue, role-based group assignments and other similar activities seems to be a viable option in the context of the University of Botswana (UB). Successful blending requires an understanding of the pedagogical attributes and affordances1 of new and emerging learning technologies, the most desirable aspects of face-to-face teaching and the ways in which these aspects can be appropriately integrated as discussed in the following sections. Therefore, this chapter discusses the scope of these technologies in Higher Education (HE) from various perspectives, its potential impact on the net generation students, its affordances in student learning and research, distinct features of elearning and blended learning, how these modes of delivery compare with traditional face-to-face approaches, and their benefits to higher education as well as the challenges they pose. This chapter also helps to gain understanding of the conditions under which the enabling potential of technology will be realised and further, establish the purpose of this study. In order to establish the rationale of placing blended learning at the core of this study, this chapter proposes a theoretical framework that serves as the foundation for the study; it is critical to have a theoretical framework as this is a descriptive and interpretive qualitative case study; it helped the Researcher to review the underlying theories, philosophies, assumptions, and methodological techniques of the study, and to formulate the basis for developing instruments for data collection.
The organization of learning and engagement
Cited: Adapted from: Rovai (2004) However, it has been noted that even those who preached constructivism seldom use it practically in their own teaching due to several reasons, one of them being the practical difficulty in its implementation