Accepted Papers from TCEA Symposium 2007

Conceptualizing Online Spaces for Teaching
and Learning: A Theoretical Framework
School District

Lin Lin
Kent State University

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to understand individual learners’ experience of engaging in online dialogue through a phenomenological approach. Ninety-two graduate students from seven online courses participated in the study. In addition to giving permission for the researcher to access and analyze their discussion postings, the participants responded to two instruments. One instrument was called P.E.T. (Personality Empowerment through Type), which was to help the participants discover their psychological type preferences. Another instrument was a survey with 21 open-ended questions seeking the participants’ perceptions of their experiences of learning through asynchronous written communication. The study reveals the existence of three distinctive and overlapping learning spaces where the individuals used written words to act and interact within the online communication settings. These spaces include the independent study space, the collaborative inquiry space, and the formative expertise space. The research offers illustrative quotes that demonstrate the patterned actions and interactions from the learners. The research concludes with implications and recommendations for learners, educators, instructional designers, and others who are interested in creating and utilizing new technologies for teaching and learning purposes. 

Objective

The session is planned as a short presentation to introduce a new theoretical framework of online learning spaces followed by discussions with the audience on the practical applications of the learning spaces. The theoretical framework is derived from a three-year research study of 92 graduate student participants. It offers ways to conceptualize effective designs of online teaching and learning so as to make the most of the learners' motivations for online communication. Discussions of the theoretical framework and its practical applications will help learners, educators and instructional designers better understand and use online communication for teaching and learning.