My Theoretical Framework

My professional goal is to improve the quality of online learning through enhancing interactions in asynchronous online environment, which is greatly influenced by the scholars and their research mentioned below.

Bransford (1999) argues effective learning should be: community-centered; learner-centered; knowledge-centered; and assessment-centered. Since my focus area is online learning, I applied Bransford's four lens in online environment.

According to Ally's (2008) definition of online learning, online learning is:

The use of the Internet to access learning materials; to interact with the content, instructor, and other learners; and to obtain support during the learning process, in order to acquire knowledge, to construct personal meaning, and to grow from the learning experience (p. 17).

This statement implies the importance of interaction in online learning. Dewey (1938), Vygotsky (1978), and Anderson (2003) point out that interaction is one of the most important components of any learning experience, which also applies to online learning.

Moore (1989) identified three types of interaction: learner-content (without which there is no education), learner-instructor interaction (especially important at the point of application), and learner-learner interaction (a newer development to distance education and more important to younger or less autonomous learners) in distance education, which also applies to online learning.

And Anderson (2003) argues that deep and meaning learning will happen if one of the three types of interaction (student-content, student-instructor, student-student) is at high level.

Online learning could be either formal and informal. And I'm interested in learner-centered formal community-based online courses.

And this is how I come up with my big theoretical framework.

Reference:

Ally, M. (2008). Foundations of educational theory for online learning. Theory and practice of online learning, 15-44.

Anderson, T. (2003). Getting the mix right: An updated and theoretical rational for interaction. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 4(2). Retrieved August 27, 2007, from http:/www. irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/149/230

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (1999). How people learn: Mind, brain, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Research Council.

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: Collier Macmillan.

Moore, M. G. (1989). Editorial: Three types of interaction.

Vygotsky, L. L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard university press.