What Do We Mean by Cyberlearning: Characterizing a Socially Constructed Definition with Experts and Practitioners

Abstract

The term “cyberlearning” reflects a growing national interest in managing the interactions of technology and education, especially with respect to the use of networking and information technologies. However, there is little agreement about what the term means. Such disagreements reflect underlying differences in beliefs about the purposes of education. These disagreements are problematic for anyone interested in evaluating cyberlearning practices. This study used surveys and interviews to investigate how practitioners and experts in the field of cyberlearning define it, how they implement it and what they believe its purpose to be. Little agreement was found among participants in terms of their definitions of cyberlearning, which was supported by the wide variety of practices labeled “cyberlearning.” Although most participants emphasized the purpose of cyberlearning as a form of content delivery, an often-passionate minority argued for the potential of cyberlearning to encourage a shift away from content-delivery paradigms. The participants’ spoke from a variety of perspectives about cyberlearning including as educators, designers, activists, and policymakers, which led them to construct diverse narratives about the purposes and problems facing education and education policy. While the differences in embodied in these narratives remain an important consideration, some emerging points of convergence are identified.

Appendix

Survey Question 1 Do you use or prefer terms other than “cyberlearning” to refer to learning that is affected by computers, networked computers, the Internet, or web-based platforms or applications?     Checkboxes—Yes or No If yes, what terms do you prefer?     Short-answer response field

Survey Question 2 Please mark the forms of cyberlearning you have utilized as an instructor or designed for use by other instructors     Checkboxes—Online learning modules; Virtual laboratories; Remote access laboratories; Computerized scientific modeling; Access to online databases or archived scientific data; Personal response systems; Distance learning; Supplemental reference materials (e.g. online textbooks) Other—Please specify     Short-answer response field

Survey Question 3 What are the benefits of cyberlearning?     Short-answer response field

Survey Question 4 Given the following potential components of cyberlearning, please choose which is the most important in determining the effectiveness in achieving your goals for cyberlearning? Note that you will have a chance to elaborate on what these terms mean to you in the following questions     Checkboxes—Connecting educators; Flexibility in assessment; High quantity, quality, and diversity of data available to learners; Personalization of how, when, and where learning occurs; Inclusion and motivation of diverse students; Other (please explain below) Other     Short-answer response field

Survey Question 5 Please rank the following potential components of cyberlearning in terms of their importance in achieving your goals for cyberlearning     Ranking checkboxes—Connecting educators; Flexibility in assessment; High quantity, quality, and diversity of data available to learners; Personalization of how, when, and where learning occurs; Inclusion and motivation of diverse students Any additional comments on your ranking? (e.g. ties or large differences between sequentially ranked items)     Short-answer response field

Survey Question 5—Alternate (used if participants checked “other” in response to Question 4) Please rank the following potential components of cyberlearning in terms of their importance in achieving your goals for cyberlearning     Ranking checkboxes—Connecting educators; Flexibility in assessment; High quantity, quality, and diversity of data available to learners; Personalization of how, when, and where learning occurs; Inclusion and motivation of diverse students; Other (as explained above) Any additional comments on your ranking? (e.g. ties or large differences between sequentially ranked items)     Short-answer response field Please describe an experience or example of when the component you listed in the “Other” category was particularly important or successful The following 5 questions ask for more information about the options you were asked to rank in Question 5. Each question refers to one of the components of cyberlearning listed in that question

Survey Question 6 “Connecting Educators” Please rank the following potential components in terms of their importance to you or your project     Ranking checkboxes—Sharing lesson plans and/or curricular materials; Instructor-to-instructor interaction and/or counseling; Instructor-to-student interaction or lesson delivery; Building educator communities; Instructor-to-instructor sharing about students Any additional comments on your ranking? (e.g. ties or large differences between sequentially ranked items)     Short-answer response field

Survey Question 7 “Flexibility in Assessment” Please rank the following potential components in terms of their importance to you or your project.     Ranking checkboxes—Fast or real-time assessment feedback; Archiving for program evaluation (e.g. accreditation, progress reports); Archiving for formative, student-centered feedback Any additional comments on your ranking? (e.g. ties or large differences between sequentially ranked items)     Short-answer response field

Survey Question 8 “High quantity, quality, and diversity of data available to learners” Please rank the following potential components in terms of their importance to you or your project     Ranking checkboxes—More information available to learners; More diverse information available to learners; More interaction between information and learners; More pertinent information available during tasks Any additional comments on your ranking? (e.g. ties or large differences between sequentially ranked items)     Short-answer response field

Survey Question 9 “Personalization of how, when, and where learning occurs” Please rank the following potential components in terms of their importance to you or your project     Ranking checkboxes—Availability of course materials outside of class time and/or place; Self-paced tasks and information; Information provided only when it is needed Any additional comments on your ranking? (e.g. ties or large differences between sequentially ranked items)     Short-answer response field

Survey Question 10 “Inclusion and motivation of diverse students” Please rank the following potential components in terms of their importance to you or your project     Ranking checkboxes –Access to information regardless of geographic location; Support for non-traditional (e.g. distance learning) curricula; Accommodation for multiple styles of learning; Support for diverse aptitudes and abilities within one course design Any additional comments on your ranking? (e.g. ties or large differences between sequentially ranked items)     Short-answer response field

Survey Question 11 What does it take to make cyberlearning successful?     Short-answer response field

Survey Question 12 What are some common mistakes or potential pitfalls you have discovered that may limit the effectiveness of cyberlearning?     Short-answer response field