Your comment about the Facebook groups is fascinating to me because that would seem to suggest the presence of network learning – at least in a small way. For institutions and schools this raises a very interesting predicament I think, because learning is going on on a topic directly related to the course – and in that sense is quite relevant – but if we don’t or can’t know what it is, how can it be tied back into the course (for the benefit of other students) or incorporated into recognition in marks/grades (assuming we can’t do away with them altogether).

To paraphrase the old analogy of a tree falling in the forest: “If learning occurs in a network, but no instructor or institution is there to observe it; is it relevant to the school?”

I’d absolutely call it learning, but when it comes to assessment it would suggest that knowledge exists that isn’t adequately reflected – which means marks aren’t representative of reality.

This leads me to wonder how or whether it could be tied into an adapted version of recognition of prior learning (but where the learning isn’t “prior” it’s informal). But how? I think the notion of using activity formats or course work that reflect or nurtures a distributed model of learning could start to tease out the learning that is occurring elsewhere, but as always the devil is in the detail.

It seems I have way more questions than answers at this point!

Cheers,

Mike

What has struck me is the similarity between this approach in the original video and what we call scenario-based learning or problem-based learning. Our students love this approach to learning (undergrads that is) but they need very clear sign posts to guide them along the way. I guess like you Mike, I’m still getting my head around the whole topic and what it means to my particular discipline.

I am interested in your comment about student learning that goes on outside of formal channels. What I am finding is that students are starting to self-organise into Facebook groups etc, but are not including us (as in lecturers). Now, that’s fine by me. But the result is I don’t know what is going on informally so don’t know how to harness that activity. Or maybe the answer is that I do not harness it – it is actually nothing to do with me. Thanks, Mike – have a great weekend.

Look at us – we’ve learned heaps from the connectivism course but we are extremely self-motivated. Is the average student (I’m talking about higher ed) that motivated? Do they have the time (after all they have huge workloads both in terms of study, family & work)?

Forgive me, but am feeling rather cynical today. But I wonder how much of our dream will be shared by the average student?