DESIGNING FOR ONLINE DIALOGUE AND REFLECTION AMONG ADULT STUDENTS IN COLLABORATIVE ONLINE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS - WHAT IS THE SUCCESS FORMULA?

摘要

Our title is inspired by Robyn Masons' (2003) question dating back ten years. Mason argues that online learning has been framed as the answer to a range of educational challenges, as broadening educational access and providing professional updating for busy adults. Online communication with tutors and fellow students provide online learners with more and better contact than even campus students usually enjoy. However with all these benefits, why is lack of engagement by many students often a problem in online education? Mason requests a magic formula to gain successful online learning. We want to pursue this issue by exploring the relationship between reflective dialogue, didactic design and the way adult students use and renegotiate online learning resources. By drawing on examples from two flexible courses at Lillehammer University College in Norway - one a blended learning model and the other an online course -together with relevant theory on online collaborative learning, we discuss opportunities and challenges related to designing for reflective dialogic learning. It is our intention to suggest some relevant criteria aiming at increasing quality in online discussion groups.