Course Map

Constructivism and Student-Centered Learning

Student-centered learning is a common concept used when discussing effective teaching and learning strategies. Students play an active role in the learning process in a student-centered learning environment.

Constructivism is a learning theory that promotes student-centered learning concepts. Constructivism has emerged as a dominant theoretical foundation for distance education and contemporary pedagogy by distance learning scholars. The basic tenets of constructivism include:

• Students learn by doing rather than observing
• Learning should be meaningful and have real-world relevance
• Students should play an active role in assessment
  

Constructivism also values collaboration, interaction, and cooperative learning. The basic concepts of constructivism are often used as a model in distance education.

Instructional Design Principles

Educators and researchers have developed many different principles for designing effective instruction. I will outline the following three well-know principles of instructional design:

• Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction
• AAHE's Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education
• The American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) Guiding Principles for Distance Teaching and Learning.
  
  

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