Learners in a Changing Learning Landscape: New Roles and Expectations

There is much written about the use of online and mobile technologies to enage youth learners.

However, these new technologies themselves can lead to disengaged learners if the participants do not have the requisite skill set and/or the learning environment is defective. Here's a group that tried to explore some of the issues in October 2005.

On October 21, 2005 ten people gathered together at the Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida, to hold a six-hour workshop, asking themselves and each other questions about what should be expected of today's learners as regards their competencies, attitudes and general disposition. The results of the workshop session informed a two-hour Presidential Panel Session the following day. The panel session was open to all attendees of the 2005 International Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. The initiative to organize this event came in the wake of an ongoing research project of the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction (ibstpi) to identify and validate online learner competencies.

Here are links to some of their reflections:

Preparing learners for creative global collaboration - Deb LaPointe, University of New Mexico

What makes a good online course? - Michael Spector, Florida State University

The impact of design and facilitation on learners' expectations in an online learning environment - Diana Stirling

Reflections on Learning and Learners: Four levels of learning - Jan Visser, Learning Development Institute

How do we create online learning environments that support the conditions necessary for learner success and that enhance lifelong learning development? - Christina Rogoza, Nova Southeastern University

Reflections on Seeking the 'Invisible' Online Learner - Michael F. Beaudoin, University of New England

Five Thoughts on Online Learning and Preparation for the Twenty First Century - John Bransford, University of Washington

Reflections on the online learner competencies - Ileana de la Teja, Laboratory of Cognitive Engineering and Learning Environments (LICEF)Tele-universite/UQAM, Montreal