The Unexpected Connection: Serendipity and Human Mediation in Networked Learning

Rita Kop

Educational Technology & Society Vol. 15, No. 2 (2012) pp. 2–11

Major changes on the Web in recent years have contributed to an abundance of information for people to harness in their learning. Emerging technologies have instigated the need for critical literacies to support learners on open online networks in...

The challenges to connectivist learning on open online networks: Learning experiences during a massive open online course

Rita Kop

The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning Vol. 12, No. 3 (Jan 11, 2011) pp. 19–38

Self-directed learning on open online networks is now a possibility as communication and resources can be combined to create learning environments. But is it really? There are some challenges that might prevent learners from having a quality...

Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past?

Rita Kop; Adrian Hill

International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning Vol. 9, No. 3 (Oct 21, 2008)

Siemens and Downes initially received increasing attention in the blogosphere in 2005 when they discussed their ideas concerning distributed knowledge. An extended discourse has ensued in and around the status of ‘connectivism’ as a learning theory...

Colouring the Gaps in Learning Design: Aesthetics and the Visual in Learning

Fiona Carroll; Rita Kop

International Journal of Distance Education Technologies Vol. 14, No. 1 (January 2016) pp. 92–103

The visual is a dominant mode of information retrieval and understanding however, the focus on the visual dimension of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) is still quite weak in relation to its predominant focus on usability. To accommodate the...

Ethics and challenges of databased decision making processes in educational contexts

Rita Kop; Guillaume Durand

EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2019 (Jun 24, 2019) pp. 754–762

Heidegger proposed in 1977 that the world was in transition from the modern to the technological way-of-being, in which humans and objects act upon one another in ways that mutually transform their characteristics. At that time technologies were...

Topics: Ethical, cultural, historical, and social issues in technology use, Personalized learning environments, Data Analytics

A Learning, Research and Development Framework to Design for a "Holistic" Learning Experience

Fiona Carroll; Rita Kop

E-Learning and Digital Media Vol. 8, No. 4 (2011) pp. 315–326

The design of experiences and, in particular, educational experiences is a complex matter and involves not only using effective technologies and applying cognitive triggers, but there is a need to "think outside the box" in order to also design for...

MOOC Learning Experience Design: Issues and Challenges

Helene Fournier; Rita Kop

International Journal on E-Learning Vol. 14, No. 3 (July 2015) pp. 289–304

This paper will present current work on various frameworks that are aimed at guiding the research, development, and evaluation efforts around Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Initiatives and activities, including current work by the National...

Topics: Learning Outcomes, Ethical Issues, Instructional Design

Heidegger, Digital Technology, and Postmodern Education: From Being in Cyberspace to Meeting on MySpace

Patrick Walters; Rita Kop

Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society Vol. 29, No. 4 (2009) pp. 278–286

Digital technology is transforming life and is beginning to have a profound effect on individual psychic life and the wider social milieu. This article seeks to understand the nature of the new technology and its implications for personal life,...

Social and Affective Presence to Achieve Quality Learning in MOOCs

Rita Kop; Helene Fournier

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2013 (Oct 21, 2013) pp. 1977–1986

The proliferation of Information and Communications Technology in recent years has changed the educational landscape. It has added to the complexity of our lives and aided in the creation of a plethora of new opportunities for learning. New learning ...

Topics: research, Tools & Systems

Factors Affecting the Design and Development of a Personal Learning Environment: Research on Super-users

Helene Fournier; Rita Kop

International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments Vol. 2, No. 4 (October 2011) pp. 12–22

After speculation in literature about the nature of Personal Learning Environments, research in the design and development of PLEs is now in progress. This paper reports on the first phase of the authors’ research on PLE, the identification process...

A pedagogy of abundance or a pedagogy to support human beings? Participant support on massive open online courses

Rita Kop; Hélène Fournier; John Mak

International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning Vol. 12, No. 7 (Nov 22, 2011) pp. 74–93

This paper examines how emergent technologies could influence the design of learning environments. It will pay particular attention to the roles of educators and learners in creating networked learning experiences on massive open online courses ...

Learning a Minority Language through Authentic Conversation Using an Online Social Learning Method

Michael Henry; Fiona Carroll; Daniel Cunliffe; Rita Kop

Computer Assisted Language Learning Vol. 31, No. 4 (2018) pp. 321–345

Advances in technology are currently helping to speed up the globalisation of 'super' languages. One can argue that at the same time technology might be used to help reverse the decline of less widely spoken languages. Cada Dia (CD) is a social...