Using Instructional Design to Implement Constructivist E-

Learning

Heather Smith
Boise State University

Abstract
Constructivist learning activities help create a sense of community necessary to
student engagement in an e-learning environment. Course developers can use the
principles of instructional design to systematically and consciously embed
constructivist learning projects in a web-based course. Activities like discussion
forums, webquests, and jigsaw grouping all foster the student-teacher and student-
student relationships that engage learners in an online environment.


Introduction
If learning theory is a discussion or explanation of how people learn, then
instructional design theory is an explanation of how to best implement learning
theory and design instruction so learning will take place. Prevailing thought and
research holds that learners construct their own meaning and that learners are
more likely to remain engaged in e-learning in which they feel a sense of
community with their teacher and classmates. Understanding how to best design
instruction that reflects constructivist learning theory is critical to
student engagement and success via e-learning.
Definitions of Key Concepts
Instructional Design
Instructional design is the process of creating effective materials that help students
learn what those materials are meant to teach. At base, instructional design is a
set of rulesor procedures, you could sayfor creating [learning] that does what it
is supposed to do (Piskurich, 2005, p. 3).
A common model of instructional design is the ADDIE model. While there are many
different models of instructional design, many of them are based on the ADDIE
model. The component steps of the ADDIE model are analysis, design,
development, implementation, and evaluation (Kruse).
Constructivism
Constructivism is a learning theory which posits that knowledge is not passively
received from the world or from authoritative sources but constructed by individuals
or groups making sense of their experiential worlds (Maclellan and Soden as cited
in Yilmaz, 2008, p. 162). Constructivist learning theory owes much to the work of
Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, and John Dewey, and acknowledges that knowledge
is never neutral, that the ways in which knowledge is mediated and created are as
dynamic and important as the knowledge itself (Hirtle, 1996, p. 91).
E-Learning
E-learning is learning mediated by the internet and computers; the term e-learning
is often used interchangeably with online learning and web-based learning.
According to the Concord Consortium e-Learning Model, effective e-learning is
defined by nine key characteristics: asynchronous collaboration, explicit schedules,
expert facilitation, inquiry pedagogy, high-quality materials, community building,
limited enrollment, purposeful virtual spaces, and ongoing assessment (Elbaum,
McIntyre & Smith, 2002).
Necessity of Community in E-Learning for Student Success
Effective e-learning requires a strong sense of community among the members of
an online class. As Rovai summarized in his 2002 article, Building Sense of
Community at a Distance, a strong sense of community in an online class can
reduce student dropout rates and increase persistence in online education
programs, provide students with increased information and support, and improve
cooperation and satisfaction with group efforts. In short, effective schools provide
students with a supportive community (p. 2).
A strong sense of community encourages students to be engaged, active, and
interested in their course content and in their own learningin isolation, this
engagement is less likely to occur. As Finkelstein states, if the first wave of
moving courses online has taught us anything, it is that opportunities for interaction
and collaboration are crucial elements of successful learning environments (2006,
p. 2).
While a strong sense of community is important in e-learning in general, it is vitally
important in constructivist e-learning where student interaction is necessary to
student learning: a community is a necessary and integral part of a functional
learning group. Students need to bond in a community in order to have a sense of
trust with each other and respect for each others ideas. With this level of common
trust and valueso that students openly share their thoughts and feelings with
each other and respect the viewpoints of their peersstudents construct
knowledge together as a group. This is where real learning happens (Elbaum et
al., 2002, p. 47).
Instructional Design Process
Consideration of constructivist learning theory can be embedded in each step of
the instructional design process. Under the ADDIE model, an instructional designer
is engaged in five major steps, beginning with (a) analysis, in which the designer
ascertains the material to be learned. This step is followed by (b) design, in which
the designer determines learning objectives and chooses an instructional
approach; then (c) development, in which the designer creates the actual learning
materials. The final two steps of the ADDIE process are (d) implementation, in
which the developer uses the materials with a class of students; and finally, (e)
evaluation, in which the developer assesses the efficacy of the created materials.
From there, the instructional design process can begin again to make
improvements to the teaching materials (Kruse).
After the instructional designer determines what needs to be learned (i.e. analysis),
she can enter the design phase of instructional design. To embed constructivism in
this phase, the designer must keep in mind that the design task is to create an
environment where knowledge-building tools (affordances) and the means to
create and manipulate artifacts of understanding are provided, not one in which
concepts are explicitly taught (Hannafin, Hannafin, Land, & Oliver, 1997, p. 107).
In the development step, instructional designers can utilize activities that
emphasize shared construction of meaning at a teacher-student level and a
student-student level, as well as activities that require learners to draw on
technological, cognitive, and social resources in order to solve complex, open-
ended problems (Hannafin et al., 1997, p. 110). These types of learning activities
allow students the ability to negotiate and construct meaning individually as
opposed to having that meaning conveyed to them by an instructor, as well as
provide students experience with the types of problems they will encounter in the
real world.

Constructivist practices are best used in the implementation and evaluation levels
of ADDIE by engaging students in the construction, content, and revisions of the
course. Not only can students learn from and with each other, but instructors can
also engage with students to improve implementation and evaluation of a course's
efficacy. What may make perfect sense to the instructional designer/instructor may
not be so clear to the students. Eliciting feedback from the course's intended
audience employs constructivist strategies in the final two stages of the
instructional design process.

Implementing constructivist learning theory in an e-learning environment is not
without challenges. Instructional designers must acknowledge that utilizing a
learning theory which relies upon shared meaning-making can be difficult when
delivered through a computer-mediated learning environment. Deliberate use of
technologyincluding synchronous and asynchronous communication within
learning management systems, pod- and vodcasts, text and instant messaging, as
well as the old-fashioned telephonemust be used to offset the distance inherent
in e-learning and create a cohesive and collaborative community of online
learners. This sense of community and collaboration can be achieved through
activities like discussion forums, webquests, and jigsaw groups.

Constructivist Learning Activities

Discussion Forums

There are many constructivist learning activities which lend themselves to the e-
learning environment. One such activity is the discussion forum, in which students
and teachers discuss with each other, over a set period of time, a specific question
or topic relevant to the course content. In discussion forums, students are able to
dialogue with each other in order to learn. As Yilmaz states, dialogue within a
community engenders further thinkinglearners (rather than teachers) are
responsible for defending, proving, justifying, and communicating their ideas to the
classroom community. Ideas are accepted as truth only as they make sense to the
community and thus rise to the level of taken-as-shared (2008, p. 168).

Webquests

Another constructivist learning activity which works particularly well in e-learning is
the WebQuest. In a WebQuest, students use the internet to learn through research
into authentic, complex problems that require them to apply their knowledge
correctly. Hannafin, Hannafin, Land, & Oliver sum this up when they say
technology is often used as a tool to explore resources and integrate knowledge
while solving problems or pursuing individual learning goals (1997, p. 109), which
exemplifies constructivist learning.

Jigsaw

Technology can also be used to mediate constructivist group learning, such as in a
jigsaw activity. In the jigsaw technique, students become "experts" on a particular
aspect of a subject, and then return to a larger group to both teach their content to
the group members and learn from the other group members' expert
teaching. Students can use group authoring tools like a wiki--which is a website
which allows multiple authorized users to add, update, or edit content--or a
synchronous live meeting tool to collaborate and share their
understanding. Finkelstein discusses an e-learning variant of the jigsaw framework
called Stone Soup, in which learners use a synchronous communication tool in
order to actively engage "in collaborative, concurrent discussion and project-based
or problem-solving work with peers...[during which] learners share and compare
the results of their group work, learning from each other about different approaches
to the same problem or about new topics entirely" (2006, p. 104). Technology is
also useful for facilitating peer editing of student work or for collaborative work on a
paper, report, short story, play, etc.

Looking Ahead
In many ways, e-learning is still a young field. Further research and study into how
to best implement constructivist learning activities in web-based learning--and how
to best design those constructivist courses--is still needed. Finkelstein clarifies this
sentiment when he says that the "renewed focus on the quality of instruction and
student engagement that has followed the first wave of online learning inevitably
means a greater consideration of tools that humanize the learning experience,
efficiently teach and gauge performance-based skills, and cultivate natural means
for collaborating and learning" (2006, p. 2).


References
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