Chapter 7: Three Levels of Planned E-Learning Interactions: A Framework for Grounding Research and the Design of e-Learning Programs

There appear to be considerable discrepancies between rhetoric and practice in distance education. On one hand, much has been written about: (a) contemporary theories of human learning and their implications for education and instructional design (e.g., Driscoll, 2005; Schunk, 2012); (b) learner-centered psychological principles (APA, 1997) and examples of learner-centered instructional strategies (e.g., problem-based learning); (c) the virtues of experiential learning (e.g., Dewey, 1938; Kolb, 1984; Lindsey & Berger, 2009) and educating students in a manner that is consistent with what [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] professionals do in real life; and (d) the need to foster creativity and innovative thinking (Florida, 2002). On the other hand, we continue to see schools and teachers remunerated for high credit hour generation, and rewarded for high, and penalized for low standardized test scores that focus on the mastery of declarative knowledge. As a result, many online and hybrid, as well as conventional face-to-face courses continue to focus on transmitting content information and teaching to the test, perpetuating the use of teacher-directed instructional methods.