Paradigms

A paradigm establishes rules, defines boundaries, and describes how things behave within those boundaries. (Huba & Freed 2000).

It is a model, pattern or example. Shifting paradigms with regard to learning and teaching requires new rules, new boundaries, and new ways of behaving. In order to focus on student learning, we need to shift from a traditional teaching paradigm to a learner-centred paradigm. For more information on teacher-centred versus learner-centred paradigms refer to Chapter 1 Experiencing a Paradigm Shift Through Assessment, within Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campus by Huba and Freed.

The online learning environment can be an effective medium for implementing new paradigms for learning including constructivist, active learning and learner-centred pedagogies whereby learners construct their own knowledge rather than be passive receivers of information. Learners actively create knowledge and meaning through exploration, experimentation, interaction and feedback from others. Learners draw on their own experiences to bring meaning and context to the educational experience. This allows for learners to have an opportunity to reflect on their learning as well as think about their own thinking (metacognition) necessary in the development of higher order learning.

Learners can interact and collaborate both asynchronously and synchronously, form learning communities and engage with authentic situations and multiple perspectives via scenarios and roleplay simulations, also referred to as 'situational learning'. Online assessment can be diagnostic, formative and summative. Formative assessment is regarded as an effective way of promoting learning including embedding quizzes into content and immediate computer generated individualised feedback. Student achievement of generic graduate attributes can be enhanced in an online environment. The lecturer becomes a facilitator of the learning process to asssist in personal meaning-making as well as the social construction of knowledge and meaning via interactions with communities of learners.

Reference:
Huba M & Freed J (2000) Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses: Shifting the Focus from Teaching to Learning, Allyn & Bacon, Needham Heights, MA