IN-PERSON: Applying Education

Abstract

This communication proposes to make the link between the four industrial revolutions, the major theories of learning and online education methods. Inspired by historical approach, we show how education has become increasingly learner-centred, when our systems of mass production and education have dispossessed consumers of the design and layout of products and learners from their learning curricula. This parallel is important regarding online courses: they follow the classical process of industrial engineering, when technology today permits an increasing learning experience based on exploration, networking, and autonomy. Using a design-based research and qualitative data collection methods, we developed and assessed a connectivist – or online social constructionist – module into an online credited course, in a teacher education program. The results show that non-directivity of the module structure and multiple-actors evaluation offer a deeper learning experience, more contextualized, more differentiated. Results show how students are deeply affected, in a positive and in a negative way, and how connectivism could help develop essential skills for the 4th industrial revolution.