Learners engaging with other learners is at the heart of participative, student-centered, online learning, but how is that best done? Online communities in which learners engage collectively has been a staple of what many educational designers believe is necessary for effective online learning. Recently, however, social networking in which learners build their own personal learning networks has offered another way for learners to interact.

 

One example of the new model of interacting can be seen in the pedagogical designs of some of the initial MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). Early hopes for these MOOCs, however, have been dampened by reports of low engagement, high attrition, and disappointing academic outcomes. Even the most serious skeptics are doubtful that MOOCs will disappear. Most likely, the best aspects of MOOCs will be melded with other innovative and traditional practices to offer the next iteration of online learning designs.

 

What strategies are educators using to include interaction between learners into their courses? How is social networking changing patterns of learner interaction? What can we learn from these disruptions in the field? What can we learn from current practices that might help designers create more successful online learning? These are some of the questions that are addressed by this research.

 

 

 

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