Overview and Key Figures in Connectivism
Overview
Connectivism is a recent learning theory, developed in 2005 by George Siemens and Stephen Downes. This theory focuses on knowledge and learning as something that is created socially through interactions among people, often through technology. This knowledge is not fixed; learners are influenced in what and how they learn by their social environment and background, and with new discoveries and knowledge being formed all the time, what we learn today may not hold true tomorrow.
George Siemens
Siemens took into account the ways that technology in the modern world has changed what knowledge and learning have become. He defines knowledge not as internal knowledge that a person holds, but as something can exist outside the mind. Knowledge can be held within an organization or a database, and also within the very connections and flow of information that the internet and technology has made available to us 24-7.
Thus if knowledge is this flow of information, held outside of a person, modern learning is knowing how to access, analyze, and utilize relevant and trustworthy information from the enormous pool that is available to us online.
Stephen Downes
Downes has a similar view of knowledge, that it lives in the network of online connections, and that the individual needs to be able to access and make use of relevant information in order to accomplish learning. He says that connectivism “seeks to describe ‘successful’ networks” (Bates, 2023, ch. 2.6) that have the important characteristics of autonomy , diversity, openness, and connectivity. According to Downes, connectivism also looks to what creates these successful networks, which consists of a teacher modeling and demonstrating, and a learner practicing and reflecting on these activities.
Implications of Connectivism for Instructional Design
These views lead to one of the key features of connectivism’s implications in education and instructional design. The teacher is seen as more of a facilitator, who provides the beginning knowledge, tools and context to the students. The students then use these tools to connect with others and with the information to find the solutions and sources of further learning. In our world today, this is often how professionals learn via choosing appropriate, applicable and trustworthy information in order to further their skills and awareness. This approach in learning design allows the student to have more autonomy over their learning and the instructor takes the role of advisor when needed.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Connectivism
As I work in a dental school where graduate students are preparing to be independently functioning medical professionals, I don’t think that connectivism is the best way to approach their education. Medical and dental professionals need to have very hands-on technical training, with constant supervision and correction (in terms of procedures, for example) by their professors. Setting these students loose with a selection of information sources will not teach them the skills they need to be a dentist.
However, connectivism plays a role in continuing education for professionals who have already mastered the practical skills and knowledge necessary to their everyday work. Many of our faculty are members of various professional organizations, and they write and speak to groups to share their expertise in a specific topic, or to expose others to their research and findings. There are experts in biology, disease, anatomy, as well as the traditional dental skills. This creates a network of information that is easily accessible to the dental professionals even after their formal education is complete, so that they are able to keep up with changing research and information.
Bates, A.W. (2023, January 8). Teaching in a Digital Age: Third Edition – General. OER Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial. Retrieved September 12, 2024, from https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev3m/.
Pappas, C. (2023, May 1). Everything You Need To Know About The Connectivism Learning Theory. ELearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-connectivism-learning-theory
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