Linda Harasim

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Linda Marie Harasim, is a "leading teacher, scholar and speaker on the theories and practices of online education, contributing knowledge, technologies, and practices to the field of technology-enabled learning," [1] is a pioneer leading theorist of online education. [2] She is a professor emerita in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [3] Her six books and hundreds of articles about Computer-supported collaborative learning have been acknowledged as seminal works in the field. [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Harasim was born in 1949 in Edmonton, Canada. [5] She received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Alberta. [6] In 1983, she received her PhD in Educational Theory from the University of Toronto. [7]

Her interest in online learning began in 1983 while working as a senior researcher and assistant professor at the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. [8]

First Online Course

In 1986, Harasim designed and taught one of the first totally online university courses in the world at the University of Toronto. [9] She co-taught the course with Dorothy E. Smith. [10] The topic of the course was "Women and Computers in Education," which highlighted the lack of women in the field of educational computing. [8]

The 13-week course focused on collaboration and communication among the students through asynchronous, text-based interactions. Through this course, Harasim developed her learning theory, Online Collaborative Learning (OCL) later known as Collaborativism. [8]

Online Collaborative Learning (OCL)/Collaborativism

Collaborativism is a learning theory about how students can learn through collaborative discourse in learning networks via the internet. [11] Technology is used to augment human agency and build knowledge. [12] Collaborativism emphasizes the process of students working together in an online environment to construct knowledge, propose innovative solutions, and solve problems. [13] Unlike cooperative learning, in which individual members of a group divide projects into individual parts to create a whole, collaborativism focuses on the shared experience of the learning process, which eventually results in deep understanding of the content and the knowledge-building process itself. [8]

Stages of Collaborativism

Collaborativism occurs in three stages:

Idea Generating

In the first stage of collaborativism, students begin with divergent thinking within a group. In this stage, students will generate or brainstorm their own position on a discussion topic. A wide range of views are presented.

Idea Organizing

In the second stage of collaborativism, students encounter a variety of information through viewing their peers' perspectives, teacher provided resources such as articles or videos, and any other sources of information brought forth by group members. During this stage, students will begin to explore new ideas, update existing beliefs, clarify positions of their classmates, and then eventually sort ideas to find the strongest arguments and weed out the weakest arguments.

Intellectual Convergence

In the third stage of collaborativism, students reach Intellectual Convergence by either coming to a consensus or an agreement to disagree on a particular position or group of key positions. The evidence of Intellectual Convergence may be presented in a variety of ways including a final paper, group presentation, policy statement, etc. [14]

Continued Work in Online Education

In 1987–1989, the University of Phoenix consulted with Harism to develop online pedagogy and small group discussion methodology. [15] Harasim joined the faculty of SFU in 1990 and has been active in studying pedagogical approaches and developing the theory and research methods associated with Collaborative Learning in online environments. [16]

Her books Educational Applications of Computer Networks (1986) and Online Education: Perspectives on a New Environment (1990) were amongst the first in the field. [2]

In 1993, Harasim, along with Thomas W. Calvert, led a project to develop Virtual-U, a virtual learning environment customized to support collaborative learning. [17] The Virtual-U software was used to support online courses and to prototype new educational social media environments and tools until 2014. It was also used by the Global Educators Network. [18]

In 1995, Harasim founded and served as CEO of the TeleLearning Network of Centre of Excellence (TL*NCE) in Canada. [19] The $50 million project was funded half by the Canadian federal government and half by other public and private sector sources. During its operation (1995–2003) TL*NCE funded hundreds of researchers from 32 universities in Canada and worked with participants from 225 public and private sector organizations. [20] While CEO of the network, Harasim focused her research on 500 online courses that were conducted on Virtual-U. While performing this research she collaborated with Carl Bereiter and Marlene Scardamalia to further develop theoretical work in collaborative learning and knowledge building, especially the use of latent semantic analysis of online educational discourse. [21]

Harasim has been a member of several prestigious boards and committees such as Canada's Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. [22]

Harasim currently publishes and undertakes research in "Understanding Digital Social Media and the Knowledge Society", "Digital Media Research Methods," and "Online Education," as well as communication and learning theories. [23]

Publications

A more complete bibliography can be found at ResearchGate.net and Academia.edu.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Distance education</span> Mode of delivering education to students who are not physically present

Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually involved correspondence courses wherein the student corresponded with the school via mail. Distance education is a technology mediated modality and has evolved with the evolution of technologies such as video conferencing, TV, and internet. Today, it usually involves online education and the learning is usually mediated by some form of technology. A distance learning program can be completely distance learning, or a combination of distance learning and traditional classroom instruction. Other modalities include distance learning with complementary virtual environment or teaching in virtual environment (e-learning).

Situated learning is a theory that explains an individual's acquisition of professional skills and includes research on apprenticeship into how legitimate peripheral participation leads to membership in a community of practice. Situated learning "takes as its focus the relationship between learning and the social situation in which it occurs".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Université TÉLUQ</span> Distance learning university in Quebec, Canada

Université TÉLUQ is a public French-language distance learning university, part of the Université du Québec system. Originally founded in 1972 as the Telé-université, Université du Québec commission to develop distance education courses, Université TÉLUQ is now a full university which offers programs in undergraduate and graduate studies. It is the only French-language university education institution in North America to offer all of its courses and programs at all three university cycles remotely and continuously. Though it is based in Quebec City, Quebec, about two thirds of its professors work from its Montreal offices.

Asynchronous learning is a general term used to describe forms of education, instruction, and learning that do not occur in the same place or at the same time. It uses resources that facilitate information sharing outside the constraints of time and place among a network of people. In many instances, well-constructed asynchronous learning is based on constructivist theory, a student-centered approach that emphasizes the importance of peer-to-peer interactions. This approach combines self-study with asynchronous interactions to promote learning, and it can be used to facilitate learning in traditional on-campus education, distance education, and continuing education. This combined network of learners and the electronic network in which they communicate are referred to as an asynchronous learning network.

This is an index of education articles.

Educational technology is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edtech, it often refers to the industry of companies that create educational technology.

Networked learning is a process of developing and maintaining connections with people and information, and communicating in such a way so as to support one another's learning. The central term in this definition is connections. It adopts a relational stance in which learning takes place both in relation to others and in relation to learning resources. In design and practice, networked learning is intended to facilitate evolving sets of connections between learners and their interpersonal communities, knowledge contexts, and digital technologies.

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is a pedagogical approach wherein learning takes place via social interaction using a computer or through the Internet. This kind of learning is characterized by the sharing and construction of knowledge among participants using technology as their primary means of communication or as a common resource. CSCL can be implemented in online and classroom learning environments and can take place synchronously or asynchronously.

Connected Education - also known as Connect Ed - was a pioneering online education organization founded and administered by Paul Levinson and Tina Vozick. Operating from 1985 to 1997, Connect Ed offered the M.A. degrees in Media Studies and Creative Writing. Connect Ed also worked with Polytechnic University in Brooklyn and Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California.

Marlene Scardamalia is an education researcher, professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.

A Knowledge Building Community (KBC) is a community in which the primary goal is knowledge creation rather than the construction of specific products or the completion of tasks. This notion is fundamental in Knowledge building theory. If knowledge is not realized for a community then we do not have knowledge building. Examples of KBCs are

In the history of virtual learning environments, the 1990s was a time of growth, primarily due to the advent of the affordable computer and of the Internet.

E-learning theory describes the cognitive science principles of effective multimedia learning using electronic educational technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open education</span> Educational movement

Open education is an educational movement founded on openness, with connections to other educational movements such as critical pedagogy, and with an educational stance which favours widening participation and inclusiveness in society. Open education broadens access to the learning and training traditionally offered through formal education systems and is typically offered through online and distance education. The qualifier "open" refers to the elimination of barriers that can preclude both opportunities and recognition for participation in institution-based learning. One aspect of openness or "opening up" education is the development and adoption of open educational resources in support of open educational practices.

Assessment in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments is a subject of interest to educators and researchers. The assessment tools utilized in computer-supported collaborative learning settings are used to measure groups' knowledge learning processes, the quality of groups' products and individuals' collaborative learning skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of virtual learning environments</span> Home

A virtual learning environment (VLE) is a system that creates an environment designed to facilitate teachers' management of educational courses for their students, especially a system using computer hardware and software, which involves distance learning. In North America, a virtual learning environment is often referred to as a "learning management system" (LMS).

A virtual learning environment (VLE) in educational technology is a web-based platform for the digital aspects of courses of study, usually within educational institutions. They present resources, activities, and interactions within a course structure and provide for the different stages of assessment. VLEs also usually report on participation and have some level of integration with other institutional systems. In North America, VLE's are often referred to as Learning Management Systems (LMS).

The Electronic Information Exchange System was an early online conferencing bulletin board system that allowed real-time and asynchronous communication. The system was used to deliver courses, conduct conferencing sessions, and facilitate research. Funded by the National Science Foundation and developed from 1974-1978 at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) by Murray Turoff based on his earlier EMISARI done at the now-defunct Office of Emergency Preparedness, EIES was intended to facilitate group communications that would allow groups to make decisions based on their collective intelligence rather than the lowest common denominator. Initially conceived as an experiment in computer-mediated communication. EIES remained in use for decades because its users "just wouldn't let go" of it, eventually adapting it for legislative, medical and even spiritual uses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Online learning in higher education</span> Development in distance education that began in the mid-1980s

Online learning involves courses offered by primary institutions that are 100% virtual. Online learning, or virtual classes offered over the internet, is contrasted with traditional courses taken in a brick-and-mortar school building. It is a development in distance education that expanded in the 1990s with the spread of the commercial Internet and the World Wide Web. The learner experience is typically asynchronous but may also incorporate synchronous elements. The vast majority of institutions utilize a learning management system for the administration of online courses. As theories of distance education evolve, digital technologies to support learning and pedagogy continue to transform as well.

Open educational resources in Canada are the various initiatives related to open education, open educational resources (OER), open pedagogies (OEP), open educational practices (OEP), and open scholarship that are established nationally and provincially across Canadian K-12 and higher education sectors, and where Canadian based inititatives extend to international collaborations.

References

  1. ↑ IJEDE Editors (16 October 2016). "Thirty Years Later: Educational Applications of Computer Conferencing". International Journal of e-Learning & Distance Education / Revue Internationale du E-Learning et la Formation À Distance. 31 (2). Retrieved 2020-02-05.{{cite journal}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. 1 2 "Edmedia Keynote Speaker Panelist - Linda Harasim". Archived from the original on 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2014-09-06.
  3. ↑ "Linda Harasim - School of Communication - Simon Fraser University". Sfu.ca. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-09-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ David. "Harasim Linda". ABC BookWorld. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  6. ↑ "Linda Harasim". www.sfu.ca. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  7. ↑ "Linda Harasim". www.sfu.ca. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Harasim, Linda M. (2017). Learning theory and online technologies (Second ed.). New York. ISBN   978-1-138-86000-1. OCLC   997815869.
  9. ↑ "Chapter 6: Online Collaborative Learning Theory | Linda Harasim". Archived from the original on 2014-06-05. Retrieved 2014-09-06.
  10. ↑ Harasim, L., and Smith, D.E. (1993). Making Connections, Thinking Change Together: Women teachers and computer networks. In P. Bourne, et al. Feminism and Education - A Canadian Perspective (2). Toronto: CSWE/OISE Press.
  11. ↑ Harasim, Linda M. (2012). Learning theory and online technology (1st ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN   978-0-415-99975-5. OCLC   706965562.
  12. ↑ Caruso, T. J.; Qian, J.; Lawrence, K.; Armstrong-Carter, E.; Domingue, B. W. (2020-06-01). "From Socrates to Virtual Reality: A Historical Review of Learning Theories and Their Influence on the Training of Anesthesiologists". Journal of Education in Perioperative Medicine. 22 (2): E638. doi:10.46374/volxxii-issue2-caruso. ISSN   2333-0406. PMC   7485431 . PMID   32939366.
  13. ↑ Harasim, Linda (2017). "ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, VERSUS OR PLUS: ONLINE COLLABORATIVIST LEARNING" (PDF). Retrieved 19 August 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ↑ Harasim, Laura (2002). "What makes online learning communities successful? The role of collaborative learning in social and intellectual development". In Vrasidas, C; Glass, G (eds.). Current Perspectives in Applied Information Technologies: Distance Education and Distributed Learning. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Pub. pp. 181–200. ISBN   978-1-60752-853-1. OCLC   698587634.
  15. ↑ Hedegaard-Bishop, T. (1999). "Clearing the Path for Putting Complete Degree Programs Online." In Wisdom & Wizardry: Celebrating the Pioneers of Online Education, pp. 19-22.
  16. ↑ Carver, Diane (28 August 2012). "Book review - Learning theory and online technologies". The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. 13 (4): 324–326. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v13i4.1340 . Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  17. ↑ "Virtual-U Development Plan: Issues and Process" (PDF). Cs.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  18. ↑ "Welcome to the Global Educators' Network". Archived from the original on 2001-03-03. Retrieved 2014-09-06.
  19. ↑ "Telelearning Research and the TeleLearning-Network of Centres of Excellence | Synergies". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-09-06.
  20. ↑ Eggins, H. (2000). Costing Technology-Based Education: Research Studies from the UK, Canada, the European Community, and Australia. In M.J. FinkelStein (editor), Dollars, Distance, And Online Education: The New Economics Of College Teaching and Learning. American Council on Education Oryx Press Series on Higher Education.
  21. ↑ "Usage of Patterns". Cs.ubc.ca. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  22. ↑ Government of Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada. "Information archivée dans le Web" (PDF). Publications.gc.ca. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  23. ↑ "Linda Harasim » Teaching". Archived from the original on 2014-09-06. Retrieved 2014-09-06.
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