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Learning Environments

© Julie Spears

A growing number of tutorials and online courses are being posted on the World Wide Web by both formal educational institutions and individuals. Many sponsors of online courses have developed moderated discussion forums or bulletin boards sp that interested students, moderators, instructors and others may exchange ideas interactively.

Collaborative learning has also nourished the community-building phenomena on the Internet. One of these communities, "New Horizons for Learning," offers an expanded vision of a learning environment, literally constructing the vision as an icon - the virtual learning environment - by using a vertical tall building with the elevators stopping at floors, simulating categories of information. The Building Directory is the Index to the web site. There is an Arts Studio and a Brain Lab in the building. An Observation Deck looks out on the Window of the Future and Reinvented Living. Brainstorming, researching conflicting information, creating questionnaires, taking surveys and polls and how to keep a research log are some of the interesting topics. Many areas are interactive. There are eleven floors and more to explore in this virtual, vertical community.

Many educational sites offer scholarly publications from their web sites. I recommend the excellent "New Conversations About Learning: Insights from Neuroscience and Anthropology, Cognitive Science and Work-Place Studies" by Theodore J. Marchese. It is published at the web site of the American Association for Higher Education web site.

The Information Technology Department of the Central Institute of Technology (CIT) in New Zealand sets an example for contributing toward lifelong learning. The CIT courseware listing includes "C Programming," "Hardware Fundamentals," "UNIX," "Windows NT 4.0," "Data Structures" and "Pascal Programming" and other popular information technology topics of instruction. These courses are free self-study guides that can be used to supplement formal education or for independent study. An option is available to purchase a CD-ROM containing the study guides. The CD-ROM option is a convenience for learners that may otherwise be accumulating excess online charges through their Internet Service Provider.

The most informal learning experiences on the Internet are just as valid as the formal courses. These can be serendipitous findings or accidental learning. Some of the best learning experiences have been the result of linking to a web site through hypertext navigation, surfing, or succumbing to the temptation provided when a search retrieves seemingly unrelated results. Although I’ve always been squeamish about bugs, I discovered, by accident, an excellent tutorial, "General Entomology," published by the Department of Entomology at North Carolina State University. This tutorial is interactive and is a great example of how online tutorials can stimulate learning.

The copyright of the article Learning Environments in Adult Education is owned by Julie Spears. Permission to republish Learning Environments in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.