Disciplinary Engagement and Persistence in an Online Learning Environment

• In Event: Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Education in Cyberspace: Tech-Based Platforms and Practices

Abstract

We describe the dynamics of in-service teachers’ engagement in scientific inquiry in a blended online course, focusing on their shift from following instructions to animating their own inquiry. The shift, we argue, was supported by a responsive teaching approach that put their thinking at the center, and by a flexible digital platform, InterLACE, that made possible the adaptation of learning spaces based on teachers’ ideas. The study contributes to research on disciplinary engagement by showing that, within an online mostly text-based medium, learners can 1) stably engage in sense-making, and 2) collaborate towards achieving epistemic goals. We end with recommendations for the design of responsive online environments that could promote learners’ autonomy and the collaborative building and refinement of knowledge.

Authors

• Lama Ziad Jaber, Florida State University

• Vesal Dini, Tufts University

• David Hammer, Tufts University

• Ethan Danahy, Tufts University

• Lily Withington