John R. Savery is Professor of Education and Director of Instructional Services at the University of Akron. His research and teaching interests focus on problem-based learning and technology-rich learning environments. As Director he supports faculty integration of instructional technology across the spectrum, from traditional classrooms to…

The availability of technological tools is promoting a shift toward more student-centered online instruction. This article describes the implementation of a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model and the technological tools used to meet the expectations of the model as well as the needs of the students. The end product is a hybrid course with eight…

Instructional designers are trained to choose instructional methods rationally by considering the conditions and outcomes associated with an instructional situation. However, designers come to these situations with their own "design stories" as well. Our design stories, constructed over time through learning and practice, not only provide meaning…

This article focuses on the practical issues in implementing instructional approaches based on constructivist views of learning. The authors do not view this as a procedural guide, but rather believe that the design of these inquiry based learning (IBL) approaches must be guided by the view of learning represented in constructivist frameworks.…

This article describes the educational effects of the Time To Know Digital Teaching Platform used with low socio-economic status (SES) students' in learning mathematics, Hebrew, and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Israel. The study described in the article is based on the assumption that one of the possible solutions for bridging the social…

Defines constructivist learning environments and explains why the idea is worthy of study. Discussion includes the different assumptions underlying common metaphors for instruction, the idea of learning environments, the outcomes of learning environments, and the components or functions that make up learning environments. (JMV)

Discusses the link between the theoretical principles of constructivism, the practice of instructional design, and the practice of teaching. Defines constructivism, lists three primary principles of learning and understanding, identifies eight instructional principles needed for the design of constructivist learning environments, and presents a…

Introduces epistemic game theory as a framework for thinking about the design of "constructivist" learning environments, and offers examples and suggestions for epistemic games in classrooms. Discusses epistemic complexity, epistemic game theory, the development of epistemic fluency, and the role of technology in the development of…

Examines the constructivist educational philosophy. Highlights include the significance of written materials, the aims of education, the subjective base of constructivism, the need for more understanding of social and cognitive processes, the limitation of consciousness to the present, the need for constructs and constructs of objects,…

Describes some of the many conceptions of learning that have guided the field of instructional design in two main periods: one focusing on learning from an objectivist perspective, which lasted most of the 20th century, and one focusing on learning from cognitive and social constructivist perspectives, which has dominated the past decade. (AEF)

Reviews some of the current approaches for assessing asynchronous interaction. Describes an approach to assessing the contributions of students to an asynchronous forum (WebBoard) based on social constructivist learning theory. Presents a taxonomy of computer mediated discourse organized by the Simmons levels of assessing reflective thinking. (AEF)

Examines constructivism in online learning, suggesting that part of the cause of the gap that exists between educational theorists and science instructors about how subjects can be taught appears to be due to different beliefs about what it is possible to learn. Illustrates a scientist's approach through examples of an online course designed by…

Examines the role of educational technology from a constructivist perspective. Discusses the subset of computer-based technologies, especially the Internet, that are changing the way interactivity is defined, and examines how these technologies interface with constructivist approaches to pedagogy. Explores the place of constructivism as a…

Outlines steps instructors must undertake to prepare for constructivist activities. Presents two categories of constructivist activity supported by the Web. Students may construct advanced mental models by: cooperating with peers, and/or connecting personal conceptions with expert conceptions. Online environments that allow learners to perform…