Dialogue: a theoretical framework for distance education instructional systems

Abstract

This paper presents a theoretical framework for viewing elements that comprise distance education instructional systems in terms of dialogue. It is assumed that learning is mediated by intrapersonal dialogue and facilitated by interpersonal dialogue. Every resource in a distance education instructional system (eg, instructor availability, asynchronous communication networks, self-instruction texts, etc) is analysed in terms of the dialogue mode it supports. The framework offers three advantages: (1) a unified, simple, and coherent description of the mechanisms at play in distance education systems, (2) clearcut operational definitions, and (3) hypotheses that may be investigated empirically.

IRRODL Volume 10, Number 3

“…This supports the notion that -distance‖ in online learning is a complex phenomenon that demands a holistic analysis. Here we concur with Gorsky and Caspi's (2005) criticism that Moore failed to offer operational definitions for the elements, with a result that it is sometimes difficult to clearly differentiate between them.…”

“…Online learning offers students the potential for more self-directed learning opportunities and flexible structures for engagement, which can increase student levels of autonomy, emotional independence, and self-direction (Belz & Müller-Hartmann, 2003). Moore (1993) suggests that this is a crucial characteristic of student engagement in their learning, which naturally reduces their experience of -distance.‖ 4 Gorsky and Caspi (2005) asserted that Moore's theory is not a theory at all, but rather, a tautology that can be reduced to the following: -As understanding increases, misunderstanding decreases‖ (p. 8). They base their conclusion on a review of six quantitative studies that tested Moore's (1993) framework, and they found that each study supported the theory, but validity was poorly established.…”

“…As a preface to our study, we discuss findings and conclusions concerning teaching effectiveness in traditional classrooms. We do so for two reasons: practically, since all findings are relevant to online teaching, and theoretically, since current research has shown the theoretical equivalency of all kinds of instructional systems within the framework of a unified theory of instructional design (Gorsky & Caspi, 2005;Gorsky, Caspi, & Chajut, 2007).…”

A Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Research on the Learning Approaches and Transactional Distance in Students of Blended Learning

“…Diyalog, öğrenme materyallerinde öğrencileri düşünmeye sevk etme yönüyle içsel (Gorsky ve Caspi, 2005) ve ortamda yer alan diğer kişilerle çift yönlü etkileşim ve iletişime olanak sağlama yönüyle dışsal (Jung, 2000) olarak öğrencinin öğrenmesine destek olmayı ifade etmektedir. Yapı, öğrencinin öğrenme ortamında sahip olduğu bireysel farklılıklar ve ihtiyaçlarına cevap vermede kullanılan bileşenlerin bir arada bulunması ve içerik erişiminin kolay olmasını içerir (Saba ve Shearer, 1994).…”

Social software for reflective dialogue: questions about reflection and dialogue in student teachers’ blogs

“…Furthermore, 13 narrative interviews were conducted to illuminate students' understanding of reflection, and to establish what circumstances influenced their engagement in reflective dialogue. The framework developed by Kreber and Cranton (2000) was used to analyse the blogs in order to determine the level of reflection, while that of Gorsky and Caspi (2005) was used to illuminate students' engagement in dialogue. The paper presents a discussion of the circumstances in which students engaged in reflective dialogue.…”