Embodied Knowing in Online Environments

Abstract

In higher education, the conventional design of educational programs emphasises imparting knowledge and skills, in line with traditional Western epistemology. This emphasis is particularly evident in the design and implementation of many undergraduate programs in which bodies of knowledge and skills are decontextualised from the practices to which they belong .In contrast, the notion of knowledge as foundational and absolute has been extensively challenged. A transformation and pluralisation has occurred: knowledge has come to be seen as situated and localized into various 'knowledges', and the status of the body has taken on renewed significance in epistemological debates. Rather than thinking of knowledge as transcending the body, the embodiment of knowledge has become a key factor in understanding the nature of knowledge and what it means to know.In this paper, we adopt a phenomenological perspective in exploring the notion of embodied knowing as it relates to higher education programs and, more specifically, the ways in which information and communication technologies (ICTs) are used in these programs.

An ontological turn for higher education

“…Not only have the nature of knowledge and knowledge transfer been challenged, but knowledge as the focus of higher education has come into question, albeit a conventional notion of knowledge (e.g., Barnett, 2000Barnett, , 2004Bowden & Marton, 2004;Dall'Alba, 1998;Dall'Alba & Barnacle, 2005;Dall'Alba & Sandberg, 1996). Consistent with foregrounding knowledge, an over-emphasis on a narrow conception of the intellect is evident in many higher education programs (Barnett, 1997;Dall'Alba & Barnacle, 2005).…”

“…While this issue is by no means new (e.g., Jaspers, 1960;Ortega y Gasset, 1944;Reeves, 1988), it has received renewed attention. Several researchers have noted a changed role for the university, challenging current conceptualisations of what a university is or should strive to be (e.g., Barnett, 1997Barnett, , 2000Barnett, , 2005Bowden & Marton, 2004;Coffield & Williamson, 1997;Delanty, 2001;Dall'Alba & Barnacle, 2005;Gibbons et al, 1994;Readings, 1996;Slaughter & Leslie, 1997). The fragmentation of the university in line with hyper-specialisation, a focus on knowledge rather than learning, and the largely instrumental function universities are seen to have within contemporary societies are among the points of contention identified.…”

“…3 In parallel with challenges to the idea and role of the university, an emphasis on transfer and acquisition of knowledge and skills in university programs has been extensively questioned. The epistemology underlying such an emphasis has been demonstrated to be fundamentally flawed (e.g., (Billett, 2001;Bourdieu, 1977;Chaiklin & Lave, 1993;Dall'Alba & Barnacle, 2005;Dall'Alba & Sandberg, 1996;Giddens, 1984Giddens, , 1993Lave, 1993;Schön, 1983;van Manen, 1977). Within this epistemology, knowledge and skills are seen as attributes that can be decontextualised from the practices to which they relate.…”

Unveiling Professional Development: A Critical Review of Stage Models

“…Accordingly, when developing professional skill, the point of departure is usually a formalised body of knowledge and skills, often described in textbooks. For example, in formal professional education, the curriculum typically emphasises the progressive accumulation of a body of knowledge and skills (Dall'Alba & Barnacle, 2005;Dall'Alba & Sandberg, 1996).…”

“…Unveiling professional development 6 The notion that skill development can be conceptualised as an accumulation of a defined body of knowledge and skills has been questioned extensively from within a range of research approaches (e.g., Ball & Cohen, 1999;Benner, 1984;Billett, 2001;Borko & Putnam, 1996;Dall'Alba, 2002Dreyfus & Dreyfus, 1986;Dreyfus, 2002;Dall'Alba & Barnacle, 2005;Dall'Alba & Sandberg, 1996;Fielding, 1988a;Hargreaves & Fullan, 1992;Hunt, 1987;Lave, 1993;Little, 1993;McDermott, 1993;Robertson, 1992;Sandberg, 1994Sandberg, , 2000Sandberg, , 2001Sandberg & Pinnington, in preparation;Schön, 1983Schön, , 1987Tsoukas, 1996;Tsoukas & Vladimirou, 2001;Winograd & Flores, 1986). Models based upon such a conceptualisation have been challenged and extended in one of the most advanced and influential models of skill acquisition proposed by Hubert and Stuart Dreyfus (1986;Dreyfus, 2002).…”