Still to learn from vicarious learning

Abstract

The term 'vicarious learning' was introduced in the 1960s by Bandura, who demonstrated how learning can occur through observing the behaviour of others. Such social learning is effective without the need for the observer to experience feedback directly. More than twenty years later a series of studies on vicarious learning was undertaken in the context of technology-enhanced learning in mass higher education. These studies employed the idea in a rather narrower sense, defining it as learning through observing others in the act of learning, focusing in particular on the kind of conceptual learning that is typical in higher education and is best observed in tutorial settings. The key proposal was that multimedia recorded versions of tutorial dialogues could be chosen for their effectiveness in revealing the way concepts are grasped, questions posed and problems solved, from the perspective of real learners rather than from that imagined by teachers. These recorded dialogues could be linked to the primary subject matter and, it was hoped, would constitute a powerful resource for new students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to benefit from a teaching method which, if restricted to the original participants, simply does not scale. This paper reviews the subsequent research that has continued to explore this idea. Overall, the potential importance of vicarious learning in various kinds of subject matter has been confirmed. Research on vicarious learning continues to resonate with fundamental issues of the design of higher education in a digital world.

Understanding vicarious participation in online language learning

“…Secondly, recordings provide access to different voices and perspectives, for example, where students attend one scheduled tutorial but then listen to other recordings on the same topic to deepen their learning. They appreciate the variety of perspectives offered by different tutors and other students, confirming findings from studies which linked access to more perspectives to deeper learning (Mayes, 2015;Rabold et al, 2008).…”

“…In addition, concerns regarding privacy in online environments need to be given due consideration. There is, however, a lack of awareness that previous educational research into recorded tutorials in engineering and social science subjects as well as studies into classroom-based language learning have pointed to significant benefits of learning through vicarious participation in tutor-student or student-student interaction (Chi et al, 2001;Driscoll et al, 2003;Fernández-Dobao, 2016;Lee 2005;Mayes, 2015;McKendree et al, 1998;Ohta, 2001). There has so far been little research exploring vicarious language learning in audiographic online settings, which the present enquiry addressed.…”

“…The value of recorded tutor-student interaction was previously explored by educational researchers who were trying to revive the central role tutorial dialogue historically played for learning in higher education (Chi et al 2001;Driscoll et al, 2003;Lee, 2005;Mayes, 2015;McKendree et al, 1998;Rabold et al, 2008). Dialogue can serve to articulate and externalize the learning process, and watching recordings of peers who are also still learning has been shown to lead to deep learning gains (Craig et al, 2000;Lee, 2005;Mayes, 2015). Although sometimes direct participants learn more, vicarious participants occasionally outperform those who interact directly, which is ascribed to limited cognitive processing capacities, meaning listeners have more attentional resources at their disposal than direct participants who are engaged in selecting and formulating responses (Bandura, 1971).…”

To solve or to observe? The case of problem‐solving interactivity within child learning games

“…Within learning sessions that address mental models acquisition, learners can typically participate in several, conceptually different modes. The main ones include (1) exposition, (2) problem‐solving and (3) elaboration (cf., Mayes, 2015, pp. 362–363). Exposition mode: Within this mode, information is delivered to learners.…”

Becoming a doctoral researcher in a digital world: Reflections on the role of Twitter for reflexivity and the internal conversation

“…This risk is one that is associated with the use of Twitter as a mode of communicative reflexivity, but in fact for those who are not comfortable with putting their concerns out there, the public nature of Twitter can still offer a resource on which they can draw as, by being exposed to similar conversations, they can make sense of their own experiences, understanding how they are often a wider concern. Mayes (2015) explored the notion of vicarious learning in terms of viewing recorded tutorial dialogues. Adopting a mode where Twitter is simply used to find content could therefore provide the resources for an individual to reflect autonomously on their own experiences.…”