International Journal of Education and Development using ICT

International Journal of Education and Development using ICT > Vol. 1, No. 3 (2005)

Existential elements of the online learning experience

Kevin Carmody, University of Maryland, USA
Zane L Berge, University of Maryland, USA

Abstract
The following discussion will compare four contemporary methods of online teaching and learning: student-centered, subject-centered, teacher-centered and teaching-centered. This paper argues that the most effective methods are those that engage the six dimensions of human existence: physical, social, emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual. However, there is no Holy Grail, golden rule, or single instructional model that will guarantee effective teaching or learning in every situation. What engages one class may disengage the next. The skill, flexibility, motivation, and orientation of the instructor and student are the guiding factors that lead the learning process. With an understanding of the personal nature of the learning interaction, the most effective teaching methods are those that engage individuals in an intimate way. The objective herein is to present and define four contemporary teaching models, their expressed or applied engagement of the dimensions listed above, and provide foundational concepts which may serve as starting points in the evaluation of one’s own methods, philosophy, and practice.

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