Situative approaches to online engagement, assessment, and equity

• Published in: Educational psychologist Vol. 57; no. 3; pp. 221 - 225
• Main Author: Hickey, Daniel T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Routledge 03-07-2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Constructivism (Learning); Distance learning; Educational evaluation; Educational psychology; Electronic Learning; Equal Education; Formative Evaluation; Instructional Improvement; Learner Engagement; Online Courses; Online instruction; Situated Learning; Student participation; Summative Evaluation; Undergraduate Students
• ISSN: 0046-1520; 1532-6985
• DOI: 10.1080/00461520.2022.2079129

The articles in this special issue on Improving Online Learning Theory, Research, and Practice characterize online learning using a set of "diverse lenses." Most of these articles draw primarily from modern socio-constructivist perspectives and applied psychological constructs derived from more basic research. My strong embrace of situated cognition and design-based methods led to questions about how key issues in online learning such as online engagement, summative and formative assessment, and equitable learning were conceptualized. Specifically, I contrast how the socio-constructivist approaches in most of the articles might be re-conceptualized in a situative approach called participatory learning and assessment. I conclude by summarizing the potential value of a deeper embrace of situativity in online learning theory and research.