Orientation: Sensemaking and Wayfinding in Complex Distributed Online Information Environments (Thesis PhD Philosophy by George Siemens) #onderwijs

George Siemens in de abstract van zijn doctoraatsthesis van 25 september 2011,  gepubliceerd op SlideShare op 1 juni 2012, p. iii/218.

This research study considers the cognitive, social, technological and spatial strategies that individuals use when they navigate the structure of, and the content in, a large open online course with over 2,200 participants. The research includes a social network analysis of the participation patterns of learners in an open online course as well as a grounded theory exploration of the techniques and strategies those learners utilize in their learning.

The theory that emerges from the research is the Sensemaking Wayfinding Information Model (SWIM) that details how individuals orient themselves through self-directed activities, as part of social networked systems, and through the use of technologies. This model centres on the information habits of individuals and emphasizes on the centrality of identify information, navigation, social interactions and sensegiving activities. The social networks that form as individuals make sense of topics indicate the importance of participation, active engagement, language-based activities and artefact creation (such as naming concepts, creating word images, diagrams and videos) and sustained involvement over time.

Uit de reacties gelicht:

‘a constant human activity: attempts to form a coherent view of information and determine the meaning of new information.’ Indeed. (And really, the basis of cognitive psychology contra behaviorism.) (Bernard Tremblay, 1 juni 2012)

… Een voorbeeld van hoe open leren en onderwijzen vandaag en morgen in zijn werk kan gaan.

Gerelateerd

• informatie-ecologie: Narratives of coherence, een presentatie van George Siemens die een snel oriënterende en verhelderende illustratie vormt bij de publicatie van zijn PhD-thesis; 
•  een oriëntering op MOOC’s via Wilfred Rubens, 30 mei 2012. En een ouder artikel: Wat je moet weten over Mooc’s, eveneens van Wilfred Rubens.