Research
My research interest covers a number of fields. I am an educator with a career in the field of lifelong learning ‘from the cradle to the grave’ and a particular interest in the impact of technology on the concept of knowledge and on learning and teaching in its widest sense. I started my study for a PhD in Adult Continuing Education in January 2005 and so far it has encompassed areas of philosophy, history, education and technology. I have submitted the thesis which has as title: Networked Connectivity and Adult Learning: Social Media, the Knowledgeable Other and Distance Education.
Current research in Personal Learning Environment
I am currently working on a project for the National Research Council of Canada researching Personal Learning Environments. Each learner is unique and will have a unique learning experience. This has instigated the research and development of a learning environment that is informal and that 'fits around people's lives', the Personal Learning Environment (PLE) that is in the control of the learner. The needs, requirements and experience of each learner using a PLE will be different, which makes the planning and development of a PLE that serves as an aid to each possible learner a challenge. An added problem is the openness of the environment and the large number of different dimensions that can be designed and developed. Moreover, PLEs are so new that research in their development has been limited.So, an interesating challenge!
The research consists of three components. The first one is the identification process of what potential users would find important components, applications and tools in a PLE. The usability testing of the actual learning environment is the second component, and the educational research is the third aspect to be investigated. At the centre of the design and development is the premise that it should be the learner who owns the PLE and who makes the decisions about its use, not an educational institution.
PhD Research
Over the past decades, information technology has had a disruptive effect on adult education. Today, learners can access libraries from their pocket and shape their thoughts while socializing on networks. The position of educators as ‘knowledgeable others’ has been challenged as experts can be found online and learners can control their own learning. Social media are changing adult education, because they offer tremendous potential to enhance learning processes. But do they really?
My doctoral thesis questions the connectivist premise of epistemological transformation. It investigates the position of the learner in the learning experience and his/her level of control in comparison to the tutor and the institution. It examines how social media can be used effectively in communication in learning. This longitudinal qualitative study shows how students, tutors and staff negotiated the intricacies of social media in a formal adult education setting. The researcher surveyed learners participating in three online networks and immersed herself in one for nine months.
The results show that Web 2.0 technologies can facilitate a high level of communication amongst learners and educators, and consequently raise the level of “presence” in the online environment. New technologies were seen to foster engagement and self-directed learning. The role of adult educators was seen as crucial for all learners, and for those displaying higher levels of autonomy, the educator was perceived as a trusted “human filter” of information.
The research adds to the under-conceptualized field of networked learning in the Web 2.0 era, and challenges the notion that knowledge and learning are revolutionized by new social media. It shows that a trusted “knowledgeable other” is still at the heart of a meaningful learning experience. Finally, the thesis provides recommendations for adult educators and institutions to enhance their effectiveness in networked environments characterized by changing attitudes toward interaction for learning.
Support
My PhD research has been funded by the Department of Adult Continuing Education of Swansea University, UK.
Status
My final revisions to the thesishave been accepted and the final version of the thesis will be published shortly. Here is the final draft.
about me
rita kop
swansea, gb
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