Developing constructivist learning environment to Enhance Online Courses

Abstract

Developing an effective cοnstructiνist learning enνirοnment (hereinafter also referred to as СLΕ) for students is an essential task nowadays when on-line courses have become increasingly important in modern education and they will without any doubt become even more important in the future. But before start designing and developing СLΕs it is necessary to have a clear, definitive idea of what СLΕs are, or what they should look like. This study puts forward the idea of four levels of the constructivism methodological approach as a basis for developing any effective СLΕ: These levels are: 1. philosophical level of methodology; 2. general scientific methodology; 3. specific scientific methodology; and 4. technological methodology, which consists of research methods and techniques. The authors first consider the fourth (lower) technological methodology level and give a description of methods and techniques which can be fruitful for developing СLΕs to enhance online courses. In this paper the researchers also draw out an initial draft of three fields of Digital Didactics (which is an old-new science which is being developed on the third level of the methodological approach and aimed to rethink the basis of Classical Didactics). These fields are a) teaching activities, b) learning activities and c) content and value aspects of education, all three presented through digitalisation of education in general.