A New Pedagogy is Emerging...And Online Learning is a Key Contributing Factor

In all the discussion about learning management systems, open educational resources (OERs), massive open online courses (MOOCs), and the benefits and challenges of online learning, perhaps the most important issues concern how technology is changing the way we teach, and - more importantly - the way students learn. For want of a better term, we call this “pedagogy.” 
What is clear is that major changes in the way we teach post-secondary students are being triggered by online learning and the new technologies that increase flexibility in, and access to, post-secondary education. 
As a first step in an exploration of what these pedagogical changes are and their implications for students, faculty, staff, and institutions, we begin here by:

• Taking a look at some key developments in online learning and how they impact our understanding of pedagogy;
• Illustrating these developments through highlighting innovations in Ontario colleges and universities from the Pockets of Innovations series on  the Ontario Online Learning Portal for Faculty & Instructors and offering links to many more; and
• Raising some questions about changes in pedagogy and in student learning.

But this is only the first step. Our goal is to use these questions on teaching and course design, student learning, and technological choice to spark a dialogue with professors, instructors, and those who work with them to provide online learning, through opportunities for online and face-to-face discussions of the emerging pedagogy. More...