The Challenge of Investigating the Value of E-Simulations in Blended Learning Environments: A Case for Design-Based Research

Constructivist Principles

DeakinSims has been underpinned by constructivist principles, which assume that individual knowledge is subjective and constructed by learners as they experience the world. Constructivists believe there are multiple perspectives about phenomena in the world and learners are engaged in a process of “meaning making”, which comes about when there is “a dissonance between what is known and what is observed in the world” (Jonassen, Peck & Wilson, 1999, p. 5). Biggs (2003) refers to the concept of “constructive alignment”, which brings together a constructivist view of learning, and an “aligned design for teaching” (p. 27), wherein students do the work and the teacher acts as a broker between the student and the activities that constitute the learning environment. Garrison and Anderson (2003, p. 13) present a “transactional view” of learning wherein students first construct their personal meaning then refine and confirm their understanding within a community of collaborative learners. These authors argue students learn better when they accept responsibility for their learning and have an appropriate level of control over what and how they learn.