Reflexivity of Roles and Rules in Role Based E-learning
Abstract: Role based e-learning is becoming popular as part of the pedagogical arsenal of the constructivist paradigm that puts emphasis on learning by doing in collaborative environments that include simulations, games and role plays. This paper examines and delineates two dimensions of role-based e-learning, the significance of role and the significance of rules, for the design of online learning environments and their implications in meeting educational objectives. The paper defines the differences between simulations, games and role plays and argues that to be effective in meeting educational objectives role based e-learning must carefully consider what I will call the reflexivity of roles and the relations between game rules and social rules. The claim made is that the roles, of role based activities intended to meet learning objectives, need to be conceptualized in the same way that the social roles and rules being simulated are theoretically understood.
Presider: Caroline Akhras, Notre Dame University