Multiple Perspectives on Problem Solving and Learning in the Digital Age

Multiple Perspectives on Problem-Solving and Learning in the Digital Age
Dirk Ifenthaler, Kinshuk, Pedro Isaias, Demetrios G. Sampson, J. Michael Spector, editors


Have computers made problem-solving easier? The answer is a resounding yes and no: while we can access more information and increasingly sophisticated search engines, problems themselves are more complicated, and often more vague. Accordingly, new strategies for teaching problem-solving should be technologically astute, engage learners, and encourage progressive development of skills.

The perspectives represented in Multiple Perspectives on Problem-Solving and Learning in the Digital Age include instructional design, cognition, assessment, schooling/teaching, and virtual environments, with emphasis on technologies that not only promote problem-solving, but also address new problems created by rapidly changing technology. Innovative new tools such as MAPLET (a learner-focused framework for integrating technology into curricula), the virtual learning environment ViCaDiS, and interactive online museum exhibits demonstrate the complex nature of problem-solving and the diverse ways in which learners—and instructors—achieve expertise.

A sampling of the topics covered:
• Pedagogical usability issues in Web-based learning objects.
• Collaborative cognitive tools for shared representation.
• Automated measurement of critical thinking for discussion forum participants.
• Expanding global awareness with virtual collaboration.
• Simulation games as learning experience.
• Beyond teaching and learning: the human development paradigm.

Multiple Perspectives on Problem-Solving and Learning in the Digital Age re-draws the boundaries of curriculum design and distributed knowledge. This volume will be a welcome addition to education libraries, and a forward-looking reference for academics and professionals in the field of technology integration in learning and instruction.