ANALYSING ERT IN A GRADUATE-LEVEL COURSE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CONNECTIVISM AND ACTIVITY THEORY

ABSTRACT:

Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, several educational institutions have moved towards emergency remote teaching (ERT) models with the aim of enabling the continuity of classes in a non-in-person format. Given this scenario, facilitating strategies have helped teachers plan and carry out their activities. Theories such as Connectivism and Activity Theory not only showcase how it is, indeed, possible to learn effectively in a globalized and networked world, but also assist in understanding this mode of learning. This research paper seeks to demonstrate how an analysis combining both aforementioned theories can be performed in the context of a graduate-level virtual classroom, aiming to cooperate in better understanding learning in remote and networked contexts. We relied on an adapted version of Mwanza's (2001) methodology for Activity Theory, along with an analysis aided by questionnaires answered by participants in the course, in order to verify Activity Theory's level of compatibility with Connectivism's 8 properties of effective networks. Grounded on this pair of analysis, correlations were drawn between both theory and practice in order to identify interrelationships between the two. Our findings demonstrate multiple points of contact between Activity Theory and Connectivism, as well as the relevance of both to the larger context of ERT given the positive reports regarding their contribution to the development of the course.

Keywords:
Connectivism; Activity Theory; emergency remote teaching; graduate-level course