Reimagine E-learning: a proposal for a 21st learning framework

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing debate and rise in publications about learning in its multiple forms. This variety has contributed to the richness of existing research but it has also increased, rather than reduced, the need for more clarity to advance further. Through a content analysis performed on the last twenty years of research, we aim at providing clarity about the complex definitions landscape of the most diffused 16 learning terms in the literature. We discuss their use over the years and we depict some trends. We conclude by providing a comprehensive learning framework that clarifies interactions and interdependencies among the terms. The framework classifies the terms into models, modes and methods. Through three exemplary case studies, we also show how instructional designers and instructors can apply this framework.