Abstract
At the classroom level, contexts for learning are often limited in the experiential component. Teachers and trainers feel overwhelmed by the difficulty of inventing authentic learning contexts, and creating tasks that truly reflect the way knowledge would be used in the real world (Herrington et al. 2004). However, there are growing numbers of examples of how such authentic learning environments are being used in schools, higher education, and professional development in a variety of contexts and discipline areas, such as in literacy education (Ferry et al. 2006), in physical activity fitness and health (Rice et al. 1999), in Indigenous education (Marshall et al. 2001), in evaluation (Agostinho 2006), in multimedia and ICT (Bennett et al. 2001), in literature (Fitzsimmons 2006), and in business writing (Pennell et al. 1997). Teachers and trainers who subscribe to this approach to learning can be very inventive in developing learner perceptions of authentic contexts, but often financial, situational and time constraints limit the experiential elements of authentic learning settings.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
ACMA: Media and Communication in Australian Families 2007: Report of the Media and Society Research Project (Australian Government, Australian Communications and Media Authority, Canberra, ACT 2007).
Agostinho, S.: Using characters in online simulated environments to guide authentic tasks. In Authentic Learning Environments in Higher Education, ed. by Herrington, A., Herrington, J. (Information Science Publishing, Hershey, PA 2006) pp. 88–95
Alessi, S. M.: Learning interactive videodisc development: A case study. J. Instr. Dev., 11(2). 2–7 (1988)
Ambron, S., Hooper, K. (Eds.): Interactive Multimedia: Visions of Multimedia for Developers, Educators, & Information Providers. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press (1988)
Anderson, D., Lucas, K.B.: The effectiveness of orienting students to the physical features of a science museum prior to visitation. Res Sci Educ. 27(4), 485–494 (1997)
Bennett, S., Harper, B., Hedberg, J.: Designing real-life cases to support authentic design activities. In Meeting at the Crossroads, ed. by Kennedy, G., Keppell, M., McNaught, C., Petrovic, T., Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference of the Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (Biomedical Multimedia Unit, University of Melbourne. Melbourne 2001) pp. 73–81
Bergin, D.A., Anderson, A.H., Molnar, T., Baumgartner, R., Mitchell, S., Korper, S., Curley, A., Rottmann, J.: Providing remote accessible field trips (RAFT): an evaluation study, Comput Human Behav. 23(1), 192–219 (2004)
Brickell, G., Herrington, J.: Learner challenges and situated learning: engaging students at Sydney Olympic Park. In Beyond the Comfort Zone, ed. by Atkinson, R., McBeath, C., Jonas-Dwyer, D. & Phillips, R., Proceedings of the 21st ASCILITE Conference (ASCILITE, Perth 2004), pp. 150–158
Brickell, G., Herrington, J., Harper, B.: Technology-supported collaboration on field-based authentic tasks. In Proceedings of EdMedia 2005 World Conference on Educational Multimedia Hypermedia and Telecommunications, ed. by Kommers, P., Richards, G. (AACE, Norfolk, VA 2005a) pp. 1961–1968
Brickell, G., Herrington, J., Harper, B.: Integrating problem-solving strategies and fieldwork into an authentic online learning environment. In Proceedings of the IASTED International Conference: Education and Technology (IASTED, Calgary, Canada 2005b) pp. 38–43
Brickell, G. J. Herrington, J.: Understanding learning in the 21st Century: A preliminary study into mobile technologies. In Proceedings of IADIS international conference: Mobile learning 2007. I. A. Sanchez (Eds.), (2007), Lisbon: IADIS Press, pp. 176–179
Brown, A.L.: Design experiments: theoretical and methodological challenges in creating complex interventions in classroom settings. J. Learn. Sci. 2(2), 141–178 (1992)
Collins, A.: Towards a design science of education. In New Directions in Educational Technology, ed. by Scanlon, E., O’Shea, T. (Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York 1992) pp. 15–22
Dillon, P., Prosser, D.: Educational transactions in museum online learning environments, Int. J E-Learn. Jan–March, 2003, 14–20 (2003)
Din, H. W.: Using museum online resources: recommendations for a teacher training model using technology in rural Alaska. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference, ed. by C. Crawford et al. (AACE, Chesapeake, VA 2005) pp. 2202–2205
Dowling, S.: Artful connections: using virtual museum tours as a keystone for an online community of practice of K-12 art teachers. In Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education, ed. by Reeves, T., Yamashita, S. (AACE, Chesapeake, VA 2006) pp. 497–502
Falk, J.: The director’s cut: toward an improved understanding of learning from museums. Sci. Educ. 88(1), 83–96 (2004)
Falk, J. H., Dierking, L. D.: Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning (Alta Mira Press, Walnut Creek 2000)
Ferry, B., Kervin, L., Puglisi, S., Cambourne, B., Turbill, J., Jonassen, D., Hedberg, J.: Online classroom simulation: using a virtual classroom to support pre-service teacher thinking. In Authentic Learning Environments in Higher Education, ed. by Herrington, A., Herrington, J. (Information Science Publishing, Hershey, PA 2006) pp. 135–161
Fitzsimmons, J.: Speaking snake: authentic learning and the study of literature, In Authentic Learning Environments in Higher Education, ed. by Herrington, A., Herrington, J. (Information Science Publishing, Hershey, PA 2006) pp. 162–171
Gibbson, S., Hooper, K.: The voyage of the MIMI. In Interactive Multimedia, Visions of Multimedia for Developers, Educators, & Information Providers, ed. by Ambron, S., Hooper, K. (Microsoft Press, Redmond, WA 1993) pp. 181–191
Grant, W.C.: Wireless coyote: a computer supported field trip, Technol. Educ. Commun. ACM 36(5), 57–59 (1993)
Hein, G.E.: Learning in the Museum (Routledge, London, New York 1998)
Herrington, J., Reeves, T.C., Oliver, R., Woo, Y.: Designing authentic activities in web-based courses. J. Comput. Higher Educ. 16(1), 3–29 (2004)
Herrington, J., Reeves, T. C., Oliver, R.: Immersive learning technologies: Realism and online authentic learning, J Comput. High. Educ., 19(1), pp. 65–84 (2007)
Jonassen, D. H.: Thinking technology: towards a constructivist design model. Educ. Technol. 34(3), 34–37 (1994)
Kenderdine, S.: Inside the meta center: a cabinet of wonder. Paper presented at the Museums and the Web 1998 Conference, New Orleans, USA, 11–14 March 1999. Retrieved March 13, 2006 from http://www.archimuse.com/mw99/abstracts/prg_1062.html
Marshall, L., Northcote, M., Lenoy, M.: Design influences in the creation of an online mathematics unit for indigenous adults. In Meeting at the Crossroads. Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference of the Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, ed. by Kennedy, G., Keppell, M., McNaught, C., Petrovic, T. (University of Melbourne, Melbourne 2001) pp. 113–116
Pennell, R., Durham, M., Ozog, M., Spark, A.: Writing in context: situated learning on the web. In What works and why: Proceedings of the 14th Annual Conference of the Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, ed. by Kevill, R., Oliver, R., Phillips, R. (Curtin University, Perth, WA 1997) pp. 463–469
Reeves, T.C.: Socially responsible educational research. Educ. Technol. 40(6), 19–28 (2000)
Reeves, T.C., Herrington, J., Oliver, R.: A development research agenda for online collaborative learning. Educ. Technol. Res. Dev. 52(4), 53–65 (2004)
Rice, M., Owies, D., Campbell, A., Snow, R., Owen, N., Holt, D.: V-Lab: a virtual laboratory for teaching introductory concepts and methods of physical fitness and function. Aust. J. Educ. Technol. 15(2), 188–206 (1999)
Savery, J. R., Duffy, T. M. (1996). In Constructivist learning environments: Case studies in instructional design. B. G. Wilson (Ed.), (pp. 135–148). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications
Smith, P. E.: Instructional simulation: Research, theory and a case study (ED No. 267 793). (1986)
Sumption, K.: In search of the ubiquitous museum: reflections of ten years of museums and the web, In J. Trant & D. Bearman (eds.), Museums and the Web 2006: Proceedings (Archives & Museum Informatics, Toronto 2006) Retrieved March 30, 2006 from http://www.archimuse.com/mw2006/papers/
Terrenghi, L., Specht, M., Moritz, S.: RAFT. A role-based appliance for collaborative learning. In Proceedings of 2AD: Second International Conference on Appliance Design (2AD, Bristol, UK 2004)
The Sun Herald, 28/10/07, http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/28/1192941408684.html
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Herrington, J., Specht, M., Brickell, G., Harper, B. (2009). Supporting Authentic Learning Contexts Beyond Classroom Walls. In: Koper, R. (eds) Learning Network Services for Professional Development. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00978-5_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00978-5_16
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-00977-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-00978-5
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)