Teachers' Invisible Presence in Net-based Distance Education

Authors

  • Agneta Hult Department of Education, Umeå University
  • Ethel Dahlgren Department of Education, Umeå university
  • David Hamilton Department of Education, Umeå University
  • Tor Söderström Department of Education, Umeå University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v6i3.262

Keywords:

conferencing, dialogue, online participation, absent presence, adult education, auto-didacticism

Abstract

Conferencing – or dialogue – has always been a core activity in liberal adult education. More recently, attempts have been made to transfer such conversations online in the form of computer-mediated conferencing. This transfer has raised a range of pedagogical questions, most notably “Can established practices be continued? Or must new forms of participation and group management be established? This paper addresses these questions. It is based on two sources: (1) 3,700 online postings from a variety of Net-based adult education courses in Sweden; and (2) interviews with participants and course-leaders. It comprises a discussion of online conversational activity and, in particular, the absent presence and pedagogic orientation of teachers who steer learners towards explicit and implicit course goals. In other words, it is a reminder that adult education is not a free-floating form of self instruction but, rather, operates within boundaries created and managed by other human beings.

Author Biographies

Agneta Hult, Department of Education, Umeå University

Agneta Hult is a Senior lecturer at the Department of Education, Umeå University, located about 300 kms south of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Her work focuses on teaching and learning in different settings, including distance education in sparsely populated areas. In general, Agneta and her colleagues are interested in distinguishing the technical from the pedagogical. Professor Hult can be contacted via email at: agneta.hult@pedag.umu.se

Ethel Dahlgren, Department of Education, Umeå university

Ethel Dahlgren is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Education, Umeå university, located about 300 kms south of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Her work focuses on teaching and learning in different settings, including distance education in sparsely populated areas. Professor Dahlgren and her colleagues are interested in distinguishing the technical from the pedagogical. Professor Dahlgren can be reached via email at: ethel.dahlgren@pedag.umu.se

David Hamilton, Department of Education, Umeå University

David Hamilton is a Professor at the Department of Education, Umeå University, located about 300 kms south of the Arctic Circle. His work focuses on teaching and learning in different settings, including distance education in sparsely populated areas. In general, Dr. Hamilton and his colleagues are interested in distinguishing the technical from the pedagogical.

Tor Söderström, Department of Education, Umeå University

Tor Söderström is a Senior Lecturers at the Department of Education, Umeå University, located about 300 kms south of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Professor Söderström's work focuses on teaching and learning in different settings, including distance education in sparsely populated areas. Professor Söderström and his colleagues are interested in distinguishing the technical from the pedagogical.

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Published

2006-02-22

How to Cite

Hult, A., Dahlgren, E., Hamilton, D., & Söderström, T. (2006). Teachers’ Invisible Presence in Net-based Distance Education. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v6i3.262

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 3 (2005)

Section

Research Articles

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