Abstract:

The pursuit of student-centred lifelong learning and its subsidiary goals of self-regulated learning and self-direction have often been pitted in direct opposition to notions of the teacher and teacher-centred education and learning. While the push towards student-centred learning signals a movement away from top-down, dictatorial teaching towards allowing students to focus on their own needs and goals, it is also part of a greater social shift away from traditional forms of authority, in terms of both power and knowledge. This development has been expedited by digital technology use and can be seen in the adoption of online learning-specific teaching and learning frameworks, Computer Supported Collaborative Learning systems, and other platforms. The development of student-centred pedagogies is partly a result of educational institutions’ emphasis on the demands of the fourth industrial revolution. Therefore, a critical analysis of the adoption and adaptation of frameworks for student-centred learning is paramount in order to understand how student-centred learning may impact adult education in practice. This paper initially draws from Biesta’s (1, 2) critique of “learnification” in education and Han’s (3) notion of the self-exploiting individual to argue that the role of the student is changing, that students are becoming self-exploiting individuals that no longer require teachers’ facilitation of learning and leadership acts to move forward in learning as they are increasingly capable of self-discipline, self-regulation, and self-direction. It then argues that this process is supported by digital tools and online learning, highlighting the development of particular online learning frameworks and tools. Finally, it argues for critical reflection on frameworks for online learning, making the point that educators should step back and evaluate the ways in which allegedly emancipatory approaches and tools are being utilized in higher education.

References:
[1] Biesta GJJ. Beautiful Risk of Education. New York: Routledge; 2015. 178 p.
[2] Biesta G. World-Centred Education: A View for the Present. New York: Routledge; 2021. 126 p.
[3] Han BC. Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power. Verso Books; 2017. 96 p.

Keywords:

Critical pedagogy, online learning, critical theory, teaching and learning, student-centred learning.