Abstract:

The availability of digital technology has facilitated online learning to become one of the primary avenues for education among students of all levels (Mayer, 2018). With increasing online course enrollment numbers, the design of online instruction presents an important practical and theoretical challenge for academic institutions (Mayer, 2018). Banathy (1999) argued that we are in the 21st century still using educational systems meant for the 19th century. In this light, a reconceptualization and redesign of the educational system should account for online learning environments, namely course development. This systematic review of literature highlights the purpose of evaluating the existing online system due to increased availability of online learning options, including theoretical underpinnings and principles put forth in building online courses. The problem statement for this analysis is that a foundational approach unique to developing online courses is necessary for student and instructor success within the online learning environment. To better understand present thematic underpinnings in course development and its influence in the online classroom setting, the researcher collected articles from two reputable databases to identify the most common learning principles and theories utilized in online course development over the course of two years (2019-2020). Collected across two databases, 15 articles met inclusion criteria and were analyzed for learning principle and learning theory identification. The most common theories and principles identified were Merrill's First Principles of Instruction, Bloom's Taxonomy, Wenger's Community of Practice, Cognitive Flexibility Theory, and Complex Learning Theory. The most important emergence from the research is that limitations within each theory or principle exists when applying these principles in an online course in the same manner as face-to-face instruction. This review revealed that research in this area should focus on identifying best strategies for translating traditional theories and principles specifically to online learning principles, rather than hybrid or blended learning. Likewise, research secondarily revealed that when online education is viewed as a system, the physical institution, quality assurance, and organizational culture are all factors that may positively or negatively affect the ideal online learning development process. Utilizing learning principles that are dedicated to the online learning environment is imperative for both instructor and student to improve the quality of learning over time.

Keywords:

Online learning, learning management, educational organization, instructional design, learning theory.