Abstract:

With emerging technologies in education, knowledge acquisition, sharing and creation mutate, and expand learning towards broader horizons of time, place and action. We denote that in addition to institutional LMS (Learning Management Systems), other tools like social and digital media are used for learning and are very well assimilated by learners. Therefore, these two different systems exploit learning situations although different in form but all equally important for acquiring knowledge. These are respectively two situations: one formal and dedicated to "make people learn" and the non-formal other one used for learning activities undertaken by learners themselves. However, the design of devices instrumented by technologies focuses on formal situations describing how the learner must learn to the detriment of those which describe how the learner actually learns namely non-formal situations. In this way, although LMS have aroused great enthusiasm in the world of education, they do not meet students and teacher needs. This is even, what is observed at Thies University (Senegal) and Norbert Zongo University (Burkina Faso) where Moodle is used to institute distance learning. In fact, this platform, which unroll only formal learning situations, offers only fixed training courses obeying very strict didactic programming. Thus, it constrains the autonomy of the learner and does not perfectly represent the TELE (Technology Enhanced Learning Environment). The share of freedom and initiative is there reduced for both learners and teachers in the construction of courses since all resources, services and educational activities are prescribed there. We believe that to design effective TELEs, adapted to current learning practices, it is necessary to take into account non-formal situations in the same way as formal ones in the design process. Therefore, we tackle the problem of valorization of non-formal learning situations that reflect the use of digital and social media for learning. For this, we propose the formalization of these situations by developing the conceptual model of a non-formal learning situation. Inspired by the formal situation model presented in the IMS Learning Design (IMS-LD) specification, our model describes different entities interacting in a non-formal learning situation. It allows the analysis and comprehension of the future training device intended to unfold non-formal situations in addition to formal situations. It serves as the basis for the design of TELE which integrates digital and social media, in particular consultation, collaboration and production tools manipulated through mobile technology used in priority by learners in many African universities. Thus, providing these universities with this TELE promotes the involvement of learners in the construction of teaching material adapted to their needs and thus allows them to gain more autonomy. Through the motivation that this new perspective can create in learners, we could think our model constitutes a direct contribution to the success of studies. After a brief overview on instructional design, the final paper will present the conceptual model proposed for specify non-formal learning situations as well as its advantages. A non-formal learning activity widely observed on African campuses, which takes place independently of the institutional LMS, will illustrate how this model could be used.

Keywords:

Formal learning situation, Non-formal learning situation, Autonomy, Social and digital media, Formalisation, IMS-LD specification.