How Constructivism Makes eLearning Stick
We’ve all taken courses that seemed technically great but left us confused or not remembering what we just learned. The challenge for teachers and Instructional Designers in eLearning isn’t delivering content but making sure it actually sticks. So, what should you do? As a professional, you should focus on figuring out how people learn, not just what they’re learning. This is exactly what constructivism in eLearning is all about.
Constructivism changes the traditional approach to learning. Instead of passively receiving information, learners build, or construct, their own understanding through experiences, exploration, and reflection. This is especially relevant in an eLearning environment. Why? Because digital learning is all about flexibility and personalization. Therefore, online courses can be designed to include activities that enable learners to think, make decisions, and reflect. Let’s explore this notion in more detail below and show you how you can incorporate it into your eLearning design.
What Is Constructivism?
Constructivism is basically part of learning by doing. Instead of memorizing facts or being told what to think, learners actively build the way they understand concepts by engaging with the eLearning content, asking questions, and relating things to what they already know. Think of the constructivist approach as a puzzle, where each learner has to put the pieces together in a way that makes sense to them.
Behind this idea, you will find Jean Piaget and Jerome Bruner, two psychologists. Piaget believed that we all go through stages of cognitive development and build “schemas”—mental frameworks that help us understand the world. [1] Bruner, on the other hand, introduced concepts like discovery learning, [2] which involves letting learners find answers themselves, and scaffolding, [3] which is all about gradually stopping helping learners with content as they grow more confident with it. At its core, constructivism focuses on the learner, giving them an active role.
But how do people actually learn with constructivism? It’s a more personal process because it relies on how each learner makes sense of the learning material. That often starts with reflection. We take in new information, compare it with what we already know, and construct our understanding. This is why prior knowledge plays a huge role here. Everyone brings their own perspective, their own context, and their own way of understanding. Considering the above, let’s see how to use constructivism to build more meaningful learning experiences.
Designing eLearning With The Constructivist Approach
Problem-Solving Tasks
When introducing problem-solving tasks in eLearning, you offer learners realistic challenges that make them think critically, explore possible solutions, and apply what they already know. This is far more useful than passively absorbing information. Specifically, you want to design scenarios that reflect actual work or life situations your learners might face. For example, give healthcare professionals a virtual patient scenario and ask them to decide what steps to take. For business training, challenge learners to help a fictional company solve a customer service problem. These types of activities feel relevant, which boosts both engagement and retention. During problem solving, learners construct meaning as they go. They recall prior knowledge, test their ideas, learn from mistakes, and, thus, understand things better.
Exploratory Learning
Exploratory learning is one of the most exciting strategies you can bring into a constructivist eLearning environment. It’s all about giving learners the freedom to discover knowledge rather than offering it to them. The whole point is for them to make connections, ask questions, and actively uncover meaning. In an online lesson, exploratory learning means learners should interact with content. For example, in history courses, clickable maps or drag-and-drop tools are added to uncover hidden facts. Similarly, you can incorporate VR to immerse learners in an environment where they discover things on their own, like finding the right equipment and tools to conduct a chemistry experiment.
Scaffolding
In eLearning, scaffolding means giving just enough guidance to help learners move forward but not so much that they don’t feel challenged. It’s the balance between support and independence. So, how do you scaffold in an online course? Start with clear instructions and helpful tips early on. For example, when introducing a complex concept, you might offer it in the form of microlearning, infographics, or step-by-step tutorials. As learners gain confidence with it, start reducing the help, maybe by asking more questions or presenting challenges without step-by-step guides. You can also use checkpoints, where learners can pause, reflect, and check their level of understanding before proceeding. These can be quizzes or short questions that help them process what they’ve learned so far.
Real-World Relevance
Learners lose their interest fast when the content feels irrelevant. So, you must design experiences that learners can connect to what they already know or, even better, be able to apply immediately. Ideally, you should offer activities and materials that place them in realistic situations so that they naturally connect the dots between what they’re learning and what they’re doing or want to do in real life. For instance, in language learning, have them listen to real-life conversations between native speakers and use what they learn in a role-play scenario with their peers.
Reflection
In traditional learning, learners might skip lessons or move on without stopping to think about what they’ve learned. However, in a constructivist approach, learners make sense of everything. This is called reflection. But how do you apply reflection in an online course? Even a simple question mid-lesson can do the trick, like, “How would you apply this in your own role?” You could also include discussion prompts or self-assessment quizzes that encourage learners to pause and evaluate their progress. When learners reflect, they aren’t just remembering information but relating it to what they already know on the spot, adding context to the learning material.
Conclusion
eLearning and constructivism go well together. In an online environment, learners can actively engage with content at their own pace, gaining knowledge and solving problems in ways that fit their personality and way of learning. As a result, they take control of their learning journey and gain more confidence. Next time you design an eLearning experience, give constructivism a chance and think about how you can make lessons more interactive, collaborative, and practical.
References:
[1] Piaget’s Schema And Learning Theory: 3 Fascinating Experiments
[2] Discovery Learning – Bruner
[3] Jerome Bruner On The Scaffolding Of Learning