Most current definitions of blended learning refer to a blend of online and face-to-face instruction. It seems that few authors notice the irony that the definition of blended learning does not include the concept of learning at all. The problem with these definitions is that they are devoid of theory and thus lead to trial-and-error research.…

Connectivism was presented as a learning theory for the digital age and connectivists claim that recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and, more specifically, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) support their assumptions of knowledge connectivity. Yet, very little has been done to investigate this brave allegation. Does the advancement…

Past studies on the issue of learning-theory foundations in game-based learning stressed the importance of establishing learning-theory foundation and provided an exploratory examination of established learning theories. However, we found research seldom addressed the development of the use or failure to use learning-theory foundations and…

Previous literature reviews or meta-analysis based studies on game-assisted learning have provided important results, but few studies have considered the importance of learning theory, and coverage of papers after 2007 is scant. This study presents a systematic review of the literature using a meta-analysis approach to provide a more comprehensive…

This article reviews a range of literature of computer games and learning theories and attempts to establish a link between them by proposing a typology of games which we use as a new usability measure for the development of guidelines for game-based learning. First, we examine game literature in order to understand the key elements that…

Outlines learning theories and their implications for the role of educational technology: (1) post-Skinner neobehaviorism; (2) Piaget's constructivism; (3) Vygotsky's social constructivism; and (4) situated cognition. (SK)

The purpose of this article is to trace the antecedents, origins, and the evolution of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). Topics include the nature of technology, the emergence of educational technology, early theoretical conceptions, visual education, the Department of Visual Instruction, communications and…

This paper proposes a theoretical foundation for the field of educational technology based on cognitive learning theory. This proposition is based on consideration of issues which suggest that psychological theory is more central to educational technology than systems theory or theories of management, and that cognitive theories are more…

Responds to a critique by Alistair Inglis of a previous article dealing with instructional industrialism and educational technology in open learning and distance education. Topics include paradigm shifts; instructional design; behaviorism and cognitive psychology; the relationship between practice, research, and theory; and possibilities for…

Discusses instructional technology in the context of the whole learning environment instead of just in terms of computers and software. Considers assessment of instructional technology, including the role of the student, identifying the learning theory behind a specific instructional application, behaviorism, cognitive development, and faculty…

The field of instructional technology is characterized by its products, such as instructional media, and its processes, such as instructional design. The process of instructional technology has been shaped by advances in learning and instructional theory over the past 50 years. Much of the development work of the field to date has been on direct…

A discussion of the role of educational technology (ET), particularly in second language teaching and learning, examines some theoretical foundations of ET and suggests why and how those foundations should be broadened. It first reviews the assets and shortcomings of three theories to which ET has been closely linked: behaviorism; neo-behaviorism;…

Describes the development of the field of instructional science through a hypothetical dialogue. Topics discussed include programed instruction; behavioral psychology; learning theorists; cognitive psychology; concept learning; military training; applied versus basic research; behaviorism; computer-assisted instruction; educational evaluation;…