MIT xPRO courses employ a blended learning approach that incorporates various pedagogical strategies to effectively achieve the learning objectives. The following pedagogical strategies are utilized:
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Instructivism: This teacher-centered approach involves the instructor defining the learning goals and presenting relevant content. It includes tutorial videos with animations and graphics, as well as text-based pages supplemented with pictures, charts, exhibits, and illustrations.
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Constructivism: This learning-by-doing approach encourages learners to actively construct their own understandings by engaging in hands-on activities. It involves project-based work, both graded and ungraded practice activities, where learners create artifacts that real-world practitioners would create.
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Anchored Instruction: Learning experiences are anchored in a central narrative, such as a case study or a piece of media, where new knowledge or skills are applied in context. Learners then apply the knowledge or skills outlined in the anchor to various parallel contexts, helping them situate the content within the central narrative.
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Connectivism: This approach emphasizes learning through social interaction and the exchange of information within a learning network. Learners are encouraged to make connections and identify patterns between knowledge nodes through interactions with their peers. They can seek answers to questions from the community, with course staff supporting these interactions. Discussion forum collaborations, project-based work collaborations, and interactive activities like polls and word clouds with real-time results foster this social learning environment.
By combining these pedagogical strategies, MIT xPRO courses aim to provide a comprehensive and engaging learning experience that supports knowledge acquisition, skill development, and the application of concepts in real-world contexts.