Designing and using digital platforms for 21st century learning

Meier, Ellen B.

This paper is written in response to the original article “Designing for 21(st) century learning online: A heuristic method to enable educator learning support roles” (Nacu et al. 2018). The article presents a guide for teacher interactions with students in networked technologies. It also serves as a guide for network designers who are concerned about the quality of online learning, and want more equitable access to systems that inspire young people “to pursue their interests and take ownership of their learning” (Nacu et al. 2018, p. 1029). During the Covid-19 pandemic, network platforms assumed a central role in the educational process. The article is a timely reminder of the importance of designing and implementing platforms that will address twenty-first century learning goals. This response to the Nacu et al. article reviews their research from a “theory of change” perspective. The authors in the original article present a heuristic that expands the online roles that educators currently use to support young people in building their knowledge. To realize the full potential of the heuristic, a more holistic approach is required, one that repositions online learning as a knowledge-building environment. A theory of change could identify the critical variables needed to help teachers and designers transition to a more comprehensive understanding of online learning. Unfortunately, heuristics by themselves do not prepare network designers or teachers to do this work. Future research can embed the heuristic in a broader, deeper effort to prepare teachers and designers to enact student-centered online learning environments.