How Can We Implement Social Learning Strategies In E-Learning?

To foster social learning, an eLearning environment uses a number of interaction mechanisms. Many studies have shown a connection between social learning and increased productivity. So social learning strategies in elearning may be an effective way of teaching.

Do you know which social learning strategy is most effective in making a course interesting? Analyze some examples of human-machine interaction, shall we?

Prior to delving into the most effective ways to help your learners learn socially, like in the case of Social Learning, a term that is all the rage right now, let us clarify one thing. Students are more likely to stay connected when offered digital alternatives to the standard classroom interaction methods. Take a look at the ordinary things people do in a real-world training setting. When creating your next eLearning course, use these activities as building blocks to create a stimulating social-learning environment.

Which patterns of interaction in a live learning setting may be used to replicate them in an eLearning context, and how does social learning strategies work in online learning
in real-world situations?

How Can We Implement Social Learning Strategies In Elearning?

Let’s go one step further and claim that Albert Bandura’s theory of group learning, published in 1950, is the earliest evidence of social learning. It is much easier for pupils to acquire and retain material when they are continually exchanging ideas and advice with one another.

eLearning may use both direct and indirect social interactions to help students gain social skills. Direct interaction necessitates direct communication, whether through social media or email (such as a Zoom conference). Indirect contact, on the other hand, entails communication via other channels like email or social media.

The Components of Social Learning

Social learning differs from other teaching methods in a number of important ways. Social learning theory is made up of four parts, each of which is important.

Care. Focused children learn better than distracted ones. When students see something new or different, they are more likely to pay attention to it and learn from it.

Preservation. Internalization is the process by which people acquire new skills. In the future, if we encounter a similar circumstance, we will be able to apply what we learned from the experience. The information we see must be retained so we can learn from it.

Reproduction. Our previously taught behavior or information is reproduced when it is required. Rehearsing our response can help us become better at responding.

Motivation. In order to achieve anything, one needs drive and determination. Our motivation is frequently sparked by witnessing another person being rewarded or punished for their actions. This can either drive us to perform the same thing or not.

To educate students, teachers have discovered that social modeling and examples are extremely effective methods of instruction. The likelihood of a youngster taking action increases if he or she sees the benefits of that activity. Also, if they notice unfavorable outcomes, they’ll probably stop doing it in the future. Situations that are new, unexpected, and unusual might grab a student’s attention and make them stand out.

Seeing other pupils paying attention increases the likelihood of paying attention oneself, research shows. In order to assist students learn from others’ examples, teachers use reward systems and penalties. Constructive feedback plays an important role in social learning theory, which promotes self-efficacy by giving students constructive criticism. This stands out in their minds and they desire to replicate this action when students receive positive reinforcement. They believe in themselves and in their skills.

What Social Learning Can Do for Your Online Learning?

The benefits of basing your eLearning process on social learning concepts are numerous, and this learning style has become a popular eLearning trend.

1. Learning that is both natural and familiar

However, social learning is ingrained in many kids’ minds without their even realizing it. This is how we learned for thousands of years, and it’s still effective now. You don’t have to prepare ahead or set aside time for this approach of learning. It’s something that everyone, consciously or unconsciously, does on a daily basis.

For instance, the teacher complimented the student on her well-thought-out response. Afterward, other pupils began to examine whatever components of their classmates’ responses were great and were honored by the teacher to apply these elements for themselves. And this is only a simple illustration of how social learning occurs on its own.

2. Passive Learners’ Fluent Collaboration and Engagement

The learning process itself is not the only thing that takes place in collaboration with other students in social learning environments. It doesn’t take long for students to start helping each other more frequently, ask for guidance, and work together better as a result. This cohesion boosts eLearning’s efficiency and speed.

But don’t lose sight of the fact that we’re all unique. The group of energetic students will always contain introverts who will have a difficult time fitting into a cooperative learning process. Despite the fact that these scenarios may arise, this training approach is not just for people who are outgoing. One of the most important aspects of social learning is that it makes it simpler for introverts to learn by listening to others talk about their problems.

3. Better Assimilation of Data

The precise side of the question is on the side of social learning, let’s say for those who are interested. For example, in traditional schooling, students retain just around 5% of what their teacher says and only about 10% of what they read in the course materials.

As we’ve already established, participation and interaction are two key elements of effective social learning, these numbers rise when students take an active role in their education. 50% of the material is retained when students actively discuss it with each other. It’s for reasons like these that eLearning should be built on social learning concepts.

Open Edx, for example, makes it simple to implement this teaching style. Open Edx’s internal features, for example, allow users to create content-specific or general discussion topics, and then make them public or fully anonymous. As an added bonus, the platform allows users to create discussions that are exclusive to members of a particular class. Newcomers can more easily understand a topic using flexible discussion control tools that let the educator add and remove important answers from individual threads.

4. Identification of Knowledge Gaps is Made Easier

The number of materials covered and the speed at which the students do increases when they study together. By including interactive discussions, peer review, and gamification into the learning process, you can avoid knowledge gaps. It’s not uncommon for students to ask other students for help if they don’t understand anything, and this allows the content to be presented in a way that’s easily understood.

Conclusion

​​As a result of hearing about the advantages of incorporating social learning into your eLearning process, you’re probably curious in the methods that can be employed to put some of these learning strategies into action.

Create Possibilities for Collaboration

Social learning begins with providing students the opportunity to engage with one another. To begin, encourage all forms of student contact to help pupils decompress and realize they are on the correct track.

Afterward, other tasks involving teamwork and interaction should be introduced. They can include a variety of activities such as group projects, pair work, general discussion of a subject, and evaluation of the work of colleagues. It’s hard to envision formal social learning without these components.