From a passive information consumer to a critically thinking learner

The study examines to what extent a student who is intuitive and comfortable with information consuming becomes a more critically thinking learner. The study was based on connectivism theory, which was applied to planning and executing an introductory course on online learning, with the objective of encouraging students to take an active approach to the collection, organisation and evaluation of web-based information, including emphasis on the giving and receiving of feedback in order to improve learning outcomes. For this study, a unique research instrument (alpha = 0.922) was developed and validated in order to evaluate how the course influenced students' attitudes towards online learning. The research tool consisted of 45 statements organised into seven domains. Data were collected from 612 students over a two-year period. Structured telephone interviews were also carried out with 12 randomly selected students to obtain further insight into their attitudes towards online learning. The findings showed that the course produced a considerable improvement in attitude towards online learning in four of seven of the domains tested. However, a withdrawal occurred with regard to the domain of Internet digital learning. The results can be interpreted with reference to the concept of a 'zone of proximal development'.