Sustainable Distance Education: Comparison of Digital Pedagogical Models

Sonia Santoveña-Casal and Dolores Fernández Pérez Mª
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Sonia Santoveña-Casal: Department of Education, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Dolores Fernández Pérez Mª: Department of Education, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 21, 1-14

Abstract: The literature shows strong evidence of how different learning models influence learning. The kind of model used is a basic variable that can either help or hinder sustainable education. The objective of this research is to analyse how digital pedagogical models of three kinds (collaborative, social, and independent) influence the learning experience. The study is based on a design that combines triangulation, a theoretical model, quantitative methods (descriptive analysis and contrast of means), and qualitative methods (discourse analysis, following the principles of grounded theory). The importance of social and collaborative models in sustainable education is proved; both types of models promote a positive learning experience. They strengthen inter-student relationships, a feeling of belonging to a community with shared interests, and feelings of membership and cohesion. An independent model may hamper students’ perception of current knowledge and development of collaborative competences, in contrast to the more-interactive model. These results can be assessed in greater depth through future research exploring independent models’ possible potential for analysing environmental problems and their tie-in to personal decisions.

Keywords: collaborative learning; digital pedagogy; social learning; independent or autonomous learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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