Erasing the In-Person vs. Online Learning Dichotomy: Providing a 360-Degree Digital Learning Experience

by Nada Dabbagh

Professor and Director, Division of Learning Technologies, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

The 2021 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report states that technology trends have enabled the dramatic acceleration of blended or hybrid models for course delivery and in particular learning models that enable flexible movement between remote and in-person experiences. In this presentation, I take this emerging development further and argue that the distinction between online, blended, or in-person learning is no longer relevant. Rather, institutions should focus on the totality of the learning experience and work towards developing a robust 360-degree digital learning ecosystem that adopts a sociomaterial perspective on how people learn.