COMPARING THE ALTERNATIVE LEARNING MODELS OF WIKIQUALS & CROS AND THEIR USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
COMPARING THE ALTERNATIVE LEARNING MODELS OF WIKIQUALS & CROS AND THEIR USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Summary/Abstract: This paper aims to compare two alternative learning models that emerged in recent years which use social media to support their educational purposes. WikiQuals (UK) is based on the Emergent Learning Model, presented at CELDA 2009, and CROS (RO) has developed the Alternative University since 2007 based on communities of practice. Whilst the Emergent Learning Model is derived from a series of projects and theories that developed from the use of eLearning and social media and have moved to real world activities, CROS started with a group of people engaging in real world activities who enhanced their educational model by using social media as a learning resource and environment. Consequently they have both developed distinctive “complex set of social practices” as well as characteristic uses of social media. We will examine how they both operate given that WikiQuals is learner-centric personalised-learning concerned with self-accreditation, whereas CROS is student-centred, self-directed, social learning with a stronger focus on working within a community of practice.

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