The 21st Century Skills in Online Multiliteracies Project Approach (eMULPA): Learners’ Reflections on their Knowledge Processes

Abstract

There is a misconception that 21st century education is all about using the right online tools. However, the premise of 21st century education requires the integration of relevant content, skills and instructional support to enhance knowledge processes in line with the requirement of 21st century learning to arrive at meaningful learning experience and not merely the use of online tools. To enhance the integration, an Online Multiliteracies Project Approach (eMULPA) framework is designed by incorporating teachers’ presence, online tools, learning materials, collaborative efforts while fulfilling the syllabus requirement so that the interconnectedness in these elements would give learners a learning experince that is worthwhile and meaningful. The framework which encompases the knowledge processes: exploration, contexualization, investigation, delibration and consolidation is expected to assist learners to have meaningful learning. This paper focuses on the learners’experiences while undergoing the knowledge processes in eMULPA. Data collection tools were interviews, teaching documents and learners’ reflective journals. For this paper, only data from learners’ reflective journal were drawn, coded for themes and explicated because reflective journal is one of the reliable means to gather information on the metacognitive processes undergone by learners. The preliminary findings demonstrated learners’ have undergone meaningful learning experiences through the eMULPA knowledge processes higlighted above. Thus, the implementation of eMULPA is expected to assist learners to acquire the 21st century skills.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2017.v8n1p252