Chapter 8: Seamless Learning Reflection
Ebba Ossiannilsson
Introduction
Seamless learning is a fairly new approach to implementing learning that allows seamless transition between different learning tasks. It is a type of mobile learning that focuses on eliminating seams (i.e., gaps) within and between contexts, places, devices, systems, learning tasks, learning environments, etc. The seamless integration of learning experiences across multiple dimensions, including formal and informal learning contexts, individual and social learning, and physical world and cyberspace. Moreover, seamless learning is a continuum of learning across multiple contexts through networked personal computing devices. It is the integration of learning experiences across multiple dimensions, including formal and informal learning contexts, individual and social learning, and physical world and cyberspace. It is an approach that proposes to connect learners’ private and personal lives to continue learning outside the classroom. Hambrock et al. (2020, p.4) define seamless learning as:
seamless learning is when a person experiences a continuity of learning, and consciously bridges the multifaceted learning efforts, across a combination of locations, times, technologies or social settings.” The promise of this ‘continuity’ lies in potential learning gains, such as an increase in retention, transfer, support for the acquisition of (complex) skills, increased academic performance and motivation, awareness and change in perception(s), an increase sense of self-efficacy, next to potential organizational gains (e.g. increased efficiency and time-spend-on-learning).
The first Global Research Project aimed to determine teachers’ readiness to implement seamless learning as part of their curriculum. A clarification of the challenges and successes was compiled through a research study in 2020, targeting policymakers in their respective environments. This study is a global follow-up study, not least in the context of COVID-19.
8.1 Background
This chapter is part of the overall Global Research Project 2021, and the survey was directed to the researchers who were studying their institutions and faculty, the researchers themselves, so to speak. A total of nine people participated in this survey. The gender distribution was fairly even: five (55.6%) men and four (44.4%) women. Most respondents (7) were between 45 and 65 years old (77.8%). Two (2), (22.2%) respondents were aged 25-45 years. Participants were from the following countries: Canada, Egypt, India, Portugal, South Africa, and the United States (see map in Figure 2). The full global study even included participants from Malaysia, Turkey, and another country in Africa, but unfortunately, since the deadline for this study and this chapter had passed, there were no responses from them, even though reminders were sent out.
Figure 8.1
A map of the countries in this study
As illustrated in Figure 8.2, most of the respondents had several