Online with Krathwohl : affective aspects of learning in an online environment

Abstract

The Internet offers a new dimension to distance learning: there is no arguing against the advantages of online learning - it transcends time and space in offering convenient (anywhere, anytime, own pace, etc.) access to learning. It seems, however, that despite the extensive research into cognitive aspects (e.g. content and instructional design) and the technology that supports online learning, the affective aspects have been neglected or dealt with very superficially. This article presents an analysis according to Krathwohl's taxonomy (Bloom, Krathwohl and Masia 1973) of the affective domain, of email messages sent during an online course. It finds that most messages relate to the category of valuing.