Network university, active learning methodologies, and digital ecosystems: a possible meeting of engagement pedagogy

Abstract

Contemporary education is a product of the convergence culture society. Convergence culture demands networked learning from its subjects, which must be mediated between the physical space of the classroom and digital environments. The adoption of virtual platforms and blended learning as active methodologies (Moran; Bacich, 2018) empowers the student as a participatory and liberating individual. This study is guided by the theoretical precepts of the constructivist school (Piaget, 2010; Freitag, 1993), the pedagogy of engagement (Smith et al., 2005), and digital ecosystems (Moreira, 2018) to consider teaching practice from the perspective of creativity, critical thinking, and the ability to establish and propose problem-solving situations (Trindade; Moreira, 2017; WEF, 2015). The objective is to discuss these innovative methods in universities today to mediate and bridge the gap between non-traditional pedagogy through web-based curricula, opening new perspectives and learning scenarios (Almeida, 2014). Based on the methodological principles of bibliographic and qualitative research and the deductive method (Triviños, 1987), it was possible to explore this relationship between pedagogical models and virtual environments. The teacher and the student are transformative agents in this action, seeking knowledge and awakening a sense of cultural belonging, inferred by the digital world (Bustamante, 2010).