8 Net: An eJournal of Faith-Based Distance Learning Issue 2, 2018 A publication of Faith-Based Online Learning Directors ISSN 2473-7860 An Investigation into the Implications of Dewey’s “Learning Situation” For Online Education Timothy Paul Westbrook Harding University twestbrook@harding.edu Morgan McGaughy Harding School of Theology mmiller11@harding.edu Jordan McDonald Abilene Christian University jdm12g@acu.edu Abstract Course designers and program administrators face daily challenges of finding balance between new technology and educational principles conducive to online learning environments. This study investigates the implications of Dewey’s understanding of the “learning situation” through a phenomenological inquiry into the experiences of students’ participating in an online course at a faith-based liberal arts university. The salient themes of flexibility, travel, and communication emerged from the study. Ecology of learning and community of inquiry are treated in order to explore theoretical bridges between Dewey and distance education. A conceptual diagram of Dewey’s learning situation is provided to assist online course designers in creating assignments that account for various levels of self-directed student reflection and online social interaction. The article concludes by recommending practical ways to infuse student experiences as part of student learning outcomes. Keywords: John Dewey, constructivism, online education, distance education, experiential learning, experiential e- learning, study abroad, phenomenological research, ecology of learning Introduction While the tools of technology upgrade almost daily, educators are left with the daunting task of integrating digital progress with educative principles. As technology continues to provide new tools, course designers and subject matter experts have the responsibility to look beyond “the latest thing” and to evaluate the new instruments’ usefulness for learning. Given the more established place of online learning in higher education (Legon & Garrett 2017, p. 10), the burden for supporting digital innovation with educational principles has also become more crucial. At the heart of online learning program development, educators face the epistemological dilemma of whether they are to use the Internet for the redistribution of knowledge (perennialism) or to use the Internet to provide access to knowledge (constructivism/progressivism). Although programs may select combinations of these two, at the end of the day, administrators must decide if they are willing to invest in learning models that lead students to construct, engage, and experience knowledge. Otherwise, their sophisticated technology may do nothing more than transmit information from one device or computer to another with expectations that somewhere along the way students also upload the information to their brains. In order to avoid a simple information transfer, course designers ought to build into online courses ways for learners’ experiences to become part of the curriculum.