Thinking about thinking online

Although the term metacognition only became part of the lexicon of higher education in thel970‘s when Flavell (1971) introduced the term ‘metamemory’, the concept is much older than that, and as King (2004) points out, draws on the work of more ancient philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, Solomon, Buddha, and Lao Tzu. Perhaps the most straightforward definition of metacognition is that it is ‘thinking about thinking’ (Bogdan, 2000; Flavell, 1999; Metcalfe, 2000) however this definition requires further elaboration, because metacognition also involves knowing how to reflect and analyse thought, how to draw conclusions from that analysis, and how to put what has been learned into practice. In order to solve problems, students often need to understand how their mind functions. In other words, they need to perceive how they perform important cognitive tasks such as remembering, learning, and problem solving. This paper uses practical examples to demonstrate how online and blended learning students can be encouraged to engage in metacognitive activity through the judicial use of online learning objects and discussion boards, and argues that these activities add value to the learning experience.