Hetagoji was first introduced by Hase and Kenyon in 2000 (Hase and Kenyon, 2000). The approach has been proposed as a theory for applying to emerging technologies in distance education and for guiding distance education practice and the ways in which distance educators develop and deliver instruction using newer technologies such as social media. (Blaschke, 2012). Whereas pedagogy is teacher-led learning and andragogy is self-directed learning, heutagogy takes an approach that’s different from both. In pedagogical environments, teachers determine what students will learn and how they will learn it. Students rely on their teacher and learn topics in the order in which they are presented. In contrast, students in andragogical environments use the teacher as a mentor or guide, but aim to find their own solutions to the tasks the teacher sets. Below the differences between Pedagogy, Andragogy, and Heutagogy.

Educators today are tasked with developing lifelong learners who can survive and thrive in a global knowledge economy – learners who have the capability to effectively and creatively apply skills and competencies to new situations in an ever-changing, complex world (The World Bank, 2003; Kuit & Fell, 2010). The heutagogical approach encourages students to find their own problems and questions to answer. Instead of simply completing the tasks teachers assign, these students seek out areas of uncertainty and complexity in the subjects they study. Teachers help by providing context to students' learning and creating opportunities for them to explore subjects fully.

Distance education has a particular affinity to the heutagogical approach, due to distance education’s inherent characteristics of requiring and promoting learner autonomy, its traditional focus on adult learners, and its evolutionary and symbiotic relationship with technology – all characteristics shared with this emerging theory. Because of this affinity, distance education is in a unique position to provide a sustainable environment for studying and researching this teaching and learning method – and for assessing and evaluating the theory’s appropriateness as a theory of distance education.

Refrences:

Blaschke, L. (2012). Heutagogy and lifelong learning: A review of heutagogical practice and self-determined learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 13(1), 56-71.

Hase, S., & Kenyon, C. (2000). From andragogy to heutagogy. In UltiBase Articles. Retrieved from http://ultibase.rmit.edu.au/Articles/ dec00/hase2.htm

Kuit, J.A., & Fell, A. (2010). Web 2.0 to pedagogy 2.0: A social-constructivist approach to learning enhanced by technology. In Critical design and effective tools for e- learning in higher education: Theory into practice (pp. 310-325). United States: IGI Global.

The World Bank. (2003). Lifelong learning in the global knowledge economy: Challenges for developing countries. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank. Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTLL/Resources/Lifelong-Learning-in…