Keywords

online and blended learning, making-oriented, Levinas, Buber, ethics, interfaith leadership, design theory, relational pedagogy

Abstract

Online and blended learning (OBL) overemphasize the process of creating artifacts, producing strategies, or otherwise utilizing a “making” orientation in education. As an alternative to this making-orientation, we offer a model for relational course design founded in the philosophies of Emmanuel Levinas and Martin Buber. We examine an OBL course design focused on interfaith leadership and ethics that lends itself to the need for relational pedagogy. The focus on asymmetrical and symmetrical relationships that separate Levinas and Buber’s philosophies enable rich ways of designing relational pedagogies and for resisting the making orientation. By focusing on human relationships, we demonstrate design principles through “philosophies of difference” that can be used in OBL.

Original Publication Citation

MacKay, M. H., McDonald, J. K., & Reed, A. C. (2025). Designing for relational ethics in online and blended learning: Levinas, Buber, and teaching interfaith ethics. Studies in Philosophy and Education. 44(1), 85-107. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-024-09971-2

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2025

Publisher

Studies in Philosophy and Education

Language

English

College

David O. McKay School of Education

Department

Instructional Psychology and Technology

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

Download

Share

COinS