Three Articles to Begin the Design Process
I’ve recently read three articles that help me think about the beginning stages of instructional design. I am preparing a 16-week fully online course for first year in college students. I want to make sure that my instructional design will meet the students’ learning needs and meet the goals established by our college. The analysis and design stages of the process are important because they help define the needs and map out the best approach to meet these needs. Each of the articles I read has contributed a fresh view for my design.
Problem Based Learning: An instructional model and its constructivist framework
This article by John R. Savery and Thomas M. Duffy used clear language to describe and categorize the constructivist learning theory, the eight principles of a constructivist learning environment, and problem-based learning. Constructivism places importance on the learner’s experience relating to the world around them, their prior experiences and their own goals. The eight principles remind me as a designer to keep the student interests in mind when imagining what activities to assign. The tasks should be authentic. The tasks do not need to be dictated. There are ways to allow students to determine their own goals and tasks that will make the learning experience more personally meaningful and still meet the institution’s learning outcome goals. By placing the onus on the learner to determine their path to new knowledge, they not only gain the knowledge but also develop self-regulation, problem-solving and other higher level thinking skills. However the role of the teacher is not diminished, but shifted to that of a coach, facilitator and guide. Learners may need to be carefully led in incremental steps to develop the skills needed to fully function in a constructivist learning environment. The authors suggest that problem based learning (PBL) is a good fit for a constructivist learning environment because it presents the learners with an authentic problem they research, test and develop ways to solve. I would like to explore more about initiating and framing problems for students to solve. As the goals of a first year in college experience course center around helping a student explore their personal methods for succeeding in college, I can use the constructivist theories and methods, including PBL, to design tasks that help students take charge of their own learning and make this a more meaningful experience for them.
A Framework for Interaction and Cognitive Engagement in Connectivist Learning Contexts
Zhijun Wang, Li Chen, and Terry Anderson review literature pertaining to connectivist pedagogy to devise a framework detailing levels of interactions in order to help instructional designs determine what, how and when interactions should be used to promote a more connectivist learning environment. While there are debates about connectivism as a learning theory, this article focuses on how providing connectivist learning expands a student’s interactions not only socially (with other humans and groups) but also with tools, materials and information. I plan on exploring how to use their proposed framework of operational, wayfinding, sensemaking, and innovation interactions to help describe the level of thinking required of activities I include in my instructional design. I think leading a student through operational interactions such as how to maneuver in a learning management system (LMS) can prepare a student to be successful when they move towards a more critical-thinking interaction such as creating a final presentation on their future career dreams shared with their classmates through the same LMS. I found their explanations about each level of interaction to be clear, however I would like to explore actual sample interactions and how they use the framework to justify their contribution to the overall course outcomes. Reading this article allowed me to contemplate what interactions lead me to learn from others and what tools and information I use to facilitate my learning. I want to explore how I can promote students to contemplate the same actions in their own learning experiences.
The need for imagination and creativity in instructional design
Pat Gibson reminds me in her article that the beginning stages of the instructional design process should be filled with imagination and creativity. It is important to open my mind to the “what-ifs” and possibilities of introducing concepts and activities in a new and different way to adult learners. She explains that planning is important but rigidity can be detrimental, especially if the adult learner has more prior knowledge of a subject than expected. I would like to explore her references to Harvey and Harvey’s book written in 2013 about Creative teaching approaches in the lifelong learning sector. Many of her ideas about using imagination and creativity come from their ideas about how to make learning more enjoyable and applicable by using storytelling, metaphors, word play and humor. I want to include some fun in my course design for first year in college students. If their experience is not only helpful but enjoyable it could be a positive force in their journey to earn a college degree.
References
Gibson, P. (2013, July-September). The need for imagination and creativity in instructional design. International Journal of Adult Vocational Education and Technology, 4(3), 34-43.
Savery, J. R., & Duffy, T. M. (1995). Problem based learning: An instructional model and its constructivist framework. Educational Technology(35), 31-38.
Wang, Z., Chen, L., & Anderson, T. (2014, April). A framework for interaction and cognitive engagement in connectivist learning contexts. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 15(2), 121-141.