Lesson 3 The Learner and Instructional Design
3-1 Adult Learning Theory
Malcolm Knowles developed what we have come to know as adult learning theory (Emma O’Neill, March 2020). Adults tend to have different skill sets and different expectations and desires about their education or professional development. Generally, adults want to know why they need to learn something before learning it, have rich prior experiences which influence and support their learning context, and have more internal or intrinsic motivation, seeing education as a way to develop increased competency and move forward on clearly defined personal goals and career paths. While children’s learning is subject-centered (at least in school), adults respond better to goal-centered or problem-centered learning.
Keller’s ARCS
There are several learning theories that focus on adult learning, but John Keller’s ARCS model of motivation (Christopher Pappas, May 2015) is one of the most comprehensive and practical:
Attention – Gain and retain interest:
- vary content delivery formats (some text, some video, some conversation/interaction)
- ‘chunk’ content segments (whether in written or video format) so that passive absorption of material is limited to no more than 15 minute segments
- incorporate active learning whenever possible; this could take the form of quick self-assessments, discussions, mini-tasks, interactions, games, etc.
- use specific and relevant examples, tying the content to the learner’s overall goals and real-world application of concepts
- use compelling scenarios or controversy-based prompts to encourage learners to challenge assumptions
- present puzzles or problems for learners to explore and solve either collaboratively or individually
Relevance – Show the value of the learning process:
- explain how concepts relate to learners’ prior experiences
- give options that allow participants to tailor learning to their specific goals or roles
- show learners how meeting the objectives of the course or training is of value to them
- explain how the current lesson or concept fits into the larger context of the course or training goals
Confidence – Participants will lose motivation if they aren’t sure whether or not they can be successful:
- ‘discretize’ exercises and assessments – separate tasks into stages or steps so that each element is more manageable for adults with busy lives
- make sure that any assumed prerequisite knowledge is stated explicitly and transparently at the beginning of the course
- include specific task requirements and evaluation criteria – learners should know exactly how their work will be measured and what evidence of learning they will be expected to provide
- learners should feel that they have some measure of control over their success, that their work is being evaluated objectively and that assessments are based on the presented material and activities
- include opportunities for self-assessment so that participants can accurately estimate their own competence
Satisfaction – Learners are more engaged when they feel a sense of support and community within their course:
- allow participants to individualize their learning where possible, providing some flexibility for learners to explore and share their own interests within the topic
- provide a way for participants to get technical and content support
- consider creating a framework for mentorship and/or providing direct contact with an instructor/facilitator
- think about how you can make activities and content presentation more engaging and interesting
- create discussion areas or online groups so that participants can share their thoughts with peers
Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction
Another useful and popular schema for organizing instruction was developed by Robert M. Gagné. If this pattern of instructional activity seems familiar it’s because you probably experienced it at some point in your formal education. Notice if there are any similarities or overlap with Keller’s ARCS.
|
|
|
Dr. Serhat Kurt (Jan 2021) does a fantastic job of explaining Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction and providing practical application tips. While this format is more applicable to instructor-led training, it can be modified to suit e-learning for specific chunks of knowledge that can be completed in one sitting like different forms of compliance training.
Kolb’s Four Stages of Learning
Where Gagné’s list is for what the teacher or the learning environment does, David Kolb’s Theory of Experiential Learning focuses on what the learner experiences in order to construct knowledge. In short, learners progress through four stages in a learning cycle to process a new learning experience. The cycle can start at any of the four stages, but all stages need to happen to learn from the experience.
As an example, the cycle can start with a concrete experience as either a exploration or discovery for learners to “stumble” at the learning, followed by talking about the different experiences from learners to compare and contrast emerging ideas (reflection). Then more deliberate formal knowledge is presented to explain the experiences (conceptualization). And ending with a deliberate attempt to confirm the new knowledge in active experimentation.
One of the important parts of this cycle that is sometimes overlooked in e-learning is the time for reflection. The reflective observation is best performed with a group of learners together, but the action can be simulated in computer-based learning by asking the learner to form an opinion about the experience and providing meaningful feedback to challenge learner beliefs. The goal is to provide the learner with the experience and the opportunity to process the experience.
⭐Shar’s Note: I’m a constructivist by formal educational training because I originally started my career as a science teacher and experimentation (experiences) is essential to understanding the what and how of the universe. My go-to lesson plan for new concepts was (is) always: Explore – Introduce – Apply.
It’s easy to make the leap that constructivism works better for adults because adults come with prior knowledge and they can build upon what they already know and are ready to try things out. For higher education learners, I updated my mantra to: Explore – Engage – Apply.
As you think about designing e-learning, think about who your learners are and what learning framework you’ll use to organize the learning environment you create for your learners. If you need more ideas, you can read about Which Learning Theories are Right for Your Organization? by Caroline Lawless (August 2019).