Personalization Principle

Design Dilemma: 

You have been working on a script for a narrated lesson. As a teacher, you are convinced that a more relaxed, less formal conversational style is the way to go. However, you need to get this approved by your instructional design team, one of whom is an English major and a stickler for “proper” English and grammar.

When you show him your script, he is aghast.

How might you respond?

 

Team,

While I understand the vernacular used in the script is not aligned with traditional learning standards, the decision was not made due to lack of knowledge of the standards. I am aware of the expectation of formal language, specifically the use of passive voice and direct instruction. According to Clark and Mayer, “This argument is based on an information delivery view of learning in which the instructor’s job is to present the information and the learner is to acquire the information” (2008, p. 184). There are cases in which this methodology is appropriate, such as employee orientation or when the goal of the session is to simply “build awareness or provide information” (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 20) with “no specific expectation of new skills to be acquired” (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 20). This type of instruction is classified as inform programs or briefings (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 20).

I would argue that the instructional goal of the proposed training includes aspects of perform programs. The students are expected to demonstrate some level of mastery of procedural knowledge through near transfer or strategic knowledge through far transfer (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 21). While learning is possible through a receptive manner, empirical knowledge supports higher levels of engagement when directive or guided discovery architectures are employed. “Learning is possible from any of these three architectures if learners engage in active knowledge construction” (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 23). The cognitive learning theory suggests “Instruction should not only present information but also prime the appropriate cognitive processing in the learner,” aiding in their ability to “make sense of the presented material” (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 184). According to the personalization principle, “expressing information in conversational style can be a way to prime appropriate cognitive processing in the learner,” (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 184). Research suggests learners have the desire to work harder when lessons contain “social cues (such as conversational style)” as it “activates a sense of social presence in the learner” (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 184). I am happy to provide you with significant data showing the application of the personalization principle resulted in substantially better performance on transfer tests, yielding effect sizes from .71 (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 187) to 1.55 (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 186).

In addition to the implementation of a conversational tone, research also suggests less experienced learners benefit from the use of polite instruction from on screen agents. The politeness theory postulates the use of friendlier instruction allows unsure learners to “save face,” “have some freedom of action” and “to work cooperatively with the agent” (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 190). According to Clark and Mayer, “Students who had less experience in working with computers were more sensitive to the politeness tone of the on-screen agent’s feedback statements, so they were more offended by direct statements (such as ‘Click the Enter key’) and more impressed with polite statements (such as ‘Do you want to click the Enter key?’) (2008, p. 190). “There is evidence that student learning is not only influenced by what on-screen agents say but also how they say it” (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 190) with experiments yielding medium to large effect sizes.

In addition to the great benefits of the personalization principle, there are limitations which I have made every effort to avoid in the proposed instruction. The use of conversational speech is limited throughout the material to maintain an attitude of learning and to avoid becoming a distraction. In an effort to make the author visible, I have included some background about the instructor but have limited it to relevant information which supports the learning goal and promotes engagement. In compliance with the coherence principle, the on-screen agents have an distinct instructional role, human gestures, and natural voices which allow the learner to better identify with them as they demonstrate the desired behavior through modeling.

In summary, there is significant evidence showing that these minor modifications can drastically improve the effectiveness of the instruction. While I appreciate this is a major shift away from our traditional approach, the suggested changes require minimal investment but have the potential to greatly impact the learners. Merriam Webster defines innovation as “the introduction of something new” (“innovation,” 2014). As instructors and designers, we should not allow our traditional, conservative desires blind us from the research. Nor should we allow the expectation of what is proper impede what has been proven successful for today’s learners. I am happy to meet with you at your convenience to discuss this further, as well as provide the cited materials for your perusal.

Regards,

Melissa St. Laurent

 

 

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2008). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Wiley.

innovation. (2014). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovation

 

 

Learning Theory Podcast

For this assignment, I decided to create a podcast on the many learning theories discussed throughout the Ed Tech program. While this may not be the most creative podcast in title or content, it will serve as a great reinforcement to me and provide a quick link for me to access as needed.

To record the podcast, I used Adobe Audition. I was quite comfortable with the creation process. I spend a great deal of my work day creating video tutorials for our LMS.  The editing process was easy, as it is similar to the process used for the video tutorials.  While I am not necessarily a fan of my recorded voice, I have become accustomed to hearing it.

In the pilot episode I define present definitions of the term theory, explain the necessity for learning theories, and outline the topics to be covered in the upcoming episodes. Given the numerous learning theories, I believe the subject matter will allow for a great series of podcasts.

Through the use of computer generated audio files to deliver a message, this project addresses the following AECT standards; 1.2 Message Design, 2.2 Audiovisual Technologies, 2.3 Computer Based Technologies, 2.4 Integrated Technologies, and 3.1 Media Utilization.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23698415/mstlaurent_%20Podcast_mixdown.mp3

 

Edutainment Evaluation

I have chosen to review the edutainment characteristics of the Wii Fit Plus game. As we learned from Amy Jo Kim, “Gamification is using game techniques to make activities more engaging and fun” (2011). The Wii Fit Yoga game teaches the player a variety of basic yoga poses using the interactive balance board to provide onscreen feedback. As Okan warned of “expectations that learning can be enjoyable and fun,” (2003, p. 256) the brochure included in the game boasts the “Wii Fit Plus is a fun, easy way for you, your friends, and family to exercise every day.”

The Wii Fit Plus employs the ARCS model. After creating a Mii, an avatar to represent him/her on screen, each player undergoes a body test to evaluate their fitness level, followed by creating a fitness goal. Launching the Yoga game, the player chooses a specific pose or poses from a fairly large selection. Once a pose is chosen, the player is introduced to the trainer who provides a short personable dialog including the benefits of the pose which she will demonstrate and instructions. At the same time, on screen graphics provide written instructions and real time feedback regarding your performance. Once the pose is complete, the player receives additional reinforcements in the form of audio feedback, a reminder of the relevance, an animated graphic showing the players center of balance throughout the pose, points, a skill level rating, leader board ranking and tips to improve future attempts. These steps play an important part in garnering the players’ attention, establishing relevance, bolstering confidence, and achieving satisfaction (Kapp, 2012, pp. 53–54).

The game makes great use of on-boarding techniques. Each step in the setup process is clearly explained to the player leaving no room for confusion. The on screen trainer provides detailed explanations before, during, and after each pose. Unlike some exercise videos, the trainer is facing the same direction as the player as if you were standing behind her in an actual yoga studio. She is positioned in front of a mirror so the player can still see her anterior movements. This removes the need to think left or right and simply mimic the movements.

The overall instructional objective of the Wii Fit Plus is to learn a variety of training techniques to encourage fitness. This is established through the creation of personal goals and the ability to track progress over time. Included in the statistics are the player’s BMI, fitness level, balance, coordination, and Wii Fit age. Within the Yoga game, the objective of each pose is discussed prior to the pose, during each step of the pose, and after the pose is complete.

The use of Mii characters, avatars, personal statistics, incredible feedback, and the balance board create a rich user experience that ensures engagement. The ability for the player to select the poses and create routines suitable to his/her skill level ensure a “balance of skill and challenge to keep players engaged” (Kim, 2011).

Interactivity is achieved through the use of the balance board during the exercises. The slightest shift in body weight results in instant on screen feedback. The trainer will advise that you are wavering while the on screen graph shows a visual representation of your movement. The player must listen to the audible instructions, note the visual cues, and adapt his/her pose accordingly.

The game may appeal to some players due to the extrinsic rewards of competition and affirmation or for the intrinsic motivation to become healthier. The Wii Fit Plus Yoga game includes incredible continuous feedback using a variety of platforms. There is satisfaction at the completion of each pose as the player waits with anticipation to see the results of his/her performance.  The same excitement can be seen as the player checks his/her progress toward a fitness goal and their latest body test results.

Wii Fit Plus Yoga incorporates my five must-have characteristics of edutainment; onboarding, a specific instructional objective, engaging content, interactivity, and motivation. While this Yoga game can certainly be used as an example of many different learning theories, the ARCS Theory of Motivation can be seen in its entirety.

 

Kapp, K. M. (2012). The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education. Pfieffer.

Kim, A. J. (2011, February 16). Smart Gamification: Designing the Player Journey – YouTube. YouTube. from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0H3ASbnZmc#t=145

Okan, Z. (2003). Edutainment: is learning at risk? British Journal of Educational Technology, 34(3), 255–264.

 

 

 

 

 

EDTECH 522 Module 1 Reflection Assignment

1. Summarize the six key assumptions about adult learners as described by Malcolm Knowles.

There is some debate as to whether Malcolm Knowles defined Andragogy as the education of adults. Regardless of origin, he is certainly credited with propelling the concept. Knowles believed there to be six principles that were true with every adult learner. If educators considered all of these, in conjunction with the individual learner’s situational differences and the goals of the learning, objectives would certainly be met.

The first principle is that adult learners have a need to know. Unlike their younger counter parts, adults specifically seek knowledge when confronted with a problem that requires resolution. This is a deliberate process.

The second principle states that with maturity comes the concept of self. The adult learner finds the independence necessary to become self-directed in defining their learning goals. This active participation can be seen in the constructivism theory.

The consideration of the prior experience of the learner is the third concept. Constructivism theory is founded on the idea of meaning being created by individuals based on their own experience. Learning is subjective based on the filters applied due to an individual’s past experience.

Similar to an adult’s need to know, Knowles fourth principle describes a readiness to learn. Knowles believed that this was driven by the learner’s societal roles and the tasks required.

The fifth principle is a shift in the orientation of learning through maturity. With all problem centered learning or just in time training, there is a sense of urgency. Learning is to be implemented now, not at an unknown time in the future.

The final principle addresses the adult learners’ motivation to learn. Knowles believed that the adult learner participated in learning not simply to allow immediate solutions to practical problems but to satisfy an internal quest for knowledge and understanding.

Overall, Knowles principles can be summed up as learner autonomy in a problem based, student centered environment. An example of Knowles principles in a problem based learning environment can be seen in my workplace daily. Working in IT, we are often faced with technical issues that we have simply never encountered before. When this occurs, we first apply what has proven successful in similar situations in the past. When all efforts prove unsuccessful and we still are expected to provide a solution, we search for others who have encountered and conquered the same issue. We scour the web for knowledgebase articles, forums, and manuals. As time passes, there is a sense of urgency to resolve the issue but it does not simply stop there. During the search, you reach an unconscious point when the issue is no longer an inanimate object or condition but an adversary challenging you. When the orientation shifts, so does the motivation and you will not be stopped until you resolve the problem AND understand the source.

2. Where are you on the Grow’s Staged Self Directed Learning Model?

Grow believed that adult learners may or may not be self-directed, depending on the situation. He believed that it is possible for a learner to be motivated and independent in one area while completely dependent in another. Based on some of the concepts of Hershey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership, Grow matched learner traits with teacher roles in his Staged Self Directed Learning Model. It was Grow’s belief that self directed behavior can be taught. Table 1 below outlines the 4 stages of the self directed learning model.

 Table 1. Staged Self Directed Learning Model

	Student	Teacher	Examples
Stage 1	Dependent	Authority, Coach	Coaching with immediate feedback. Drill. Informational lecture. Overcoming deficiencies and resistance.
Stage 2	Interested	Motivator, guide	Inspiring lecture plus guided discussion. Goal-setting and learning strategies.
Stage 3	Involved	Facilitator	Discussion facilitated by teacher who participates as equal. Seminar. Group projects.
Stage 4	Self-directed	Consultant, delegator	Internship, dissertation, individual work or self-directed study-group.

By nature, it is my immediate desire as a learner is to gravitate as far from dependency as possible. I suspect that comes from my perfectionist ways, despite Grow’s acknowledgement that there is nothing wrong with being a dependent learner. I certainly agree that the level of self direction varies according to the situation. Typically my learning behavior would be somewhere between stages 3 and 4. Regardless of my familiarity with the subject matter, I am confident in my ability to achieve based on past experience where diligence and application promoted success. I am intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to succeed. That is many of the things I do are done so for self esteem, promotion, and recognition from others. I have good time management skills, as I work full-time, while pursuing my masters, taking on free-lance jobs, and keeping up with other outside obligations but I am also aware that I sometimes procrastinate, rationalizing that I work better in the face of a deadline.

As an instructor, it is important to be flexible in your approach so you may successfully engage learners in each stage. My teaching approach is varied across the stages but I have far to go before achieving mastery level. In my role as corporate trainer, I train people of all skill levels. It is my responsibility to teach them but that do not work for me. This creates a unique situation in which need to overcome resistance, outlined in stage 1 is a reality. While I can advise, encourage, provide specific instruction and feedback, I have no authority to make the learners participate. I am certain this is also a consideration of educators with standardized testing and success percentages dictating the future of their employment. Typically, I find my instruction in stage 2. I offer encouraging words, building the learners’ confidence and comfort through frequent feedback and recognition.

 

Cross, K. Patricia. 1981. Adults as Learners: Increasing Participation and Facilitating Learning. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Grow, G. O. (1991). Teaching Learners to be Self-Directed. Adult Education Quarterly, 41(3), 125–149. Retrieved from http://www.longleaf.net>

Community of Practice

For this module, I chose to research the community of practice (CoP) learning model. I find this interesting because we had implemented a CoP within our company, simply by chance, which is part of the definition of a CoP. Two things get me excited about that.

First, I love it that the education I am receiving right now is relevant, right now. When making the decision to return to school, one of the questions posed to me was, would it be a wise investment that would assist me in reaching my career goals. Every time I am able to draw a parallel between what is happening in my textbook to what is happening in my office, I believe that is a definitive yes. Understanding theory and the ‘why’ to everything thing I do helps me to make better choices in the future.

I work for a technology company that provides training and support for a multitude of properties across the U.S. and in the Carribbean. In addition to training and support, our company partners with a local university to provide internships to computer science and information technology students. The community of practice implemented within our company is made up of full-time web developers who serve as experts and student interns. I created the following diagram of the community of practice to demonstrate how interns progress through the process.

 

 

Graphical representation of a community of practice – Melissa St. Laurent

The president of our company recently shared a PowerPoint presentation from a colleague that outlined the differences between big technology companies, big companies with technology and startups. This immediately brought to mind Andriessen’s archetypes (2005).

Archetypes of knowledge groups

Cluster Name	Connectivity	Institutionalization	Example of group	From the speakers deck
Interest groups	low	low	Shared interest, little or no cohesion
Informal networks	moderate	low	Communities of interest, Wenger Network of professionals, Brown	Startups?
Informal communities	high	low	Communities of practice, Lave & Wenger	Morris Technology
Strategic communities	high	high	Corporate project teams	Big Technology Companies
Communities	low	high	Delphi participants	Big Companies with Technology

Afterward, I had the opportunity to share with him, the above diagrams and some of the highlights from Hoadley (2012)  in chapter 12 overview. Pleased with the parallel between the two, he is now arranging a forum to discuss communities of practice on a larger scale.

Another example of relevance occurred this evening. While traveling with colleagues a discussion of skill set development surfaced. In this conversation, an example of an intern was given who lacked the knowledge to complete specific tasks. I was able to share the necessity for the availability of experts, scaffolding and other key aspects of the community of practice model.

This brings me to the second reason I get excited. By sharing the relevant knowledge taken from this course with my boss and peers, I am now an active participant in a knowledge share.  I am not naïve enough to believe that the CoP model is the answer to all my training. To impose that would be contrary to much of the research presented in my annotated bibliography.

References:

Andriessen, J. H. E. (2005). Archetypes of knowledge communities. Communities and Technologies, 191–213.

Hoadley, C. (2012). What is a community of practice and how can we support it? In Theoretical foundations of learning environments (2nd ed., pp. 286–299). Routledge.

Social Development Theory

Module 2 Reflection
Melissa St. Laurent
504 – Spring 2013

I found this module of particular interest. It is very enlightening to learn about the theories that underlie many of the activities in which we participate throughout or own education, both formal and informal, as well as the activities that we assign as instructors. As Horton pointed out in his article, Lev goes to college: Reflections on implementing Vygotsky’s ideas in higher education, many of these learning theories are already in use despite the fact that many have no idea of the source (2008).

The journal article, Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective (Ertmer & Newby, 1993), was an absolute gem. This article brought to the forefront several critical questions that I will now incorporate in all future trainings. It is critical to understand the limitations of the technology, the diversity of the learners, and the acceptability of the material in relation to the goal of the instruction.

Every response given to the question why the study of learning theories is relevant to the instructional designer resonated with me (Ertmer & Newby,  1993, p. 51).

1. Learning theories are a source of VERIFIED instructional strategies, tactics & techniques.
2. Learning theories provide the foundation for INTELLIGENT and REASONED strategy selection.
3. Integration of the selected strategy within the instructional CONTEXT is critical.
4. Learning theories allow for reliable PREDICTION when time and resources are limited.

Perhaps the greatest advice given within the article was that although it is crucial for designers to understand the history of the learning theories, it is acceptable to cherry pick aspects from multiple theories, based on evaluation of the learners and the end goal. This concept is referred to as systematic eclecticism. (Ertmer & Newby,  1993, p. 70). There is not always one theory that meets all the needs presents. This is not a permission to dismiss the historical value of the theories, quite the contrary.  According to Ertmer and Newby (1993, p. 69), “…to be an eclectic, one must know a lot, not a little, about the theories being combined.”

This is my first journey into learning theory. In my work, I have implemented many aspects of the articles I have read for this assignment, with varying degrees of success. Throughout the reading for this topic, I was able to draw many parallels to my current practice. I have created forms of practice fields and communities of practice outlined in situative learning during the implementation of software. I continually use the aspects of the social development theory everyday as I assist employees through hands on training activities.  My implementation tactics were eclectic, but only by chance.

The problem with that is, I am a control freak. I do not like leaving things to chance. I understand that not all things are in my control but, being armed with the knowledge will afford me the opportunity to make educated decisions regarding strategy.

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