Month: June 2018

In reviewing the Empathy methods as described in the Bootcamp Bootleg (Stanford University Institute of Design, 2016) and the Design Kit (IDEO, 2015), I believe that a combination of Composite Character Profiles and Group Interviews would be the best path forward for me in my quest to empathize with the adult students of my school board.

My design challenge revolves around the lack the of preparation and knowledge that the adult students in my organization have towards hybrid (blended) courses. Hybrid learning was originally introduced as a more flexible delivery method recognizing that adult continuing education students seeking to complete their secondary school courses have different responsibilities and backgrounds than standard high school students. They often have families to take care of and part-time or full-time work that they must attend to. By allowing these students to take some of their learning online, it was believed they would have an easier time to balance their school life with their other responsibilities. For the majority of students, this is the case. Unfortunately, for others it seems that new barriers are raised that include lack of technical skill to navigate an online environment and an overall lack of buy-in to this method of learning.

Currently I have 2 sets of data in the form of focus group interviews and pre/post course surveys. The breadth of information that I have access to is vast and I hope I can make the most use out of it. From the focus group interviews, I have spoken with many students about their successes, challenges, and suggestions to how hybrid learning can be improved; from the learning management system to the general course overall. By going straight to the students, I have learned first-hand how students are accessing their course and how they are faring in their own opinion. From the surveys, I believe that I can create a composite character profile which will also help me understand the needs of a demographic that is different from my own. I cannot say that I know what it is like to be completing 3 high school courses as a mature adult student while trying to raise a family with 2 children by working a full-time job simultaneously, but at least I feel I can start to empathize with those in similar situations. By having a few character profiles generated, I hope to be better able to understand the challenges that various groups have with hybrid learning and together with the feedback gathered from the focus groups, begin to design my digital resource.

 

References

IDEO. (2015). Design Kit – Methods. Retrieved from http://www.designkit.org/methods

Stanford University Institute of Design. (2016). Bootcamp Bootleg.  Retrieved from http://dschool-old.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/METHODCARDS-v3-slim.pdf

My group the DeeGees chose to explore the modality of video curated libraries through the instance of Lynda.com. It was a great experience to go through a course with not just the mindset of learning the material, but also learning about how the delivery worked as well (or not work). We each focused on our own issues (for myself, cognitive load theory), and set out on our exploration.

Cognitive load in itself is a very complex topic with varied effects due to multimedia. I’ve learned that there are a multitude of combinations of how video learning can be established mixing video, audio, text, animations, frames, points of focus, and many other factors. Each combination can in itself provide a rich learning experience, but have a negative effect on a learner’s cognition.

Key to most successful video and multimedia courses and modules seems to be a few general rules. Some potential solutions to cognitive overload include choosing audio over visuals when possible, providing breaks between videos, removing extraneous material, and avoiding duplication (Mayer & Moreno, 2003).

Of course this is only a sampling of remedies to cognitive load effects. The more I read into cognitive load theory, the more intricate I find how every learning environment will have different cognitive load effects. In short, course design needs to be conscious of the learner and the content being learned. What is the best way to transfer the knowledge? Keeping it simple seems to be an age old saying. There’s no need to be flashy and try to use every visual effect. Sometimes less is more and you know what, the learner may actually remember what the instructor was trying to teach rather than just their floating head.

 

References

Mayer, R. E., & Moreno R. (2003). Nine Ways to Reduce Cognitive Load in Multimedia Learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 43-52, https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3801_6