Reflection

The principles we have explored in Learning Theories and Instruction will provide an important foundation in my work and as I continue my study of instructional design. I fell into the field of instructional design somewhat by accident. My background is in nursing and several years ago I began working as a clinical educator, training physicians in the use of electronic medical records. Within my work, I provide classroom training, develop curricula and materials, and design eLearning modules. I have not, until now, had any formal education in the field. Most of what I have learned within my work has been through observation and trial and error. This class has allowed me to achieve a broader understanding of how people learn, the different ways instruction can be applied, and the role motivation plays in learning. I am already applying the knowledge I have gained in this class to the work I do everyday.

Prior to this course, I did have some understanding of brain function, information processing, and behaviorism, but mostly in relation to human development rather than learning. Within my work and through my own exploration I had studied some principles of adult learning and motivation. The ideas behind cognitive learning, constructivism, social learning, and connectivism were completely new to me. I was not surprised that there were many different learning theories, but did find it interesting that some theories seem to be polar opposite (i.e. behaviorism and constructivism) while some seem to overlap in many areas (i.e. constructivism and social learning). I was surprised by the way many in the instructional design community seem to identify only with one theory and dismiss the others. I personally found value in all of them and think principles of each have a place in educational technology.

Throughout this course, I have become more aware of my own learning process, specifically how it has changed over time, and how I apply different methods depending on the task at hand. When we began, I considered myself a kinesthetic learner, because I felt I learned best by doing. As the course went on, I realized that this was more of a preference than a learning style. Perhaps because I enjoy doing or exploring to learn I am more motivated to do so. That does not mean, however, that I cannot learn as well through other methods. For instance, I really enjoyed creating a mind map in week 5. I liked “playing around with” with the Text2Mindmap application; the process helped me to understand my learning connections. Before creating the mind map though, I was able to understand the principles of connectivism because I had read about them. While not as enjoyable for me, I am able to learn just as well by reading as I am by doing. Recognizing this about my own learning process will be applicable as I design instruction for others. Although I must account for learners’ preferences, and certainly take advantage of what motivates them, I realize that people are capable of learning in a variety of ways. Using a blend of methods may be best for appealing to a large audience.

Through this course, I have come to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all methodology to designing effective instruction. Learners are diverse and therefore the methods I employ must be diverse. Going forward as an instructional designer, I will draw upon the theoretical principles learned in this course to develop quality educational programs that are relevant to learners’ needs.