The Total Learner Experience

Don't Be Half-Assessed

2011-08-09T07:38:03-07:00

Assessment is used to measure learning outcomes, but if you see it only as a testing tool you’re missing half its value. Assessment should not be punitive; it should uncover the learner’s strengths and help identify areas for improvement. Well planned and integrated assessment creates opportunities for learners to reflect on their learning, apply new skills and knowledge, and also enables the business to recognize ROI on the learning intervention. Adapting existing models can take you much further than re-creating the wheel. In this post, we examine some guiding principles for effective assessment. An excellent example of assessment as a...

Create Losing Designs

2011-07-28T07:29:55-07:00

We spend a great deal of time planning for learner success. Do we ever create the ability for learners to lose? Should we? Our society puts a premium on “winning” -- nowadays it seems like every team gets a trophy -- not just the winner. Americans are culturally bound to the ideal of winning. However, in the real world people lose all of the time: athletes lose games and tournaments, politicians lose elections. In high stakes situations like these, losing has a real consequence. How does this affect learning? Low stakes losing occurs every day. When we lose, we tend...

On Winning

2011-07-21T05:22:20-07:00

“Training” and “competition” are not usually words that are associated with each other. However, competition is an innate motivator and humans by nature enjoy winning. Certain aspects of winning are universal to all competitive activities, including learning. A recent Newsweek article about winning provides insight into how instructional designers can create more engaging training. The author notes that winning by itself is not the most compelling impetus, but that winning while a competitor loses is more satisfying (this would seem obvious to anyone with siblings). Rather than using a “task completion” metaphor, instructional designers should use a gaming and winning...

Data Change Everything

2011-04-23T07:03:02-07:00

During the past several months there have been low background rumblings in the land of education and training. That is the sound of the learning world discovering what Internet professionals working in other vertical markets have known for years: The digital “breadcrumbs” that learners leave behind about their viewing, reading, engagement and assessment behaviors, interests and preferences provide massive amounts of data that can be mined to better personalize online experiences. via elearningroadtrip.typepad.com I have always thought that "adaptive learning design" would finally give us the holy grail of "contextual relevance" for our learners. This post illuminates what to consider...

The Potential of Augmented Reality for Education

2011-03-06T09:52:05-08:00

This month I will be participating in a panel discussion about the Potential of Augmented Reality (AR) for Education at SXSW in Austin. I'm lucky to be joined on the panel with some leading experts in the field of AR: Tish Shute, Brendan Scully, Karen Hamilton and our fellow blogger here, Enzo Silva. Tish Shute, founder of Ugotrade, a leading AR blog, explains that AR is in a critical development stage: "Augmented Reality is in its infancy and we are just beginning to see AR learning apps emerge for young children on consumer devices, and museums are pioneering AR in...