Where learning science complements instructional design
This article is part of a series on overcoming the challenges of long distance work by building learning experiences based on solid learning science. What you are about to read is a myth. The company, AshCom, is fictional, but the learning challenges faced by Katherine, CLO of AshCom, and her team are shared by teaching teams in real and large organizations. It is our hope that you will be able to connect with the characters, their challenges, and the solutions they have discovered. We invite you to read the first eBook of the series.
eBook release
Embracing the Challenges of Remote Working: How to Start Teaching Experiences Built in Solid Education Science
Flexibility is key, but does time-tested learning science support virtual learning experiences designed specifically for remote situations?
CLO
Little did many on AshCom’s current learning team know that at one point Maggie was encouraged to apply for the job of Chief Education Officer (CLO). The request became relevant. Maggie has been on AshCom for the longest time. She joined the company’s human resources department 20 years ago. As AshCom grew, the leadership felt the need for a dedicated team to teach them. Their products were becoming more complex, as were the processes required to manufacture them.
Maggie had a university degree in human resources, but she was naturally attracted to learning. AshCom paid her tuition so she could earn a master’s degree in instructional design. As much as she loved building learning experiences, her real joy came when she heard stories of AshCom students gaining new skills and high-level roles in the company.
The role of CLO was attractive to him. A few days later, she flatly denied the opportunity, even though she was on the inside track. She decided to stay in her role as a directing designer because she believed it was a good fit for her passion and gifts.
It was at this point that AshCom hired Katherine to serve as CLO. Katherine was very fit. She was the leader in the 3M teaching team. She has a mind for strategy and was not the only person needed by AshCom in the role. Maggie and Catherine developed a strong bond built on trust and mutual appreciation.
When Catherine decided to launch a lunch-and-learn series on the science of virtual education for distance workers, she deliberately asked Maggie to be the final presenter. Other members of the team have presentations in Neuroscience, Psychology, Sociology, Linguistics, and Consumer Sciences. Maggie’s job is to bring all the materials together in an integrated way that will serve as a guide for the entire team. Maggie will not be disappointed.
“We’ve seen many parts of science learning and how they apply to virtual learning experiences,” said Maggie. “My job is to give a more holistic perspective. According to Daryl, neuroscience helped us to think about how perception works. Martina did an excellent job of putting aside some of the challenges and opportunities of psychology. Michael took sociology. Adina led us through linguistics. And Amy, in her usual creative way, gave us insights into learning from a consumer science perspective.
Everyone shook their heads. They covered these issues well, which led to additional discussions outside of any formal meeting.
The role of the instructional designer
“So,” Maggie continued, “how do we think about these in our role as directional designers?”
Alicia, the youngest member of the teaching team and currently enrolled in a master’s program in instructional design, spoke first. “I think I think of them as tools in our toolbox. We can draw from them when we need them,” many agreed.
Michael spoke next. “Instructional design isn’t really my background. You know, I’ve spent most of my career as an educator, both as a professor and administrator. I have a question about how instructional design fits into these other parts of learning science. Do they have tools? Or instructional design?” Is it a separate science? In other words, is it on the side of cognitive science, psychology, sociology, linguistics, and consumer science? “
“Interesting questions. Your question, Michael, does it look like that?” Said Maggie as she walked across the whiteboard.
Neuroscience | Psychology Sociology | Linguistics | Consumer Science / Instructional Design = Learning Experience
“It’s different than I thought,” said Alicia. “I didn’t think of instructional design as a science that would be placed next to all other sciences. Would you mind moving some things around a bit?”
“Certainly not,” said Maggie.
As everyone watched carefully, Alicia made her changes to the whiteboard.
Instructional design
Neuroscience | Psychology Sociology | Linguistics | Consumer Science
“That’s what’s on my mind,” Maggie said. “I don’t think of science as a toolbox that the instructional designers rely on in the project. I think they’re involved in every learning experience we build.
Darryl agreed. “I think the tools of instructional designers are things like technology or modalities. We can choose animation for one and augmented reality for another. Depending on the needs analysis, learners can be better served by infographics that remind them of different stages of the process. Are tools that can.I think science should be operational in everything it learns.
Applying learning science to ID
Katherine said, “I’ve heard you say that the subjects that teach science are the basics. The basics of what we do. It’s the use of these sciences to learn from experiences.”
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to say,” said Daryl. “I can’t imagine a scenario where cognitive science isn’t at play. Or where we decide to ignore what consumer science or psychology can teach us, especially in creating virtual learning experiences for remote workers.”
“Let me see if I can give an analogy that might be useful,” Maggie said. “Sometimes when I’m struggling to get my mind around a concept, I look for something similar. And I have a job that can be like what we do.”
“Say,” said Catherine, smiling, as she made the right decision when she asked Maggie to take up this complex subject.
Maggie replied, “My brother-in-law is an architectural engineer. He has a brilliant mind and is one of the rare people who is a part scientist and part artist. Her work is unique and sometimes challenging. A designer can draw a beautiful building, but that drawing is not the only thing needed to be able to create a structure. An architectural engineer is needed to ensure that the building will work as designed. It will do whatever the bosses want. “
Maggie continued, “He has to make sure everything fits together. He has to think about how to heat and cool the building. He has to think through the plumbing system, which can be very complicated in a large structure. Systems. He must ensure that the materials used will be able to withstand the proper amount of weight and stress.
Build a solid foundation
“I see what it means to be smart,” said Alicia.
“All of these things must fit together and work properly to make the building safe, sustainable, strong and functional. He thinks a lot about the experience of the people who live or work in each building. Just like we spend a lot of time thinking about the student experience.”
“So how does it all connect to learning science?” Michael asked.
“Think about all the science you need to know to be an architectural engineer,” Maggie replied. “Physics, hydrology, metallurgy, electricity, chemistry, aesthetics, acoustics, environmental science, and maybe a lot of other things I never thought about. All of these disciplines are involved in every structure my brother designs. As in instructional design, he cannot ignore just one or two of these sciences. Everyone should consider every design he makes.
Maggie continued, “This is about our work. We develop, implement and evaluate many learning experiences for many people in very different situations. We need to focus. We need to put theory into practice, but that means we all need to have a solid grasp of the theories taught by different sciences in order to learn science. “
“I’ll add a few things,” Alicia said. “In my master’s program, we are constantly pushed to be active design thinkers, which means we think about graphic design and experience design. We need to be creative in our projects while staying on time and on budget.”
“I agree,” said Maggie. “Aesthetics and design are really important.”
“We talked about changing the title for what we do,” Katherine said. “It used to be that everyone talked about instructional design. But maybe we need to think of ourselves as learning experience designers. It seems like a more complete description of what we’re doing and moving forward.”
“And that,” said Maggie, “is how we need to think deeply into virtual learning experiences for remote workers. It will be more challenging for us than creating personal or eLearning modules for people at our plant. The key to creating motivating and engaging experiences.” In order to do that, we need all these sciences that inform every decision we make. We need microlearning and immersive techniques like augmented reality and virtual reality. We need to think through the social and psychological realities of distance learning. We need consumer science to teach us how to market our learning experiences and how to engage people. “
“We don’t have time,” said Catherine. “I am grateful to all of you for delving deeper into these different sciences, and to Maggie for pulling them all together, which encourages us to continue to be creative.”
Everyone applauded for Maggie.
“One last word,” said Catherine. “I know this will be a challenge for us. We need to think deeper than in the past. We need to be more creative. Our creativity will be more important. But I believe we can do it because I believe in this team. We have an incredible opportunity to shine.” I am confident that we will meet the challenge. “
At the same time, the team members have been dismissed. Although it took time to work through all the sciences, Katherine was convinced that the time was well spent. She was also confident that her team would produce excellent virtual learning experiences for the newly formed remote workforce of virtual learning experiences, and she was not disappointed.
Conclusion
Download eBook Embracing Remote Working Challenges: How to Launch Learning Experiences in Built in Solid Learning Science to discover how you can overcome obstacles with targeted solutions supported by psychology and proven methods. You can also join a webinar to find out which scientific principles are relevant for remote workforce training.