learning theory summary

Learning: A Summary of Research and Insights ICP LXD July 2012

Jen Briselli Learning Experience Design Intern

Image courtesy of Christian Kasper

Learning Experience

How do people learn?

What does this mean for software learning?

What is Autodesk working on?

What does this mean for LXD?

How do people learn?

There are a lot of ideas about learning that include: Learning Domains Learning Theories Learning Styles Instructional Design

Different people take different approaches to learning:

Human Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers Focus on information processing View learning as information transfer

Classroom teachers Student learning is a black box Design learning experiences around desired learning outcomes

Trainers Use demonstration and practice to help users learn

Designers Focus on usability

It’s not the specifics that matter. Instructional designers can combine theory and research from multiple angles to design user-centered learning experiences. The goal of this slide deck is to highlight the main points as a resource for further consideration.

Learning Domains

Accretion: Continuous Learning On demand, on location, in the moment & comes from many sources and media Benefits: Strong links to learning needs & high relevance, learning takes place “IRL” Drawbacks: Learners are less aware of learning, less reflection, accretion is unlike traditional learning

Transmission: Traditional Learning Courses, lectures, formal training, help manuals & websites, ‘information transfer’ Benefits: Builds core knowledge & develops sound mental models with basic information Drawbacks: Not user-centered, slow process, treats the learner as an empty vessel, at odds with natural learning

Acquisition: Learner Chosen Exploratory, inquiry-driven, learner-directed Benefits: Learner is highly motivated, learning is relevant, interesting, personalized Drawbacks: Learners often miss critical skills, little or no feedback, no prompts for reflection

Emergence: Reasoning & Reflection Meta-cognition, reflection on life experiences, adjustment of mental models Benefits: Tacit, deep learning, fosters higher order critical thinking skills & creativity Drawbacks: Time consuming, difficult to facilitate, requires expert mentor

Where does the teacher/designer fit in?

Accretion: Learning is an embedded process. Designer’s Role

Create learning ecology

Facilitate community of practice

Develop connections between learner and that community

Transmission: Learning is formal instruction. Designer’s Role

Design courses & curricula

Share information

Execute workshops & lessons

Write documentation & instructions

Acquisition Learning is self-directed. Designer’s Role

Ensure availability of resources

Design information and experiences to make learning possible

Set up guideposts, but don’t draw the map

Emergence: Learning is cognition & reflection. Designer’s Role

Provide feedback

Facilitate non-linear thinking

Encourage reflection

Learning Theories & Styles

Learning Theories Models that explain knowledge construction. Learning Styles A learner’s personality and preferences that influence learning needs. There are a LOT of ideas floating around out there…

Most people group learning theories into one of six categories.

(Lyn Goodnight (2011) compiled them into an interactive PowerPoint that does a good job of summarizing the highlights. Click here to view it now or find the same link in the Appendix).

Six questions are asked regarding each of the six learning theories. Click on the tab color that matches the learning theory you wish to explore, then click on the question and its answer will open.

Behaviorist Theory

Cognitive Theory

Constructivist Theory

Social Learning Theory

Connectivism Adult Learning

Click Here

Matrix Grid References Image Links End Show

Each model explains learning from a different perspective. In essence, they represent six different windows looking into the same room. The specifics matter less than the overarching themes.

So, how do we work with multiple theories?

‘Cognitive Apprenticeship’

Learning is:

active and constructive process self-directed, situated, & embedded within Zone of Proximal Development facilitated by a mentor (or our software?)

Cognitive Apprenticeship (First introduced by Collins, Brown, & Newman, 1989)

As an instructional strategy, Cognitive Apprenticeship is characterized by six methods applied in varying combinations: Modeling Demonstrating a task explicitly so the learner can experience and build a conceptual model.

Coaching Observing the learner’s task performance and offering feedback & hints along the way.

Scaffolding Supporting the learner’s progress by providing assistance (completing difficult tasks for the

learner) where needed, and gradually scaling back that guidance over time.

Articulation Prompting the learner to articulate his developing knowledge, reasoning, or internal

problem solving process to expose and clarify thinking and to separate component knowledge from skills (which allows the learner to understand them better).

Reflection Encouraging the learner to reflect and analyze performances and skills with a desire to

understand and improve performance.

Exploration Giving the learner room to solve problems independently within low-risk circumstances and

focusing the instruction around problem solving methodology itself.

How does this relate to software learning?

Another way to look at learning (with classroom examples):

meaningful learning

rote learning

receptive/passive guided discovery autonomous discovery

concept mapping

lectures textbooks

presentations

multiplication tables

multimedia studies

laboratory assignments

& writing

exercises

trial & error puzzle solutions

original research new music,

architecture, etc.

routine research & other intellectual

pursuits

applying formulas to solve problems

How might this look for software instead of classroom assignments?

meaningful learning

rote learning

receptive/passive guided discovery autonomous discovery

traditional tutorials, help videos & written content

toolclips, command suggestions

& similar tools

interactive tutorials workflow visualization

‘playground mode’ (low-stakes trial & error)

Using Autodesk software to design

infrastructure…

There is a wealth of research relating traditional learning to software learning.

Beyond Command Knowledge: Identifying and Teaching Strategic Knowledge for Using Complex Computer Applications (Bhavnani, Reif, John 2001) The Main Ideas: Strategic Knowledge vs. Command Knowledge

Efficiency comes from greater strategic knowledge, not just greater awareness of

commands

Strategic Knowledge is difficult to acquire spontaneously; to develop, users must:

1. First be aware that different strategies exist. 2. Then, learn when to use different strategies. 3. Next, they learn how to execute those strategies. 4. Finally, learn to use these strategies in different contexts.

How can we encourage these four steps within the software itself?

The Paradox of the Guided User: Assistance Can Be Counter-Effective (van Nimwegen 2008)

The Main Ideas: Current HCI research differentiates between: Plan-based problem solving: using internally formed mental models that adjust and improve over time

(requires a high mental workload) Display-based problem solving: using information available on the interface to guide decision making

(requires little mental workload)

Usability guidelines generally encourage the use of externalized interfaces, to promote

display-based problem solving and allow for cognitive offloading. However, a “strong reliance on external information leads to a negative effect with

regard to planning of behavior.” Users stop reflecting, internalizing, or truly learning.

This type of usability may be desirable for systems that are used infrequently or associated with extreme error costs, but it “seduces users into more shallow cognitive behavior and discourages undertaking cognitive activities aimed at strategy and knowledge construction.”

How can we strike a balance between externalizing the more difficult processes and promoting internalization and reflection at the same time?

Out of the Video Arcade, Into the Office: Where Computer Games Can Lead Productivity Software (Larson 2007) The Main Ideas:

Games use a lot of user-assistance strategies that might be applicable to non-game software.

Larson identifies five common difficulty-regulation strategies found in games that he believes can provide software designers with new approaches to learnability for complex programs with ever expanding functionality.

1. User difficulty selection. 2. Implicit & explicit stage progression. 3. Tool unlocking 4. Hinting 5. Tutorials

These are sounding pretty familiar…

Autodesk is working on this too.

Autodesk Knowledge Network Readout from May 2012

LXD can use these insights to design better learning experiences…

Visualization

Mike Myles (AEC UX, 2010) suggested visualizing the community knowledge base:

Steve Ransom (AKN- GCSO) is currently working on the idea of a Learning Map:

Uber Learning: CIP Command Data (Autodesk Research 2008)

Tutorials

“Tutorial” means different things to different people:

“Tutorial” in

Infrastructure Modeler

“Tutorial” in

Autodesk Research

“Tutorial” in

Inventor

Using CIP Data

Uber Learning: CIP Command Data (Autodesk Research 2008)

“We can use the predictability of the next command to create a user interface to highlight commands that expert users tend to use, but an individual user is not. In this way users could discover new functionality and progress towards a more efficient workflow.”

Questions to consider: (& what I’ve been thinking about)

What do accretion, transmission, acquisition and emergence look like, for our users and our software specifically? How could the software, (in place of a mentor), facilitate a

cognitive apprenticeship approach to learning? How should in-canvas workflow visualizations and interactive

tutorials be designed to encourage reflection and internalization of the user’s work process?

Currently working on this problem, creating design wireframes, hopefully showing lo-fi prototypes to users in the coming weeks.

Appendix

Interactive Learning Theory: Six Learning Styles

Autodesk Knowledge Network:

Learning in a Connected World

Autodesk Research: Learning Projects ‘Uber Learning’ Paper

Mike Myles’ 2010 PowerPoint: Graph Navigation in CKB

Research papers & links:

LXD Learning Resources SharePoint folder

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