Designing learning

Term: Learning

ALL0-9ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
« Back to Glossary Index
Tags: designer alert, learning, taxonomies, connectivism

Learning is a persistent change in behaviour or capability that cannot be explained by normal growth but does depend on experiences.

For more specific and useful definitions, see: biologically primary learning, biologically secondary learning, embodied learning, deep learning, superficial learning, generative learning, associative learning, non-associative learning, active learning, transfer, schema, mental models.

Designer beware!

If the stakeholders in your project do not share a common understanding of the word “learning” then the project is at risk. The definition that underlies your design must be documented and explicitly communicated to SMEs, educators, proof-readers, developers, reviewers and students.

Dimensions of learning

The various definitions of learning attempt to answer the following questions:

  1. Is learning about process or outcome?
  2. What kinds of things do we learn?
  3. Where is the learning stored?
  4. What experiences are necessary for learning?
  5. How long does learning last?

Is learning about process or outcome?

The answer to this question has implications for assessment and for the accommodation of students with diverse needs. If the process is important, then continuous assessment is desirable. But can students who have used a different learning process to achieve the same changes be judged successful? And what of students who have followed the process without changing? If, on the other hand, learning is about outcomes, continuous assessment becomes problematic.

Relevant concepts include: the expertise reversal effect; scaffolding; feedback; Universal Design for Learning; the Disability Standards for Education

What type of things can be learned?

Common responses to this question are “skills and knowledge” and “facts and ideas.” But this barely scratches the surface. Seventy years ago, work began on Bloom’s taxonomy, which classified learning outcomes into three domains:

  • the cognitive (knowledge and thinking skills),
  • the affective (feelings, emotions and self-regulation) and
  • the psychomotor (using the body and senses to act in the physical environment.)

 

Learning is a process that occurs within nebulous environments of shifting core elements – not entirely under the control of the individual. Learning (defined as actionable knowledge) can reside outside of ourselves (within an organization or a database), is focused on connecting specialized information sets, and the connections that enable us to learn more are more important than our current state of knowing (Siemens, 2005, n.p.) in Haythornthwaite et al. ( 2016).

A DEFINITION OF LEARNING USED IN CONNECTIVISM

References

Related Glossary Terms:
  • Pedagogy
    Pedagogy is the theory and practice of teaching. It involves curriculum, theories of learning and assessment, the philosophy of education and ethics.
  • Pedagogical approach
    A pedagogical approach is a set of pedagogical choices designed to enable a group of students to achieve the best learning outcomes.
  • Learning outcome
    A learning outcome is a statement of what a student should know and be able to do after they have completed a course or unit of study. It describes the content, and the level of skills and understanding required.
  • Taxonomy of learning outcomes
    A taxonomy of learning outcomes is a group of learning outcomes categorised according to the domain of learning and organised according to the depth and type of learning.
  • Competency-based learning
    In competency-based learning, students are assessed on whether they have the skills and knowledge to perform tasks to a specified standard. They are not compared to other students or penalised for the rate at which they learned.
« Back to Glossary Index
Related Terms: