Cognitive Science for Instructional Designers

Instructional designers, or anyone else in the business of educating and training others, should understand the science and psychology behind learning and memory. Trudy Kowallis Christensen said, “When I design instruction, I usually don’t start with a particular theory. My main focus is the problem and the problem situation.” (Christensen, 1). As Instructional Designers, we […]

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How Questions Impact Learning Experiences

When I was a college undergrad in design school, one of my professors had a policy of deducting points from students who “ask too many questions.” She says this teaches students independence and prepares them for the real world, where “life’s not fair.” Ironically, I don’t remember this professor’s name. I don’t remember which class […]

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Developing Learning Objective Scenarios Developing Learning Objective Scenarios

Nearly every instructional design project involves developing learning objectives for various learning scenarios. Typically, instructional designers collaborate with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), asking open-ended questions to analyze and clarify what the learners will be doing. The answers we receive from our SMEs will help shape our learning objectives. When it comes to developing learning objectives, […]

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My Approach to Applying Learning Theories to Instructional Design My Approach to Applying Learning Theories to Instructional Design

Throughout the course of my career I have learned, in great detail, about the following learning theories: Behaviorism Constructivism Connectivism Cognitivism Andragogy (Adult Learning Theory) Since I create course curriculum and facilitate classes for both children and adults, I definitely see these theories and approaches fitting into the courses I design. I also have a […]

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My Personal Learning Experiences with Cognitivism and Connectivism My Personal Learning Experiences with Cognitivism and Connectivism

Being a digital native, Connectivism has always played a large role not just in how I develop and facilitate curriculum – but also in my own personal learning experiences. For example, when I was a 14-year-old middle school student, I wanted to build my own website so IĀ used Connectivism to teach myself how to read […]

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