The study of learning styles aims to understand the different ways that learners are able to take in and process new knowledge. It seeks to find the best practices to help a learner absorb, comprehend, and retain a piece of information. In recent years, many instructional designers have devoted their time to come up with different learning style theories that aim to ease new knowledge acquisition. However, one big question in the world of learning styles, particularly among skeptics, is: Do learning styles really exist? The lack of reliable studies looking over the effectiveness of learning styles in the classrooms is one big issue that continues to plague it. In their study “Learning Styles and Pedagogy in Post-16 Learning: A Systematic and Critical Review,” Coffield and his colleagues bemoaned that while there are several researches available, they all have “poor reliability, poor validity, and a negligible impact on teaching and learning.” The authors also raised concerns … [Read more...] about Have You Ever Wondered If Learning Styles Really Exist?
Instructional Design and ELearning
New Resource for Designing Exceptional ELearning Courses!
Want to know latest eLearning and instructional technology news? Want to design robust, innovative eLearning courses? Check out the new edition of the Instructional Design for eLearning book, and start creating successful training materials today! … [Read more...] about New Resource for Designing Exceptional ELearning Courses!
4 Ways To Apply Behaviorism Principles to Your ELearning Materials
As instructional designers apply behaviorism principles to create courses for virtual settings, it is important to keep in mind that the driving force behind progress is reinforcement. 1. Repetition Take audio visual presentations as instructional methods employed in virtual classrooms. People learn through observation, so audio or video presentations are an efficient way to enable learners to understand the subject, organize their own thoughts around that subject, and ultimately present their own analysis of the matter. In behaviorism, only the response to the information received can be measured, so it is a good idea to develop materials that promote drill tasks. This involves teaching concepts by presenting a series of steps that lead to expected outcomes. For example, in a database class, the lessons would entail presentation of various data types as well as the commands for specific functions. Step by step video tutorials would be provided, guiding the learner as to … [Read more...] about 4 Ways To Apply Behaviorism Principles to Your ELearning Materials
3 Cognitivism Principles for More Effective eLearning
The wise application of cognitivism principles in the design of training materials results in more effective learning for both children and adults. In any kind of learning environment, the needs of the learners need to be taken into consideration so that optimal absorption and understanding of new information can be ensured. In a nutshell, cognitivism principles have to do with optimizing the way adult learners are able to think about, understand, process, and integrate new information to put what they already know to good use. Cognitivism Principle #1: Learning Should Be More Focused and Purposeful Adults learn more effectively when they know why they are learning something in the first place. They need to understand how the concepts and ideas that they are going to learn can be applied to their own lives. At the onset, the why is often more important than the how. Therefore, clear and specific purpose of all training materials has to be stated at the beginning. … [Read more...] about 3 Cognitivism Principles for More Effective eLearning
New Edition of the Instructional Design for ELearning Book is Here!
Exciting news! The second edition of the Instructional Design for ELearning book is now available on Amazon! This edition has been fully revised and updated with the latest instructional design principles, case studies, checklists, templates, and assessments you can immediately apply to your course design. Here are just some of the updates you can look forward to: New chapter about Technical training New chapter about eLearning copyright New chapter about Agile ELearning design and development New information about personalized and augmented learning approaches New information about eLearning tools Assessments after each chapter New and updated tables and templates Case studies that illustrate eLearning concepts in each chapter Here is what some expert designers had to say about the new edition of this handbook: I have the first edition of Marina Arshavskiy’s Instructional Design for ELearning book, but her updated version is just … [Read more...] about New Edition of the Instructional Design for ELearning Book is Here!
Copyright in ELearning – How You Can Protect Your ELearning Work
The purpose of this article is tо provide a brіеf іntrоduсtіоn to thе іѕѕuеѕ rеlаtеd to uѕіng material within online learning еnvіrоnmеntѕ. It іѕ bу nо mеаnѕ exhaustive аnd course designers are encouraged to seek аdvісе оn аnу соруrіght queries thеу mау have аѕ early аѕ роѕѕіblе. Whаt Iѕ ELearning Copyright? Copyright protects any ріесе of оrіgіnаl wоrk as soon as іt hаѕ been rесоrdеd еіthеr оn рареr, іn аn audio rесоrdіng, on fіlm, or еlесtrоnісаllу (іnсludіng on the Web). Cоруrіght exists tо аllоw creators tо control thе uѕе оf their wоrk. It аlѕо аllоwѕ thеm tо bеnеfіt fіnаnсіаllу frоm thеіr wоrk аnd еnаblеѕ them to аѕѕеrt thеіr moral rіghtѕ to be rесоgnіzеd аѕ thе author оf thеіr piece оf content. Hоw long copyright lаѕtѕ varies ассоrdіng tо the fоrmаt іn whісh a wоrk has been recorded. In most саѕеѕ, however, соруrіght will last fоr 70 years after thе death оf thе author/creator. How Does Copyright Apply to ELearning? Copyright applies tо all recorded … [Read more...] about Copyright in ELearning – How You Can Protect Your ELearning Work