Learning Lingo
In 2006 I was four years into my Master’s program in Adult Education at the University of Rhode Island and the end was in sight – just two more courses and a thesis. I had just resigned from the job I’d held for six years as a systems administrator and user support specialist at a small, Rhode Island-based research affiliate of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. I had gotten a new job supporting online training technologies at the mother ship, the UMMS campus in Worcester. I wanted to be an instructional designer (ID), and this position was a stepping stone in that direction. My new job brought with it an hour-long commute, an opportunity to apply the skills I was gaining in graduate school, and – as I learned on day one – a whole new vocabulary.
Here are some of the terms that were new to me at the time or that have confused me as I moved along in this buzzword-filled field. What terms would you add to the list?
2 Sigma Problem
If you hear designers toss out this term, they are likely referring to Bloom’s Two-Sigma Problem: the research finding that one-on-one instruction (direct tutoring) is as much as two standard deviations (sigmas) more effective than conventional group instruction.
70/20/10
The theory is that people retain only 10% of what is learned in a formal learning experience, be it an online course, a classroom, or tutoring; 20% of what we know comes from informal learning through peers and our community; and the vast majority of our learning, 70%, comes from actual, hands-on, direct experience.
While there is a lack of empirical evidence to support this breakdown, there are organizations, resources, and even an online community devoted to the model.
Image Source: http://tom.spiglanin.com/2014/12/i-believe-in-the-702010-framework/
Analysis
Designers talk about many types of analyses. Audience, Needs, Task, and Gap analysis are four common categories:
- An audience analysis, or learner analysis, provides insight into the preferences, motivations, contexts, knowledge level, etc.
- A needs analysis (aka needs assessment) reveals the learning needs of a particular audience regarding a given subject matter.
- A task analysis produces a step-by-step, detailed description of how a task is performed.
- A gap analysis identifies discrepancies between how something is (for example, how a task is performed) and how it should be (for example, how the task should be performed for best results).
Analytics
While this term is used in a few ways, it typically refers to the abundance of data collected by today’s learning management systems and other platforms. These data can be used to determine, for example, how a learner is interacting with a course
Andragogy/Pedagogy
Submitted by Julie Riley 9/1/17
You may read or hear that pedagogy means the science of teaching children while andragogy is the science of teaching adults. While that is technically true, the word pedagogy is often used in a more generic sense to mean the art and science of teaching, period.
Asynchronous Learning
The most flexible type of digital learning, asynchronous experiences are those in which the learners are neither in the same time nor the same space (usually a self-paced online course in which each person accesses the material from their own location at the time most convenient to them).
Authentic Assessment
Submitted by Julie Riley 9/1/17
Authentic assessment means having learners complete tasks that mirror what they’ll need to do in the real world.
Backwards Design
Submitted by Erin Ryan Casey 7/26/17
Start with the measurable goals or learning objectives, and plan backwards:
- What is the desired result? What should a learner know (or be able to do) by the end of a course or module?
- How will these outcomes be measured? What assessments will indicate success?
- What knowledge or skill does a user need to reach these goals? Design learning activities and experiences based on the above.
Note from Bonnie: Backwards Design comes from McTighe and Wiggins‘ Understanding by Design (UbD) framework. At Course Kitchen, we add a step before the first one listed above. Before identifying the desired result, we need to understand the learner. An audience analysis resulting in a designer’s empathy for the learner can go a long way toward producing the right learning experience.
Blended Learning
Also called hybrid learning, blended learning aligns each learning objective with the best delivery approach. Some objectives will be most efficiently achieved in real time, whether in a physical (classroom) or virtual learning space (webinar). Others will be best met in a self-paced context, allowing the learner to consume, process, and reflect on the learning in their own time. Combining, or blending, these approaches in one learning experience
Branching
A strategy in asynchronous learning that allows the learner to impact or choose their own experience. For example, if they are presented with a decision (“What would you do in this situation?”), the choice made can determine what happens next.
This approach can be used in a simulation to test the impact of various choices, to present a menu of content options for the learner to navigate in the order they choose, to present more or less advanced knowledge based on an assessment of learner readiness, and many more scenarios. Branching is a key aspect of interactivity, personalized learning and can make an asynchronous learning experience very effective.
Chunking
This is the process of dividing content into manageable sections aligned with particular objectives.
Image Source: http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/chunking-information/
Collaborative Design
Designers rarely operate within a vacuum. In addition to partnering with faculty, business leaders, and other stakeholders, the role of designer increasingly requires close collaboration with technologists, media and graphic professionals, prospective learners, writers, testers, and more.
Beyond leveraging each skill set for various aspects of the process, true collaborative design solicits the regular input and validation of all involved.
One model of collaborative design builds on ADDIE to accommodate contributions from a full range of stakeholders: the 5 D’s (Discovery, Design, Development, Delivery, and Debrief). Under the skilled leadership of an expert designer, this model fosters open and trusting partnerships within cross-functional design team of widely varying expertise.
Design Thinking
While design thinking has been prevalent in the fields of business and software development, the approach is getting a foothold in education. Design thinking prioritizes the experience and insights of the end-user in a process that moves iteratively through five actions: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.
- Whether it is referred to as analysis or discovery, the work always starts with attempting to understand and empathize with the needs of the learner and organization.
- Interpretation of, ideation around, and experimentation with the results of the analysis is the heart of the design and development process. This cycle involves iterative rounds of prototyping, reviews and user testing, and modifications.
- Evolution is ultimately the result of testing and evaluation; the purpose of measuring the efficacy of a learning experience is to make continuous improvements.
Formative/Summative Assessments
Submitted by Julie Riley 9/1/17
If you wait until the end of a learning experience to evaluate participants on what they’ve learned, that’s summative assessment. And it’s valuable. But it’s also valuable to include some low-stakes formative assessments along the way so that participants can know how well they’re learning and teachers can know how well they’re teaching and both groups can adjust accordingly.
Hybrid Learning
See “Blended Learning”
Informal Learning
Submitted by Julie Riley 9/1/17
Informal learning encompasses all the ways we learn outside of a formal learning experience. It’s usually unplanned and often impromptu.
Instructional Interactivity
In the world of digital learning design, interactivity refers to the relationship between the learner’s decisions and what happens on the screen at given points throughout the learning experience.
The most interactive learning experiences explicitly engage the learner in a process of decision making and feedback. The primary model for such instructional activity was developed by Michael Allen and is referred to as CCAF. In this sequence, a learner is provided with a Context in which to apply learning with an urgent Challenge and an Activity in which to respond to the challenge. Feedback is given to enforce the learning.
The level of interactivity selected for certain elements within a learning experience, or for the experience as a whole, should be determined by a careful needs analysis conducted by an experienced online learning designer. Higher interactivity is not necessarily better, as some learning objectives can be accomplished most effectively without interactivity, via a simple text page or video. A learning designer can help match each learning objective with a strategy to meet the goal in the most effective, efficient and engaging manner.
Image Sources: https://bonlinelearning.com.au/blog/are-we-there-yet-determining-elearning-development-time/; http://www.alleninteractions.com/elearning-instructional-design-ccaf
Kirkpatrick
When a designer says this, they are following the lead of many others in using Dr. Don Kirkpatrick‘s name as a noun. In the 1950’s, he developed what is now the primary model used for evaluating training and development programs in the modern workplace.
| Level | Value | Timing | Participation |
| 1 – Reaction
Did they like the experience? |
Learner’s reactions to: content, relevancy, format, methods etc. | Near the end of the experience | Representative sample of the learners |
| 2 – Learning
Did they learn what you wanted them to learn? |
Learner’s acquisition of knowledge and skills at the end of the learning experience. | Pre and/or post experience, most useful for experiences aiming to equip participants with a certain level of skill or knowledge | All learners |
| 3 – Behavior
Has their behavior or performance changed as a result of what they learned? |
Learner’s sustained behavior changes outside of the learning experience | Post-experience for each learner, only useful in conjunction with the data above | All learners and, when possible, their supervisors |
| 4 – Results
Did the experience achieve the desired results for the organization? |
Cost benefit analysis to the organization | Post-experience for all learners, only useful in conjunction with the data above | Supervisors |
Learning Management System (LMS)
Submitted by Erin Ryan Casey 7/29/17
A Learning Management System (LMS) is a hub of educational activity in a software platform. It presents and stores curriculum and all records of student progress and may be used may be used for online, hybrid, and face-to-face education and training environments.
Bonnie’s Note: There is a longstanding debate in academia about the merits of a learning management system. Does such a system focus on management over and above learning? In today’s open ed tech landscape, is a consolidated platform necessary for effective collaborative learning? While LMS providers like Blackboard and Canvas aren’t likely to disappear any time soon, thought leaders such as Clark Quinn and Tony Bates have been provoking important conversation about the current nature of learning.
Learning Styles
Learning styles are often raised as a question during a learner analysis. “Are you a visual, aural, or kinesthetic (experiential) learner?”, a designer might ask. The theory is that individuals have preferences for how they like to consume information, and a good learning experience will provide options for each “style”.
Levels of Evaluation
See “Kirkpatrick”
Modality
Formal learning experiences can take place in a variety of contexts, or modalities, each with its own affordances and challenges. The modality through which learning is delivered will depend upon the natures of the audience, content, objectives, and, often, the teacher or facilitator.
Multi-modal
See “Modality” and “Blended Learning”
Objectives
Objectives are clear, measurable, action-oriented statements of the intended learning or performance outcomes of your course. The value of well-written objectives lies in designing a learning experience that effectively aligns assessment and instructional strategies. 
Image Source: http://www.celt.iastate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/RevisedBloomsHandout-1.pdf
Platform
Submitted by Erin Ryan Casey 7/26/17
Selling platforms, learning platforms, software platforms, cloud-based platforms, mobile platforms, and of course, platform shoes. What is a platform? At its most basic, it is a place on which to build or produce.
SCORM/Tin-Can API
Submitted by Amy Burns 7/25/17
When I first became interested in instructional design, SCORM intimidated me. I knew it had something to do with technical specifications, but not much else. Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) refers to technical standards that allow online educational content to work with Learning Management Systems (LMS).
Self-Paced Learning
See “Asynchronous Learning”
Smile Sheets
Submitted by Julie Riley 9/1/17
Assessing the effect of learning on participants is key; too often this is limited to a quick post-experience survey. These “smile sheet” surveys are problematic Dr. Will Thalheimer presents a research-based approach to more effective “smile sheets” in his book, Performance-Focused Smile Sheets.
Synchronous Learning
If asynchronous learning experiences are those in which the learners are neither in the same time nor the same space, then synchronous experiences feature learners gathered together in one place at the same time. Synchronous learning experiences may take place in a physical, face-to-face classroom, or a virtual, online classroom such as a webinar platform.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Submitted by Amy Burns 7/19/17
This term can be confusing since many people think it relates only to making content accessible for those with disabilities or learning challenges. 