Advanced ID – Week Two

I really liked the readings for this week. Well… to be honest, I really liked Impact of Technology and Theory On ID since 2000 by Warren, et. al. (2014). I had not been exposed to the Four Ages of Learning Technology (Winn, 2002). I found myself comparing my own instructional design activities to those described in the discussion of each age. If I’m honest, my instructional design activities are still in the “Message Design” era. Possibly because that is what my customer (U.S. Military) expects and also because focusing on the elements of message design is easier and less expensive than focusing on the ways in which people learn. It is ironic since I work for a company that produces simulators for military aviation!

The curious thing is that, despite the nature of our technological product (simulation), we really aren’t that advanced in considering how individuals learn and how best to take advantage of simulation as a media that can reproduce relevant problems in a realistic, complex environment. This dualistic approach is something I need to consider more fully.

I’m excited about the possibility of using our excellent technology in support of more complex learning designs. I think the article by Warren and Wakefield (2011) displayed some of the complexities in designing for complex technological environments. I found myself empathizing with some of the limitations that were present in both studies presented. I was reminded that communities of practice rarely endure if they are imposed and that learning technologies like Multi User Virtual Environment (MUVEs) require a lot of planning and design decisions in order to ensure successful implementation and execution. I found it interesting that the choice of a MUVE was selected previous to a selection of the audience. It would seem that the learning environment was more important than the learner’s experience, though the design decisions were clearly based on social-constructivist methodologies.

Ultimately, I think I’m finding that, as we continue to cross into the Age of Learning Environments, methods of instructional design will need to focus much more on learning science and sound design practice. There is a real tendency to focus on technology for the sake of technology because it is convenient, available and interesting. However, that will only allow for superficial learner motivation. Without more advanced instructional design models and practices to ensure the learners interact in meaningful ways with the technology, we will still encounter the same old problems of student attention, motivation, and, perhaps more significantly, low ROI in terms of learning outcomes per the cost of the technology.