Learning is an experience.
Think of the single most powerful learning experience you’ve had. Maybe it was a high school class. Maybe it was an on-the-job training course. Maybe you even had a profound moment of enlightenment while playing with your child!
Do you remember the
textbook
or your
instructor?
grades
or your
classmates?
stress
or the
fun?
Most of us can probably relate more to the items in the right column. We crave memorable experiences, especially when learning. For this reason, the context in which we learn is perhaps more important in retaining knowledge than the content itself. As an instructional designer, my job is to create a context that will breed learning.
First and foremost,
I am a constructivist. That is, I believe we learn best when we construct our own understanding of the world around us. My role in this type of learning is to create an experience that allows a learner to explore content and practice skills. I am not an “instructor” in the traditional sense; rather, I am a “facilitator,” providing resources, coaching, and discourse to guide discovery. Boring lectures, flash cards, and pop quizzes rarely have a place in my instruction.
How do I create achieve this experience?
I employ a strategy called
Problem-Based Learning (PBL). In PBL, “learning takes place within the contexts of authentic tasks, issues, and problems that are aligned with real-world concerns.” An authentic task is an action that a learner will need to perform successfully in the real-world.
In other words, I give learners a real-world problem they are likely to encounter, and ask them to construct a solution given coaching, resources, and guidance. In PBL, a learner can (and should!) fail, because there are no real-world consequences for failure in simulated scenario. We all know that failure can often lead to some of the most powerful learning experiences.
So what does a PBL course look like?
Consider the needs of a PBL course we’ve discussed so far:
- A controllable context
- An immersive, real-world problem
- A stress-free environment
- Self-paced, exploratory resources
- A memorable experience
Conveniently, the most appropriate instructional method is also the most fun: Video games! In the instructional design world, we call them
serious games and simulations, because the objective is education over entertainment. Games allow us to create a world meant for exploration.
We can easily build resources and guidance into the game, while still allowing learners to accomplish authentic tasks at their own pace. And best of all, if a learner fails, they aren’t reprimanded in the real-world! Most importantly, well-designed serious games can create profound memories. All of these ingredients increase the likelihood of a learning experience, which is the ultimate goal!
Of course, serious games and PBL aren’t appropriate for all instructional challenges. As a dynamic instructional designer, PBL is but one tool in my box of strategies and methods. Take a look at my portfolio to see examples of PBL and my other strategies, and I’d love to hear your comments!
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