Learning Designs for Change
The focus of Insys Works is to provide our customers with high-quality designs and services. We offer custom course plans, blueprints, learning experiences, and learning objects. We possess nearly 20 years of collective Instructional Design experience on government, higher education, K-12, and industry projects. It has always been our aim to create highly engaging, attractive, and effective experiences for the end-user.
What follows is a little examination of our philosophy of learning design and learning experience.
Design Focus
People and human needs are complicated. We come to each new experience with our own histories and toolsets, for better and for worse. Regardless of the application or scenario, we need affirmation of the value for what we already possess in terms of skills, knowledge, and experience.
This is particularly so in any kind of education because education represents change-sometimes incremental and at other times, a complete overhaul. This can be frightening and perceived as devaluing by many. And people just cannot be made to learn and change. Superficial alterations in behavior and attitudes tend to result in flimsy, non-sustainable progress. And so, training and change may appear successful initially, but revert in the long run. We believe solid instruction aids learners in choosing and making core changes internally in the way they think, behave, and perceive.
What’s interesting is that by the time we even get to primary school we have struggled strenuously to learn and do some pretty difficult things that we begin to take for granted. We have learned to walk, climb, communicate, and incorporate the world around us into a stage for change, growth, and learning. We have done the hardest things first with very little equipment and a lot of falling down and getting back up. And one of the first words that we learn is “no.” With the growth of our abilities, comes the evolution of our individual and collective resistance to more change. This is not a bad thing at all. This is the tool a designer uses to define efficiency, quality, and sustainable outcomes.
We are facing a fascinating juncture in training and education. Many people are learning how to learn online. We cannot forget that we are modeling and teaching these lessons as we train and develop training. To this end we encourage:
- The careful crafting of case studies and that include a macro on-the-job scenario with smaller experiences that guide learners through piecing together solutions. This does employ some game theory.
- Providing a safe place to make mistakes and to learn from them in ways that enhance self-esteem and motivation through self-challenge. Again, game theory is quite useful.
- Providing expert guidance that reminds students where they are going and how far they have come is quite helpful.
- Learning objects and job aids that participants can carry with them to their world of work for the enhancement of transfer.
- The thoughtful use and placement of graphics and manipulatives keeping memory and cognitive load theory in mind.
- Follow-up to see if participants require assistance from a mentor or further training.
Our philosophy of design has evolved as we continuously answer the following questions so that “no” responses becomes “know” responses. If we are not educable, we cannot educate or design education. We need to work consistently to understand the needs of all learners to help them be successful in efficient, effective and sustainable ways. Consciousness of our own ignorance is our best technology; our most powerful tool.
Please click on each horizontal question tab below from left to right: