Lecture 9 - Webquest

Since the lecture covered the different parts of webquest, I will hereby try to talk about my group's webquest under this structure.

The goal of our webquest is to let students know about the importance of recycling and make them aware of good recycling habits.

The six parts to our Webquest:
1) Introduction
We will engage the learners though a role-playing story and provide some background information on recycling. This is to create interest in the topic to be learned.

2) Task
The main task that we expect learners to do would be an art project. Learners will collect recycable materials and create their own recycling bin.

3) Process
They will first play an online recycling game to obtain basic information on the classification of litter. Thereafter they will attempt an MCQ quiz. They will then proceed to collect the appropriate materials for the construction of the bin.

4) Evaluation
A rubric will be created to evaluation the laerners' artwork.

5) Conclusion
We will give a summary of the webquest here, and provide encouragement to the learners to make them continue their good recycling habits.

6) Teacher's Page
We will reinterate the learning objectives here and credit all our sources.

Lecture 8 - Instructional Strategies Leading to Problem-solving and Affective Learning

Problem solving skill refers to the ability to use previous knowledge in a unique way to solve unfamiliar problems.

There are many types of problems, and problems are classified according to the following characteristics:
1) Degree of structure (Well-defined or ill-defined)
2) Level of complexity
3) Degree of abstractness (General or specific)

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Key instructional conditions for attitude learning
1) Demonstration of desired behavior by a role model
2) Allow practice of desired behavior
3) Provide reinforcement for the desired behavior

Motivation and attitude are part of affective learning, and I definitely think that affective learning is the most important aspect of any effective learning. The reason for the existence of a role model is to provide that motivation for the learner to emulate the desired characteristics of the role model. When the motivation is strong enough, learners will naturally and actively engage in the practising of these behavioral traits.

In addition, learners should be able to learn the satisfaction that arises from the emulation of these desired behavior. The pure admiration of the role model may not form a strong-enough motivation. Rewarding the exhibition of good behavior seems like a straightforward way to make learners practise it, but it is too behavioristic. If the learners themselves are able to cognitively process the benefits of the desired behavior, they will learn the satisfaction of carrying them out and ultimately acquire the desired attitude.

Lecture 7 - Instructional Strategies for Procedures and Principles Learning

Procedure is a sequence of operations and requires intellectual skill for its execution. It is the knowing of how to do something, and not the knowing of what something is.

Instructional Elements for Procedure Learning
1) Learners must know when to use procedure and the steps to perform
2) Learners must see a demonstration or example of the execution of the procedure
3) Learners must practise the procedure themselves for application of knowledge and feedback

It is said that the two toughest instructional events for teaching procedures are practice and feedback. I am not sure if these two are the toughest, but they are definitely the crux of effective learning. During the learning process where learners are taught what the procedure is about, it is just a one-way transfer of information. We are not sure if learners have really digested the information. In the practice of these procedures, we can definitely tell whether the learners understood the execution. Feedback supports this process by ensuring a two-way interaction between learners and instructors.

Perhaps the biggest difficulty lies in the overseeing of the practice/attempt of every student, and ensuring that these students receive appropriate and personal feedback. Since the intructor cannot possible observe the entire practice process of his/her students, it should suffice to just judge the end product (result of procedure operation) and provide feedback on what possible went wrong during the process. Internet, as an e-learning medium, aids this process because it allows a more dynamic and convenient way of communicating. There is also easy and accessible reference to model answers on the part of the learners.

Principles are relational rules among concepts.

Instructional Elements for Principle Learning
1) Learners must know statement of principle and when principle applies
2) Learners must know the factors (variables, relations, context) that constitute an appropriate situation in which the principle can be applied
3) Learners will see illustrations and explanations which demonstrate the application of principle
4) Learners then practice and obtain feedback

Lecture 6 - Instructional Strategies for Fact and Concept Learning

The two main concepts from this lecture are 1) declarative learning and 2) concept learning. These two concepts are crucial in the development of appropriate learning design. The kind of information will dictate the type of learning approach, i.e., facts are part of declarative learning, concepts require intellectual skills and are part of concept learning.

There are three ways to learn declarative knowledge:
1) Organising (Chunking)
This is the grouping of large set of elements into smaller subsets of elements. By drawing on the relationship between similar elements, learners will be able to memorise these elements better.
2) Linking
This is the use of mnemonics to serve as memory aids.
3) Elaboration
By attaching more meaning to the object, the more successful one is able to recall it. In this case, we need to attach higher levels of meanings, such as using imageries in our minds.

In my opinion, I would say that the most useful way to learn facts is through elaboration. Linking and the use of mnemonics make the learners more dependent on tools, rather than on learners' cognitive abilities. For the recalling of simpler facts, the use of mnemonics should suffice. However, for facts that are more complex, I think that recalling is most successful when the learner is able to attach meanings to the object that needs to be remembered. This is because the cognitive process of attaching meaning makes the learner more involved in the memorizing of the word.

For concept learning, the way of instruction is:
1) Name the concept
2) Define the concept
3) Provide an example of concept (Give varied examples)
4) Provide non-examples
5) State distinct attributes of concept
6) Practice (Make learners apply the concept)
7) Provide feedback for their practice (Correct/Reinforce concept)

I think this proposed way of instruction is very efficient for concept learning (:
Both behaviorism and cognitivism mutually support each other in this process.
The first five steps engage the learners' cognition to learn and reflect on the concept. Non-examples clarify what the concept consists or does not consist. The stating of attributes requires the learners to attach distinct meanings to the concept and as a result, make the concept more memorable. At the end, the learners apply their knowledge of the concept in a practice (i.e., MCQ quiz) and the instructors will provide feedback to their answers. In this process, behaviorism is being applied, as the wrong answers are corrected and the right answers are reinforced.

Lecture 5 - Domains of Learning / Writing Learning Objectives

The writing of learning goals/objectives is a key step in the planning of e-learning process. It is a clear indicator as to whether the learning instruction is successful or a failure. By establishing clear goals and objectives, the learners will know what is expected of them and thereafter, learn accordingly.

The three domains of learning (that guides the writing of learning objectives) are cognitive, affective and psychomotor. I think that affective learning outcomes are most important towards achieving effective learning. Without the motivation and interest in the topic, there will not be productive results in the cognitive and psychomotor domains of learning. By engaging the emotions of learners, they will be motivated to carry out productive tasks and reflections essential in effective learning.

However, I also believe that the type of objective to be formulated should be dependent on the subject of learning. If the subject of learning is related to nationalism, the learning objectives should be skewed towards the affective domain. If the subject of learning is related to repairing a bicycle, learning objectives should be obtained from the psychomotor domain.

In using the cognitive domain as a guide to formulating objectives, we must know the 7 different levels of cognitive outcomes. The lowest level to highest level of cognitive outcomes are as follow: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. We will write objectives in accordance to these levels of cognition, but we must take note not to create too many learning objectives from the one same level.

Lecture 4 - Needs Assessment

Needs assessment is essential to recognise existing learning problems and is an important step under e-learning design. There are three kinds of situations when need assessment is needed: 1) There is a problem with existing instruction; 2) There is something new that learners will need to learn; 3) There is no problem but an evaluation of existing instruction is desired.

The 3 Faces of Needs Assessment

I think that needs assessment is very useful in the analysis stage of learning design. Before the development of any solution, it is definitely important to first identify the problem. The 3 faces of need assessment model is comprehensive in covering the possible situations in which an analysis is required.

If there is a problem in existing instruction, we apply the discrepancy model to track the gap between goals and actual performance. Thereafter, we come up with new objectives to develop new instruction that will compensate for what was lacking in the previous instruction.

If there is a new subject that requires learning, the innovation model will guide the process towards developing a new form of instruction. However in the innovation model, learning goals and objectives are relatively new and untested in comparison to those created in the discrepancy model. Hence, these new goals and objectives created from the innovation model should be subjected to futher evaluation under the discrepancy model.

On the whole, the needs assessment model is a simplistic and straightforward way to identify the immediate problem. However just like any other theoretical models, it may not be sufficient to cover all complexies in real life.

Tutorial 2 - Learning Design

This is the learning design that my groupmates and I came up with, with the aid of gliffy!
We have a series of tasks that learners will have to perform - so as to learn about recycling and thereafter, readapt an efficient model of recycling into a specific country.

Have a look!

Lecture 3 - Learning Design

In this learning design lecture, I learned how to create a sequence of learners' tasks, employ resources and provide support in a learning environment, all of which will allow learning to take place. In a learning design, the three important shapes (square, triangle and circle) each represent tasks, resources and support respectively.

For tasks, there are different classifications of tasks designed to aid learning. Assimilative tasks include reading and viewing that allows learners to acquire information. Productive tasks are tasks that require learners to produce something original, such as writing and composing.
Resources are materials that can be referred to for more information regarding the topic of learning. Content resources include materials such as books and articles. Support refers to an electronic platform that will facilitate exchanges and feedback between the instructors and the students, and even between students themselves.

I think that an effective learning design should consist of a systematic procedure of tasks that will allow learners to achieve the final learning objective. The tasks should always start with the obtaining of knowledge so as to establish a learning basis. Subsequently, learners will be able to process this knowledge and produce something original. Throughout the entire process, resources must be relevant to the course studies and add value to the learner's knowledge. Support will be readily available to everyone who needs help and feedback.

In the learning design that my groupmates and I created, the overall learning objective is for learners to adapt and implement an efficient method of recycling into a country where recycling is not prevalent.



The first task is an online game which learners will play, so that they can learn the appropriate classification of litter. This task is an experiential task that supports memorising of correct classification. This game also employs behaviorism as a learning theory, because the learners will be told which options are correct or wrong throughout the game.

The next task would be a productive task that will require learners to write a term paper based on the readings (resources) that they are provided with. This task will engage the learners' cognitive abilities and allow them to obtain more relevant information regarding recycling. A forum (support) will also be created to allow discussions.

The last task is an adaptive task that will engage the learners' cognitive abilities - so as to come up with a readapated model of recycling that can be implemented in another country. Resources provided will be case studies that will teach learners the model of recycling in specific contexts. Support will still include forums, but chatrooms will also be introduced to provide real-time feedback and discussions.

Assignment 2 - The Three Learning Theories

Behaviorism works on the principle of stimulus-response theory, whereby rewards and punishment act as the stimuli, and the triggering of certain behavior to be a form of response. In behaviorism, learners are considered to be passive and lacking in free will. The assumption lies in that humans are selfish and instrumental, causing their behavior to be conditioned and shaped by external factors. Learners respond in the best way so as to receive maxium benefits and minimum punishment from the environment. In behaviorism, the learner undergoes a form of experience that tells him or her what works best, but this experience ignores the learner's thought processes and is thus a passive process.

Even though scholars in recent decades have stopped focusing on behaviorism as a plausible theory, I feel that it is definitely applicable in any era because it is in innate human nature to do what brings us the most rewards and least harm. In 21st century, behaviorism has been undermined and downplayed because it is not aligned with the goal of introducing 21st Century skills that requires active thinking (such as innovation) on the part of the learners. However, I feel that behaviorism cannot be completely wiped off from the surface of the Earth. It will always be a part of human's survival instinct.

In its application, I think the most suitable ones would be in rule-using problems and algorithmic problems (as shown in the voting results too). These problems can be related to our solving of mathematical sums (algebra etc) which requires calculation and knowledge of formula. If one do not apply the correct formula, one will not be able to solve a problem. Learning is straightforward and simplistic.

In addition, I think that behaviorism will work best in an educational context where the learners do not have the mental capacity to discern right from wrong. Physical stimulus is thus a direct method of educating these learners through behavior conditioning (i.e., children and the mentally handicapped, and may I say, even animals trained by animal-trainers).

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If behaviorism is based upon stimulus-response theory, then cognitivism examines the thought processes that go on in our minds before exhibiting certain types of behavior. Cognitivism deals with the learner's mental perception, and studies how this mental perception influences the learner's actions. The assumption made here is that learners are naturally inquisitive and actively seek to construct meaning from their experiences and instructions received from different sources. In this approach, the best way of learning is to allow the learner to explore freely and employ his maximum mental capabilities.

In application, I think that cognitivism is definitely useful in the areas of trouble-shooting, diagnosis-solution, and puzzle problem. In these three areas, the learner is required to actively seek out a solution by thinking and building on past knowledge and experiences. Of course, these past experiences might be resultant products from trial-and-error (subtlely linked to behaviorism), but there is without doubt that mental cognition is taking place in the brain in deciding which solution would work best. In these problems, the answer is less straightforward, and there may be many potential solutions. The cognitivism approach is definitely relevant in unreveling a most suitable solution amongst many complex ones.

I feel that cognitivism will achieve optimal results for learners who are self-directed and driven. Such learners will actively hunt for more knowledge in order to construct more meaning to life in addition to their past experiences. To some extent, it might also be necessary for the learners to be intellectual enough to think about and consider issues. If the learner is unable to build on previously accumulated knowledge or experiences, then he or she will only be able to stick to a more simplistic way of learning (i.e. behaviorism). Cognitivisim is no doubt a relevant concept in the 21st century, because the challenges facing the world right now need creative solutions that are well thought out. Think tank is an example of an organisation that will require a cognitive approach to most of its discussions and researches.

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Socioculturalism takes the unit of analysis beyond the individual learner (as compared to behaviorism and cognitivism) and focus on an entire system of things that may interact with the learner. The emphasis here in on the external environment and how the learner interacts with the environment using tools. These tools are used to supplement mental capabilities and allow various learners to work across a system in order to develop collective knowledge. From there, this form of cooperation will help constitute a learning experience that will contribute to the learner's own view of the world.

In the 21st century, I think socioculturalism is the most relevant approach out of the three theories. The world is becoming smaller in the sense that technology advances have removed many physical barriers between communication among people. The tendency is that individuals will be increasingly placed in intercultural settings where interpersonal/collaboration skills will come in handy. Thus, the emphasis is on the entire system of communication processes.

Advances in technology also give birth to better tools and devices that will increase the effectiveness of learning that takes place through a socioculturalism approach. Rather than just focusing on mental representation (cognitivism) or physical regulation (behaviorism), socioculturalism takes a flexible approach to all of these in a social context.

Socioculturalism is most effective is solving issue-based problems, because an issue usually involves different external and internal factors affecting it. A socioculturalism approach will ensure broad coverage and also make sure that none of these factors are left out. An issue also usually impacts more people in a larger context, and thus, may require the participation of more than one entity in the learning process or discussion. This means that collaborative learning under socioculturalism will inevitably take place.

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Lecture 2 Reflections

Since the three learning theories will be discussed in the assignment, I will not mention these in this entry, but share a short and informal summary of my learning experience in Lecture 2.

When I was reading the three transcriptions (by Dr Wortham) the day before the lecture, I thought that the sentences did not make much sense at all. I had a hard time trying to decipher the seemingly "bad" English in the readings. However, it turned out that Prof Low played the videos of Dr Wortham's discussions during the lecture! I know I can't say this without sounding fake, but I really enjoyed learning the theories through watching the videos. Dr Wortham's words from the transcriptions started making sense to me and I was really thrilled (LOL).

I really appreciate the style of teaching here: First by showing the students a video (which probably contain similar attributes of watching a movie), then with Prof Low summing up the characteristics of each theory in powerpoint. For me, I like to first grasp the gist of things before plunging into the deeper end of the pool. I think the use of various media (videos, sound, animation etc) to deliver educational content also adds value to the lectures. All in all, I enjoyed the lecture. Like many others, I was rather overwhelmed during the first lecture because of the necessity for the students to provide their output immediately after learning. But the second lecture was great for me.

The other highlight of the day was the handing out of twisties (LOL). I was shocked (and also touched) that there are lecturers who do such welfare-related things for their students. So thank you, Prof Low (:

Lecture 1 Reflections

The first lecture opened with a brief introduction of e-learning, with its various definitions and perspectives. Being part of the IT-savvy generation, it was not difficult for me to identify with e-learning and its attributed characteristics.

In the last 12 years of education, all of us have been exposed to varying degrees of e-learning: from basic educational computer software, to completing and submitting coursework through a learning portal, and subsequently, to a more interactive learning environment - where we can access files and communicate easily with our teachers and peers, i.e. Second Life, IVLE, forums. E-learning, whether as an educational technique OR as a method of delivering education, is ever-evolving alongside the technology of its medium.

I personally enjoy the benefits of e-learning. In an online context, the lack of physical distractions allows me to concentrate better, and I find it easier to piece my thoughts together and type out a coherent argument. People feel that real-time conversations in an online chat room are messy and misdirected, but these chat logs and records can be re-read to review spoken content. Alternatively, a system can be implemented that will limit the number of people typing at the same time.

In my opinion, the first and most basic level of learning can be done through e-learning; such as providing a brief overview or one-way delivery of content (lecture), and also allowing simpler/casual exchanges of opinions and comments. I feel that online discussions tend to be more engaging and interactive. The next level of learning that involves clarification of doubts and more complex cognitive exchanges may have to be done face-to-face with tutors or peers. As mentioned in the readings, low contact with instructors can cause a sense of isolation or lead to poor learning due to a lack of self-directed study skills. Therefore, I believe that a good mixture of physical presence and online interaction can facilitate better learning.

NM3204 is a module aimed towards equipping the students with the necessary skills to design for effective online learning. As found in most design work, I believe that designing for effectiveness lies not in obsessing over the medium (Internet/Computer Programming), but rather, places emphasis on the interface that is directly interacting with the user.

We know that human communication is the most important factor affecting the effectiveness of learning. In addition to inculcating that sense of personal touch into these digital interfaces, it is also essential for designers to study the learning behaviors and trends of potential users. These knowledge will allow e-learning designers to create the most appropriate online environment that is well-tailored to the needs of its users. These learning environments may not necessarily have to be complex systems.

This is what I hope to learn from NM3204 from now on (: