- Mar 2024
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edtechbooks.org edtechbooks.org
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Designers of learning environments often approach development from a learning theory perspective to engender self-directed learning, motivation, and other learning outcomes. However, socio-cultural approaches suggest that designers of these environments should not only consider theories that circumscribe our understanding of learning, but also the broader contexts in which learning occurs (Jonassen et al., 1994). Activity theory explicates how learners might operate and navigate activity during a social learning process, thus aligning with theories rooted in Vygotskian social constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978) such as distributed cognition or situated learning theory.
This passage underscores the importance of considering learning theories and the broader socio-cultural context when designing learning environments. While learning theories provide valuable insights into fostering learning outcomes such as self-direction and motivation, socio-cultural perspectives, including activity theory, emphasize the need to account for the larger context in which learning occurs. By aligning with social constructivism and related theories, activity theory offers a framework for understanding how learners navigate and operate within social learning processes. This suggests that effective learning environment design requires a multifaceted approach that draws on learning theories and socio-cultural considerations to create experiences grounded in theory and relevant to their context.
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We argue that personas and scenarios are a useful tool for situating learning designs within the lived experiences of individual learners. Traditionally, learner analysis and context analysis are recognized as critical aspects of instructional design. Articulating learner and contextual characteristics and deriving learner needs is most often performed within the context of front-end analysis. However, approaches to learner and contextual analysis can be quite general.
The authors make a compelling case for using personas and scenarios in learning design. While learner and context analysis seem to be standard components of the instructional design process, the authors argue that traditional approaches to these analyses can be overly broad and fail to capture the nuances of individual learners' experiences. Personas and scenarios can situate learning designs within those specific contexts and lived experiences. Designers can better understand their needs, challenges, and perspectives by creating realistic representations of target learners, leading to more learner-centered and contextually relevant designs.
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Activity theory argues that activity and consciousness are dynamically and inextricably interrelated. The theory considers the broader context and culture from which learning emerges, and thus has important implications for describing how learners think and reason within the world around them, how they engage in meaning-making, and how they develop understanding within their social context.
This passage highlights the core tenet of activity theory—learning and consciousness are profoundly interconnected and situated within a broader socio-cultural context. By considering the larger context and culture in which learning occurs, activity theory provides a framework for understanding how learners construct meaning and develop understanding through their interactions with the world and others around them. This holistic perspective on learning is a strength of activity theory and seems to set it apart from other learning theories that may focus more narrowly on individual cognitive processes.
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edtechbooks.org edtechbooks.org
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Designers ultimately created simple digital interactions and/or have a brief section of the OER that helped to improve digital literacy skills.
This sentence shows how the use of personas influenced the designers to create learning materials that were appropriate and beneficial for the target users. The designers could incorporate elements that addressed those specific needs by empathizing with the personas and understanding their challenges, such as low digital literacy skills. This demonstrates the practical impact of using personas in the design process—it leads to the creation of learning resources tailored to the learners' actual needs and abilities.
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Personas can often fall flat by failing to engage designers on an emotional level (Hanna & Ashby, 2016). When the story around a persona provides narrative tension and an element of surprise, designers find it easier to talk about users, remember users, and get a shared view of users (Blomquist & Arvola, 2002; Hanna & Ashby, 2016). Gotschall (2012) explains the desire for a personal story as humans evolved to crave a story and the human mind is addicted to meaning.
Ah, the importance of creating engaging and emotionally resonant personas for designers. It is cool that the authors suggest we use techniques like narrative tension and surprising elements to become more memorable for understanding and empathizing with the users. It is also interesting how the authors connect this to the fundamental human desire for stories and meaning-making. This suggests that well-crafted personas tap into this innate craving, making them powerful instruments in the design process.
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