IU IST P540 | Designed to Inspire

The linked article, Discovering the Meaning of Community in an Online Master's Degree Program, examines an online learning community from the perspective of adult learners in an online master's degree program in instructional design and technology (sound familiar?) at California State University - Fullerton. The paper was prepared by several instructors in the program and summarizes a survey of students conducted by the university. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate online learning community development within the program.

The authors conclude that an online learning community creates "foundations for transformative learning." Further, they cite prior findings that, "strong feelings of community increase the flow of information among all learners, the availability of support, commitment to group goals, cooperation among members and satisfaction with group efforts". The authors report that the following program characteristics assist in online learning community development:

Online Collaboration and Knowledge Construction

The linked paper is authored by members of the Florida State University Instructional Systems Program and published in Educational Technology & Society. It is an excellent evaluation of the effectiveness of computers in an online learning environment to "function as cognitive tools . . . that extend student's capacity to learn and create knowledge." Their observation is that current course management systems largely fall short of this goal. They propose improved design to address (1) social structure (shared context) and (2) collaboration (knowledge construction) in an online learning environment.

Teaching and Learning: Media Accumulation and Review

The linked article (Web 2.0: A new wave of innovation for teaching and learning) by Bryan Alexander, Director of Research at the National Institute for Technology, was published in the March / April 2006 Educause Review. It is a comprehensive media accumulation and review of "Web 2.0" technologies for use in teaching and learning settings -- see also my prior media accumulation post regarding Feedback and Collaboration tools.

Knowledge Transfer: Boomer Brain Drain?

The linked article appeared in T + D Magazine and addresses the issue of transferring the knowledge and skills of one generation of workers to the next as the Baby Boomer generation nears retirement. The article highlights the demographic issues that are causing what the author views as a Baby Boom Brain Drain. By 2010, the number of 55 to 64 year olds (those retiring out of senior level positions) is expected to grow by 52 percent, while the number of 35 to 44 year olds (those moving into senior level positions) is expected to decline by 10 percent. Companies are reacting to this anticipated dramatic loss of experienced workers (and the corporate knowledge they posses) by finding ways to facilitate "intergenerational learning". Suggested practices to transfer the knowledge and expertise of senior employees to the next generation of workers include:

Utilizing retirees (or soon to be retirees) as trainers and coaches,
Embracing communities of practice and other informal networks to generate ideas, to accelerate communication and to solve problems,

Adult Learning Strategies

Jackie Dobrovolny presents a model for adult learning in Learning Strategies, an October 2003 article in Learning Circuits. Dobrovolny highlights how adult learners use 5 key learning strategies (outlined below) and how instructional design can support these key adult learning strategies.

Learning Strategies: