A4LeonGibson

A4LeonGibson

To-Do

1. selection process: choose one of the design methodologies (not yet taken by another group) from the list (and mark it as chosen by editing the wiki page with the list of options — “first come / first served”)
2. do research (read papers, interview software designers, analyze existing systems—hint: the abovementioned wiki site contains references to resources) and answer the following specific questions for your chosen design methodology:

Define your chosen design methodology.

Learner-centered design (LCD) focuses on designing tools that support learners trying to learn and actively engage in domains in which they are novices. Learner-centered design develops multiple representations of complex or unknown domains so that the learner can quickly grasp and adapt so they learn by doing.

Characterize your chosen design methodology.

Learner centered design is design with learners in mind.  This design method is focussed on learners, so it is often highly involved with "HCI, Pedagogy, collaboration, and the psychology of motivation2. The “Learners” come from a lot of different backgrounds, so the design has to reflect that diversity and be adaptable. Learners might have strong motivation or no motivation at all, so a program made for learners needs to motivate them.  Tools need to change as a learners knowledge increases. LCD draws from a variety of methods including3:

•“backwards design” where system interaction is determined only after the learning goals and assessment metrics have been clearly identified;  •principle-driven design where designers consult (and contribute to) LCD-specific strategies formalized as principles or design patterns;  •co-design, a highly-facilitated, team-based process in which teachers, researchers, and developers work together in defined roles. 

The principles and goals of Learner-Centered Design are primarily geared for grades K-16. In general, learner-centered design is "an evolving design approach addressing the needs of learners-a specific audience trying to work in and understand a work practice in which they are novices."2 So, the systematic learning method will help the novice to learn the specific work skills intuitively.

What are the strengths of your selected methodology?

The strengths deal with the "scaffolding" technique that the learners experience while they learn a domain through multiple representations. The computer based approach is geared towards the scaffolding method, allowing for multiple representations and techniques to be developed rapidly. The design isn't held to just the classroom as it lends itself to brick and mortar domains where the ones with knowledge can use techniques like active participation and modular classroom design to maximize their learner-centered techniques.

What are the weaknesses of your selected methodology?

The weaknesses of this of design approach is felt on the designer's side. The designer has to go the extra mile to make a program that can adapt to differences in gender, learning styles, etc., and one that motivates the learner, which is challenging. If learner centered design can focuss each individual, that will be really nice, but the time and money invested will be huge. So, the design will most likely focus on majority of learning styles for a domain while ignoring the needs of minority members of a domain group.

For what domains or problems is your selected design methodology appropriate?

An appropriate way to use Learner-center design would be any time a student struggles with learning in the traditional sense, and needs either a group of students or instructors that can relate to this student's best learning method. For example: if a student didn't know where the capital of Colorado was there would be many options that the group members might suggest due to their own experiences. One person might say, “Its 26 miles out of Boulder,” another person might bring out a map book and show the person how to read it, while another might drive the student to Denver and hope the student remembers all the turns. If each of these members contributes to this particular student's problem, than the chance for learning where Denver is will be heightened greatly. I think that this approach is appropriate in almost any learning situation, and by doing this we can then find out how people are more effectively taught.

For what domains or problems is your selected design methodology inappropriate?

A time when Learner-center design may not be as appropriate, could be when students are fully capable of learning all the information that is given to them without having a teacher mold the subject around so many different student's learning habits. If a teacher were to use say, puppets for visual learning style people, some may think that this method would be unfit for an older audience. This can be avoided though, by knowing various teaching techniques. Also there are situations where learner-centered design just won't work well. In a classroom setting where optimally you would like learners with a developed skill of concentration and a modular classroom design where focus can be placed on a central location to aid in the designers teaching, the opposite would be very difficult. Of course learner-centered design can be used for kindergarten or special needs individuals, but if your learners are a part of a domain that should be able to concentrate on a level of learning, but can't ...there will be a disconnect in their retention. The same can be said on traditional classrooms that do not promote creative or interactive learning. Without the tools of a modular, or interactive, classroom those learners will be at a disadvantage.

Why is design methodology important (suited) or not important (suited) for human-centered computing?

Learner-centered design is one of the best examples of user-centered design. It allows for learning environments that help learners acquire multiple representations of the domain area3. It also teaches learners the skill at switching between one representation and another of their domain to another, leading to coordination of those representations. Lastly, it helps “learners acquire meta-knowledge about these representations, including the meta-knowledge of when to use each representation and when to stop using it and instead switch to another.”3 The Design allows for both learning in a physical classroom as well as on a computer, because of the inherent advantages computers bring to the table. The representation of information that is possible is much more vase and the learner can easily disseminate through the presentation of the domain that he/she is to learn. There are very few weaknesses to this design in a computer based technology that don't already exist in classrooms and instruction today. One must definitely consider Learner-centered design as a well suited strategy in the user-centered domain.

Design Principles for Learner-Centered Schools: Building Effective Strategies for Addressing

the Achievement Gap (http://www.education.umd.edu/EDPL/papers/mawhinney.pdf) 2 Learner-Centered Design: Developing Software that Scaffolds Learning (http://www.computer.org/plugins/dl/pdf/proceedings/icalt/2001/1013/00/10130499.pdf?template=1&loginState=1&userData=anonymous-IP%253A%253AAddress%253A%2B174.29.22.8%252C%2B%255B172.16.161.5%252C%2B174.29.22.8%252C%2B127.0.0.1%255D) 3 Technology as Media: A Learner Centered Perspective (http://faculty.ed.uiuc.edu/j-levin/levin-bruce.html )