EDU 656- Journal 3

    There are several concepts that were discussed in this weeks readings.  In Chapters seven, eight and nine there were several concepts that were addressed. Important concepts that were retained from this weeks reading include the following:

1) The redundancy principle is important, but not TOO important.   Repetition and redundancy are important for retention and learning in a traditional or online setting.  Including text narration, words on screen and graphics create a learning environment that activates several areas of the brain, and therefore stimulates learning from several different modalities (Clark & Mayer, 2011).   However, as instructional designers, it is important to find an equitable balance between redundancy and extraneous information, leading to a cognitive overload.  Animation and text or animation and audio can be paired together, but when all three are combined retention decreases.  

    This is important for JIT training for many reasons.  It is important to provide information that learners will respond to and activate their interest and creativity.  In my current position, as previously noted, I have been assigned to devise a training manual for new hires on site.  We are expanding our practice and there will be an influx of new employees so this is a vital task.  While the training will include video training opportunities and descriptions of information and details, steps will be bulleted with specific criteria and videos will be divided based on need and complexity.  This separation will define areas that require attention and avoid attention on things that are irrelevant.

2) Coherence and understanding is important, so only include information that learners need to take away from the presentation.  Designing an e-learning presentation has several obstacles and opportunities for creative expression.  As a designer there are many opportunities to showcase the information that you have acquired and include elements that are funny and show incredible design skills.  However, it is important to only convey and include concepts that are meaningful to the desired outcome of the presentation.  For JIT training techniques this is incredibly important.  JIT training is geared towards learners that have a reason to learn a specific skillset.  It is important to focus only on that material so that learners can maximize retention and learning.  Also, many learners that rely on JIT training are adult learners that are limited on time.  Instructional designers can optimize time and the learning experience by only including material that is directly relevant to the instructional goals of the lesson.

    In my current position, there is a great amount of information to be learned, in a relatively short period of time.  However, by including segmented material by subject, learners will retain a lot more information at one time and progress through the material with ease.

3) The Personalization Principle helps connect learners to the material.  This is one of most important elements of instructional design.  Academic scholars that transition to instructors often fill their lessons with field specific jargon and formalities.  Lessons and instruction should be personal, interactive and reflect a conversation more than an academic publication ( Clark & Mayer, 2011).  This helps learners connect concepts to prior learning and transfer knowledge to new situations.  Humans, by nature are social learners and collaborate and learn from interaction.  In JIT training this is important because in most business situations, interaction and collaboration is vital.  The designer or instructor should find a personal level to connect with learners so that they feel as though they are learning from a friend instead of an expert.  Psychologically, information is better received when the pressure of the circumstance is removed.  Creating a personal tone can provide substantial results in learning and retention.  

    My current position is interactive and creative, but the employees that I train do not often have that flexibility.  However, several of the women that work here have been here for decades, and myself only a few years.  We are in a small office and everyone knows everyone personally, so I treaded lightly when initiating my training programs.  By using a personal approach, and interacting with learners on a personal level I was embraced with grace and interest.  

References

Clark, R. C. & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-Learning and the science of instruction (3rd ed). San

Francisco. Pfeiffer

EDU 656 Journal 2

    Extraneous processing is a concept that describes extra, redundant information in a multimedia presentation.  When the cognitive processing center of the brain has to focus on too many words, too many graphics or sound or any other stimulation, cognitive memory is “wasted” and often leads to misunderstanding of material.  According to Clark and Mayer, evident suggest that the ability to transfer material to new concepts increases monumentally with the omission of extra processing information (2011).   This is particularly important for JIT Training methods because often the material being presented is time sensitive and the lesson has been derived from an immediate need for instruction. The Department of Education in Texas designs competency requirements for this reason, aligning specifc target goals based on similar identifying factors.

There are several principles that can be applied to help reduce the instances where extraneous processing occurs.  The text defines several principles that help to enhance the creation and productivity of online instructional design. The principles that help eliminate the instance of extraneous processing are as follows:

1) The Redundancy Principle: This principle claims that it is important to repeat information to acquire new information.  The human brain internalizes information that has been seen, heard or evaluated multiple times (Clark & Mayer, 2011).  However, it is important to ensure that principles are addressed repetitively, but in exclusion from other principles.  As long as the information is relevant to the task at hand, it can be properly channeled and acquired through the human mind.

2) The Coherence Principle states the obvious fact that instructional designers should only include information that is directly relevant to the learning objective ( Clark & Mayer, 2011).  For example, if I were to design a training manual for the methods of scheduling a new patient appointment, including information on how to schedule a follow up appointment would be irrelevant.  Only including information directly related to the objective will increase retention and overall learning.

3)  The Contiguity Principle claims that words and graphics should be closely aligned on the same page, or close to each other (Clark & Mayer, 2011).  If a heading is on one page, and the photo on another, extraneous processing takes place attempting to link these items together.  To avoid that processing, simply aligning media and words together will help increase coherence and understanding, leaving little room for distraction or confusion.

    Overall, the current course has been cohesive and easy to follow.  However, the Instructor guidance page is filled with a lot of information.  In previous courses, the information would have been broken down with several articles to read, supplemented by screencast information from the instructor on what was expected.  The amount of words and visuals including video combined make it difficult to navigate through all of the material.  In order to conceptualize and understand the material presented I simply break it down based on assignments, to avoid extraneous processing and misunderstanding.

References

Clark, R. C. & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-Learning and the science of instruction (3rd ed). San Francisco. Pfeiffer

Multimedia Chart

Graphic Type	Description	Context	Example
Decorative	These graphics are used strictly to add visual appeal to the presentation.  They hold little value and only serve to grab the learners attention and appeal.	These graphics should be used minimally or not at all.  If included they should be in the introductory part of the lesson, on the cover page of a power point or in a pamphlet to give a “sneak peak” into the lesson contents.	This image could provide an idea of the contents of a lesson on healthy eating.  However, from an instructional perspective it provides little or no instructional value. (www.izoom.net)
Representational	These graphics illustrate what something looks like, or how they appear.  It represents a concept or idea and often have captions or details about what is in the photo.	Like decorative graphics, representational graphics should be used sparingly.  They provide little instructional value but often appeal to visual enticement of a lesson.  They can be used to provide visual appeal and introduce a concept.	This image shows what a body will look like with the intake of healthy foods. It represents the importance of healthy eating, but again provides little meaning and instructional guidance on why healthy eating should be a lifesytle. (www.baerfit.com)
Organizational	An organizational graphic is one that shows relationships among one or more criteria.  This type of graphic shows qualitative data.	Organizational graphics help to visualize and make connections between two events or ideas.  These should be used to reiterate concepts that were verbally introduced or to compound prior knowledge.	This graphic shows the relationship of the food groups as they relate to daily intake. (www.methodsofhealing.com)
Relational	Relational graphics show the relationship between data based on quantitative qualities.	These graphics should be used to provide numerical data and compound the importance of a certain subject.  These often include graphs and charts.	This image reflects data based on numerical entities to help determine an ideal weight, for optimal health.  (www.nutritionaustralia.com).
Transformational	These graphics are typically in video format that represent a change over time.	After a subject matter is introduced, these graphics can help to reinforce concepts or ideas.	So Many Things You Can Do to Take Care of You http://youtu.be/hjMIkfCE6zo
Interpretive	These graphics help compound concepts and relay the importance of the concept.	They should be used, like transformational graphics to help the learners further understand a subject.	This model shows diseases that are associated with weight problems. www.rippedacademy.com

References

Adesope, O. O., & Nesbit, J. C. (2012). Verbal redundancy in multimedia learning environments: A meta-analysis. Journal Of Educational Psychology, 104(1), 250-263. doi:10.1037/a0026147

Baerfit.  Retrieved from www.baerfit.com on June 5, 2014.

Clark, R. C. & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-Learning and the science of instruction (3rd ed). San Francisco. Pfeiffer

Healthy Eating: So Much You Can Do To Take Care of You.  Retrieved from Youtube.com on June 5, 2014.

Images.  Retrieved from www.izoom.net on June 5, 2014.

Lancet.  Retrieved from www.rippedacademy.com on June 5, 2014.

Mayo Clinic Weight Pyramid.  Retrieved from www.methodsofhealing.com on June 5, 2014.

Weight and Height chart for Men and Women age 18-64.  Retrieved from www.nutritionaustralia.com on June 5, 2014.

EDU 656 Assignment 1

Chapter 1, Chapter 2 & Chapter 3 Analysis

EDU 656

Dr. Bruce Johnson

June 3, 2014

Laura Moll

1.The textbook discusses e-learning, while the article addresses the importance of training and learning with a JIT approach. What is the value of e-learning in JIT training/learning? What is the value of the JIT approach when it comes to training/learning, in general?

    E-learning has a vital part of JIT training and development in the workplace and in other areas.  Research has proven that more than eighty percent of employees function  at work based on situation based learning and operate very seldomly based on information that they obtained during formal learning

(Weintraub, 2002).  This learning is very valuable for several different reasons.  Not only does e-learning provide an opportunity to view, change and search for information that is needed, specifically relevant to a topic being discussed, but Web 2.0 and e-learning features enhance the quality of JIT training ( Clark, 2011).   Online learning is rising in popularity and portability.  It offers many conveniences including customized learning practices, personal engagement, several multimedia options and the ability to accelerate learning to accommodate the learners needs ( Clark, 2011
).  The importance of the flexibility and rising popularity of e-learning directly relates to the way that people work and the rising need for JIT training techniques to accommodate the twenty first century workforce.

2. What does the textbook say about the Pitfalls of E-Learning? How do these compare with the “issues to be resolved” in JIT learning that are identified in the article?

    The textbook defines several pitfalls, or issues aligned with e-learning.   Some pitfalls include the concept that research has proven that e-learning provides too much stimulation, fails to promote learning best practices, often makes learners forget about long term goals and there is a mass of information that often leads to sensory overload in users (Clark, 2011).   The authors of the “Just-in-Time Imperative” state some correlating pitfalls associated with e-learning and JIT training techniques.   They state that the need for accessibility and speed often compromise quality by often omitting universal standards, measurement tools or opportunity for reflection.  Also, the constructive feedback element of instruction needs some improvement as to create an atmosphere where students are challenged and supported.   In addition to the change in the way instruction is given, the role of the facilitators and learners have changed and acclimation will take time and effort, often at the expense of the learning opportunity (Clark, 2011).

3.According to the textbook, what are five questions that must be considered when reading research studies on learning? Explain why it is important to base decisions on good research when it comes to designing learning.

    E-learning is a relatively new concept and researchers are writing and reading about this concept eagerly.  With that research, there is a vast array of literature available online and in libraries and students reading research studies must carefully evaluate each study with a series of questions.  Evidence based research will provide answers to all of the following questions ensuring that the literature and information is based on sound, scientific research.  There are five questions that must be considered when reading research studies on learning. Those questions include asking how similar the learners are in the study, whether the conclusions were based on research, if the results are able to be replicated and if learning is measured by tests that can be applied and is the research significant?  All of those questions reflect analytical questions that help researchers analyze the validity of a given research article ( Weintraub, 2002).

References

Clark, R. C. & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-Learning and the science of instruction (3rd

ed). San Francisco. Pfeiffer

Weintraub, R. S. & Martineau, J. W. (2002). The Just-in-Time imperative. T+D

56(6), 50-58