Week 2: Evaluating and Identifying Online Resources

Are you using credible sources when conducting research online? How do you know? What characteristics should you be looking for?

One of the cornerstones of being an instructional design (ID) professional, is that one must engage in an endless pursuit of learning for success. Moreover, it is imperative to understand that technological advancements, such as the internet, have become the essential learning tools of today. The good news in this is that individuals now have access to enormous amounts of valuable information at unprecedented speeds; however, the potentially bad news is that these same learners will often be exposed to inaccurate and unreliable sources perceived as truth, ultimately establishing an erroneous knowledge base to build upon. Therefore, Leu and Zawilinski (2007) urge online researchers “to be “healthy skeptics” while reading online, always checking first to see who created the information at a new web site they encounter” to better examine one’s credibility (p. 2). Purdue Owl (n.d.) offers the following five criteria for analyzing source credibility:

1. Consider the author.
2. Determine the recency of the work.
3. Determine the author’s intent.
4. Determine the kinds of sources your audience will deem credible.
5. Thoroughly examine internet sources.

This blog post will feature two credible sources that offer unique perspectives about how neuroscience directly correlates with intelligence levels, and how information processing theory needs revision to best understand the human learning process.

The meticulous cognitive processes often described in information processing theory are said to have little value in the context of instructional design; however, this theory is significant to our industry in that it helps ID professionals to better understand how end users think about and interpret content, as well as how to effectively engage these individuals (Laureate Education, n.d.). Though useful in this sense, information processing theory, “which explains human cognition like computer processing has limitations” (Gurbin, 2015, p. 2332).

The peer-reviewed scholarly article, located in the 7th World Conference on Educational Sciences, Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences academic journal, is a credible source titled: Enlivening The Machinist Perspective: Humanising The Information Processing Theory With Social And Cultural Influences. Herein, author Tracey Gurbin posits that information processing theory is a machinist, and overly generalized view of learning and that teachers and ID professionals must instead acknowledge cultural and social differences and create inclusive learning environments, ultimately facilitating better connections for learners (Gurbin, 2015). This is a quality source because it is peer-reviewed, recent, located in a credible database, and sites credible sources within. The next source to be evaluated comes from a blog.

Learningandthebrain.com/blog is a credible public information resource, that features a blog entry by Rebecca Gotlieb, a doctoral student at the University of Southern California, who reviews a book with the blog title: “The Neuroscience of Intelligence by Richard Haier”. Haier is a “professor emeritus at the University of California… a former president of the International Society for Intelligence Research, and a pioneer in the use of neuroscientific methods to study intelligence” (Gotlieb, 2018). This is an exceptionally dependable source in consideration of these author’s respective levels of expertise and experience, as well as the recency of this post. Most notably, Haier posits that, “the vast majority of variability in intelligence is due to genes, rather than environmental factors… [and] that many genes influence intelligence”; he further exhibits optimism that an increased knowledge of genes will eventually allow learning professionals to heighten one’s level of intelligence, irrespective of any environmental limitations that exist (Gotlieb, 2018).

These are both riveting and trustworthy accounts, despite their opposing views. What do you think fellow ID superstars? Does information processing theory need to be modified? Should we be examining the brain, or considering the environment (social and cultural) when trying to understand the learning process? Maybe both? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. As always, thanks for joining me!

-Ahisha, The Ecstatic Learning Addict

References
Gotlieb, R. (2018, March 14). The Neuroscience of Intelligence by Richard Haier [Web log post]. Retrieved March 16, 2016, from https://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/intelligence-haier/

Gurbin, T. (2015). Enlivening the machinist perspective: Humanizing the information processing theory with social and cultural influences. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 197(7th World Conference on Educational Sciences), 2331-2338. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.263

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Information processing and the brain [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Leu, D. J., & Zawilinski, L. (2007). The new literacies of online reading comprehension. New England Reading Association Journal, 43(1), 1-7.

Welcome to the Purdue OWL. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2018, from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/02/

Week 1: The Doorway to Professional Learning Communities

Are you new to the field of Instructional Design? Where should you begin? How do you become an expert in this exciting and challenging field?

Do any of the abovementioned questions resonate with you? No worries—you are in the right place, and we will figure this out together. Blogs are an effective tool for instructional design (ID) professionals and have been shown to offer uniquely authentic, collaborative learning experiences that better equip practitioners for the realities of working in this complex and rewarding field (Ferriter, 2009). As my first blog post, I present the following blog analyses as an initial contribution to our global ID learning community:

E-Learning Industry is an invaluable resource for instructional design practitioners. Tess Taylor, a human resources and career coaching professional, provides a very informative blog titled: Top 10 In Demand Instructional Designer Skills. Herein, Taylor provides aspiring ID professionals with an overview of the skill sets that they should be cultivating to secure work and advancement opportunities in this field. Noteworthy capabilities include: intensely comprehending learning models, being artistically inclined, and having project management skills. This is a very useful site for new and aspiring ID candidates as it guides what competencies matter in this field, and it illuminates what is needed to best serve future clients. I plan to reflect on this resource throughout my educational journey, as well as in my career; it is important to ensure that I am developing in the right areas as I progress, and that I know the latest trends in the industry. This informative resource can be accessed here: https://elearningindustry.com/instructional-designer-skills-top-10

Love 2 Techwrite is another great blog written by marketing specialist and graduate student of Technical Communications, Helena Dixon. Particularly, her post, Design for All, is significant, because it addresses a key consideration for ID professionals: to design diverse and inclusive content. “The learning process itself is constantly changing, both in nature and diversity” (Ertmer & Newby, 2013), and additional complexities arise in consideration of accommodating disabilities. Dixon explains that ID professionals must strive to improve the accessibility of their project by being mindful of learners that may have visual or auditory impairments, as well as those with dyslexia and other permanent or situational limitations. This site has a wealth of insightful knowledge, and as a fellow student and up and coming technology specialist myself, I look forward to learning from and sharing ideas with this blogger moving forward. Here is the link for this post: https://love2techwrite.wordpress.com/2018/03/10/design-for-all/

 

21^st Century Teaching is a blog that provides a plethora of resources for teaching college-level and adult learners.  Making it ‘Real’ For Students: 4 Real-World Application Tips is one of the many posts that will greatly benefit future and current individuals working in ID. The author explains the importance of connecting course content with relatable, real-life scenarios to increase learner engagement. This fundamental understanding is crucial for specialists in our field, because the ultimate goal of any design project is to create learning experiences that are relevant and applicable to student needs. This can serve as an ongoing resource as I will always strive to create meaningful content for end users. The link for access is as follows: https://goaskeli.wordpress.com/2018/02/26/making-it-real-for-students-4-real-world-application-tips/

Do you know of additional ways to ensure success as an Instructional Design practitioner? I would love to hear your ideas in the comment section below. Thanks so much for joining me on this exciting pursuit!

-Ahisha, The Ecstatic Learning Addict 

References

Dixon, H. (2018, March 10). Design for All. [Web log post]. Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://love2techwrite.wordpress.com/2018/03/10/design-for-all/

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71. doi:10.1002/piq.21143

Ferriter, B. (2009). Learning with blogs and wikis. Educational Leadership, 66(5), 34–38.

Goaskeli. (2018, February 26). Making it ‘Real’ For Students: 4 Real-World Application Tips [Web log post]. Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://goaskeli.wordpress.com/2018/02/26/making-it-real-for-students-4-real-world-application-tips/ Taylor, T. (2017, July 22). Top 10 In Demand Instructional Designer Skills [Web log post]. Retrieved March 8, 2018, from https://elearningindustry.com/instructional-designer-skills-top-10

Taylor, T. (2017, July 22). Top 10 In Demand Instructional Designer Skills [Web log post]. Retrieved March 10, 2018, from https://elearningindustry.com/instructional-designer-skills-top-10