The constructivist approach to learning maintains that rather than acquiring knowledge in the traditional sense of internalizing it or being taught, individuals and society as a whole construct knowledge based on experience. Reeves and Hedberg (2003) explain in Interactive Learning Evaluation that each learner "constructs different cognitive structures based upon his or her previous knowledge and what he or she experiences in different learning environments."

The concept map below reflects my own cognitive structures surrounding Learning Systems Design and Development, as constructed throughout the Educational Technology Master's program.

Cognitive learning theory places importance on the context of learning and application; problem-based class assignments, an internship in Information Science and Learning Technology and a research assistantship at the Office of Medication have enabled me to gain experience and construct knowledge in a context where it can be applied and used.

Completing individual and team assignments provided ample opportunity to explore the higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy first-hand by creating documents and components, evaluating via heuristics and user testing, and analyzing complex problems via debates, Skype calls and discussion board posts.

Instructional Design introduced me to the ADDIE model and Flash Authoring provided my first experience with the multimedia design cycle, but it wasn't until working as a research assistant in the Office of Medical Education that I realized they were adaptations of the same process. In designing interaction, performance support, and computer support for collaborative learning, needs assessment leads into brainstorming, prototyping, and several rounds of formative evaluation based on user testing; the same process occurs in a development course when starting from "scratch" to plan, develop, and test a website or application component. Although a course focuses on media production and web development, all parts of the life cycle must be present for that to happen successfully. While design, development, and core courses each centered on an aspect of the ADDIE model, those aspects could not truly be separated into distinct components. Not only are the parts dependent upon each other, but formative evaluation occurs throughout the process, based on expert review and user testing.

I gained experience conducting needs assessment during my internship as I observed and transcribed interviews with block faculty and created a task list for a new web application based on their current process and needs. Then in the assistantship that followed, I've had the opportunity to see the application through the next stage of its life cycle while at the same time conducting needs assessment and carrying out new design projects.

References

Reeves, T. C. and J. G. Hedberg (2003). Interactive Learning Systems Evaluation. Englewood Cliff, NJ: Educational Technology Publications, Inc.