Month: May 2020

This is another chapter led by a Master’s student. It also comes out of the same study that led to our paper The Design Critique and the Moral Goods of Studio Pedagogy. In this chapter we focused on the relationships that developed between one student and the faculty she worked with, tracing the changes in the students’ abilities and confidence as she worked closely with her faculty mentors.

Abstract:

In this study, the critique is studied from the perspective of how, as an instructor- student interaction, it can influence the learning experience beyond only the acquisi- tion of course content knowledge. While this, in and of itself, is not a new insight, we assert that viewing the critique in this way can help clarify how the phenomenon can be shaped by instructors to help benefit their students’ development and growth. Studio critiques create opportunities for teachers to interact with students in an intensely focused manner. As we have researched this process in a university-level studio course, we have seen that an implication of this type of engagement is the opportunity critiques can provide instructors to build positive relationships with their students. Instead of provoking fear or dread in students (as is sometimes con- cluded), critiques may, in fact, provide a unique opportunity for instructors to sup- port students in developing dispositions that will be necessary as a foundation for their professional identities. In this chapter, we explore one particular example of this possibility by examining the experience of a student enrolled in an interdisci- plinary, entrepreneurship, studio course. We focus our inquiry into her experience by asking the questions: How did one female undergraduate describe her experi- ence being critiqued in a studio-style, interdisciplinary, entrepreneurship course? And what does her experience suggest about using critique as a method to influence student development of attributes other than learning the content knowledge of a discipline?

At Academia.edu

At ResearchGate

At BYU Scholar’s Archive

Reference:

Michela, E., & McDonald, J. K. (2020). Relationships, feedback, and student growth in the design studio: A case study. In Hokanson, B., Clinton, G., Tawfik, A. A., Grincewicz, A., & Schmidt, M. (Eds.), Educational technology beyond content: A new focus for learning (pp. 183-192). Springer Nature Switzerland AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37254-5_16

This is a chapter led by a Master’s student of mine, and contributed to by a number of members of an interdisciplinary team I work with at BYU. The student leading the chapter was interested in helping underrepresented populations (especially women) have more opportunities in STEM education, and this chapter looks at how the one of the simulations we designed can improve students’ attitudes towards topics and skills that are often seen as being too difficult.

Abstract:

In this chapter we examine how knowledge- and skill-based learning might be integrated with broader views of learning that also account for changes in percep- tions of the discipline and attitudes toward professional practice. We do so by reporting our work on a mixed-reality educational simulation that we call a Playable Case Study (PCS). First, we describe the elements that define a PCS. Next, we describe a specific PCS designed to introduce students to the field of cyberse- curity and report survey data from a recent pilot study that illustrates the types of attitudinal- and skill-based learning this type of simulation might encourage. Finally, we describe insights we gained from our findings about how the PCS simulation could further facilitate students’ learning more than only the knowledge or factual components of a discipline.

At Academia.edu

At ResearchGate

At BYU Scholar’s Archive

Reference:

Winters, D. M., McDonald, J. K., Hansen, D. L., Johnson, T. W. Balzotti, J., Bonsignore, E., & Giboney, J. S. (2020). The playable case study: An online simulation for skill and attitudinal learning. In Hokanson, B., Clinton, G., Tawfik, A. A., Grincewicz, A., & Schmidt, M. (Eds.), Educational technology beyond content: A new focus for learning (pp. 127-140). Springer Nature Switzerland AG. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37254-5_11

This is a theory paper written with my colleague Stephen Yanchar. It came out of conversations we had about how it seems that the modern field of instructional design always seems to be looking for some shiny new thing to guarantee its success. We most often notice this when it comes to technologies; when a new technology is introduced there’s a flurry of activity around how it can be used for learning. But harder to see is how we do the same thing with theory. We get excited about new theoretical developments in other fields but often don’t take the time to understand those developments properly before trying to use them to solve problems. We also don’t see that issues in the field might be unique enough that our theoretical views might be required to address them adequately. So in this paper we wanted to both draw the attention of researchers and professionals in the field towards the need to consider imported theory more critically, as well as build confidence in ourselves that we, as a field, can create legitimate theory that is powerful enough to solve the problems we face.

Abstract:

In this paper we offer a call for the development and utilization of originary theory in instructional design. Originary theory, which is generated by scholars within the field of its intended application, can be contrasted with imported theory, which is formulated in one field and later moved or “imported” into another for new purposes. In making our argument we first review the use of theories imported into instructional design and address limitations that might arise if these theories are overly relied upon, such as if they are treated as the primary source of insight for supporting the work of practitioners. Next, we define originary theory and argue that it should be emphasized within the field of instructional design because of the central role it can play in facilitating the field’s work of designing and developing excellent learning experiences. We further explore how originary theories can support instructional design practice by considering two examples of recent theoretical work that speak to the values, and challenge the assumptions, of instructional designers, disclosing aspects of the field that can help them better accomplish their work. First, we consider originary theory that conceptualizes instructional design as a design discipline; and second, we review originary theorizing that provides alternatives to common views about learners and learning. We conclude by considering what it might mean for the field to more intentionally develop and apply originary instructional design theory.

At Academia.edu

At ResearchGate

At BYU Scholar’s Archive

Reference:

McDonald, J.K., & Yanchar, S. C. (2020). Towards a view of originary theory in instructional design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(2), 633-651. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09734-8