learning objectives – Silence and Voice

When My Reality Is THE Reality

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

When I traveled recently in Germany on holiday, it was at the end of the #rhizo15 experience, when we were challenged en masse to reconsider learning objectives and even course (learning) content itself. While the formal period of this is now behind us, I find I need some form of closure (even for a course that does not, really, have an actual end). I have been trying to formulate what I learned in the #rhizo15 “course” for some time, and I realize I just need to write about it and see how it resonates.

Rhizomatic learning in the #rhizo15 experience covered roughly Continue reading “When My Reality Is THE Reality“

Learning Objectives vs. Subjectives: Who Are They Really For?

In the spirit of #rhizo15, if there is such as thing as being “in the spirit” of something that is fully open and to-be-determined-along-the-way, I read Laura Laura Pasquini’s @laurapasquini‘s thought-provoking post What’s A Learning Subjective? This is “in the spirit of #rhizo15” because I do not read many blog posts (a time issue, really it is!). I have chatted with @laurapasquini on Twitter, though have not really read much of her work beyond the 140.

I have been missing a lot!

In her post, I was struck Continue reading “Learning Objectives vs. Subjectives: Who Are They Really For?“

What is my #rhizo15 Learning Subjective?

While I recently posted about Why I am engaging in #rhizo15 and Learning Liminality I have still somehow avoided discussing my Learning Subjectives (as learning objectives are not readily possible when we do not know where we are going).

Perhaps this is because I so often avoid personal learning objectives.

I frequently retreat into researcher mode. Specifically as a qualitative researcher, where I always want to ask questions such as, “Why?, “Tell me what you mean by that?,” and “How did you…?” I often avoid making declarative comments, statements, or proclamations as, more often than not, I am wrong in some way. I hate being wrong, and find it easier to commit to the extent I can speak to, while avoiding presenting myself or my ideas narrowly that I somehow exclude other possibilities.

This all begs the question, what are my learning subjectives for #rhizo15?

Wow, I really do not know.

It is easy to say, “To build my network,” but that somehow seems to be a bit selfish, as if Continue reading “What is my #rhizo15 Learning Subjective?“

Goals and Expectations (Finally!) for #change11

OK, so here we are into Week 3 of the of the #Change11 MOOC, and I am finally ready to articulate my own personal goals and expectations for the course. Unlike most courses, there are no stated objectives or expectations for a MOOC. As I quoted from the MOOC Model document in my post Clarification on the question,“What is a MOOC?”, “MOOCs build on the engagement of learners who self-organize their participation according to learning goals,prior knowledge and skills,and common interests.” In other words, I need to set my own objectives and expectations for this year-long course.

While I work professionally as an Instructional Design Project Manager, clarifying learning needs and then building objectives to meet them is something I frequently engage with. However, this is flipped on its head when we establish our own goals for our learning.

Perhaps, however, this is really not that unusual. Consider this–even when we attend traditional courses that have clearly defined learning objectives, we have to remember that those are the goals of the teacher, facilitator, or program–they are not necessarily the goals of the learners themselves. Course goals are not always agreed with or understood in the same way by learners as they are by those facilitating the course. Without dialogue and agreement about this at the very beginning, it is challenging indeed for all participants to move toward the same goals (as nobody has the same goals). Let me state this even more strongly–without discussion and individual agreement–all learners in a course work toward different, and often unstated, goals for the course.

This is one of the refreshing things that this MOOC has done–it has empowered attendees (learners) to articulate and state their own goals for the course. With this stated, these are my #change11 goals and expectations. By the end of the #change11 MOOC, I will be able to:

Assess the impact and influence of this global, unstructured learning on my PhD Research
Practice an openness to diverse perspectives on learning
Revise my network to be wider and more inclusive

Now that I have stated these three objectives, I feel I am actually starting to expand my learning and practice. What better way to do so than by formulating, and then publicly sharing, these goals for the course?

What I Hope to Improve as a Learning Professional

I really like the ASTD Learning Circuits Big Question this month, which is “What would you like to do better as a Learning Professional?”

This hearkens me back to a blog post I wrote yesterday, Whose Objectives Are They, Anyway? I want have better conversations, discussions, buy-in, and agreement of learning objectives between learner and instructional designer / trainer / instructor within higher education.

The current system of instructional designer designing objectives based on a needs analysis that often does not acknowledge direct input from the learners does not respect the experiences and freedom of an adult population. While I follow the ADDIE process in everything I do, as a higher education instructor I create the objectives based on university expectations and often give them to the students without their input and buy-in. Common for higher education, but unaccaptable for adult education that seeks to acknowledge the active role of the learner in the learning process.

So, what do I hope to improve? Collaborative agreement on learning objectives within higher education.