Reflection Week 8

What did you find surprising or striking as you furthered your knowledge about how people learn?
I found the different methods of using reinforcement to increase desirable behavior more appealing to me. Being able to initiate sustainable changes in behavior is a key to the success of many organizations. Establishing the motivation behind the learner’s reason for learning is essential. Students must feel confident in their ability to perform different competencies. As the instructional designer, it will be important to stagger easy confidence building task along the way to reaching the overall desired result. Taking this information and relating it back to the relevance of the learner will help in establishing a long-term change in behavior. This will assist in making the change more sustainable.
How has this course deepened your understanding of your personal learning process?
This has really been a great class for me. I have learned several things about my personal learning style, as well as, confirmed things I have assumed also. Going in depth on the various learning theories has helped open my eyes to more possible theories. It also allowed me to see more possible techniques that I will be able to use as the ID or the facilitator. In my current role, I often operate as the facilitator and instructional designer. This has provided me with several other considerations that should be taken.

· What have you learned regarding the connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation?

An individual must possess the cognitive abilities along with the motivation in processing learning content. There are so many different established methods of learning theories from connectivisim to the behaviorist theory. Each method of established learning is beneficial to learners. Often times depending on the material and how much prior knowledge the participant may have with the material would be considerations for how you would design and or deliver content. For example, when you may have challenging content, it is a good best practice to build from prior knowledge or experience. Possibly using the connectivist approach where participants are able to look at different social or cultural dimensions, establishing their purpose and motivation for learning. Using scaffolding techniques to assist in breaking the content down to its simplest form will assist the learners in developing their zone of proximal development. This can be an independent or group activity that may be transferred to an online learning environment. Motivation plays a key role in the learning practices. It is a greater challenge to make self-directed learning environments responsive to the motivational requirements of learners. It requires both a systematic motivational design process that provides adequate guidelines and methods of incorporating feasible and effective motivational tactics into the environment, and knowledge of the dynamics of human motivation ( Keller 1999).
How will your learning in this course help you as you further your career in the field of instructional design?
This course has been a foundation in the preparation of furthering my career in the field of instructional design. It has helped to provide an understanding of the various learning styles and theories. The course has also introduced me to new uses of technology. I have started a blog and learned new ways to make it efficient in the learning process. This will be a great addition to our classroom online learning environment. In the retail sector, we are sometime limited to the request we can make of students when we don’t provide the resources to them while at work. I can see this being beneficial for the self-motivated learner that is willing to go the extra mile to further their own self development. Research has proven that students will study harder when the incentives are more attractive. A great deal of human behavior seems to be aimed at accomplishing long-term goals rather than satisfying short-term needs (Ormond et al, 229).
This is where as the facilitator, it will be key to gain their attention and show the value in the process providing them with personal benefits they may achieve from its use.


Keller, J. M. (1999). Using the ARCS motivational process in computer-based instruction and distance education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning (78).