During week 3 of the BSU T&L class we had to read Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 10 of “Creating Environments for Effective Adult Learning. ” I contributed the following to the discussion board:
There are numerous factors that contribute to an effective adult learning environment from the expectations of the instructor to the physical environment. As instructional designers we are taught to take as much of the environment as possible into account when we design courses. Learning preferences, physical environment, content, are all considerations in the analysis phase of design and each effects the instructional strategies that we use. Constraints of the institutional environment must be considered of course, things such as size and sometimes arrangement of the physical classroom. UND has tried to update its classrooms by upgrading the technology in them. Larger classrooms have viewing monitors so that students in the middle and back can see the instructor, and all buildings offer wireless Internet. Some classrooms support distance teaching and learning with cameras, mics and Adobe Connect Pro.
I tend to gravitate toward concrete ideas and therefore I really liked the SPATIAL model (satisfaction, participation, achievement transcendent/immanent attributes, authority, layout). I also like the holistic approach that his model takes toward learning environments; “this model has potential for weaving together findings from architectural, psychological, sociological, aesthetic and human factors engineering studies” ( p. 14). The emphasis on learner perception here is interesting as well, because I helps to know that we can potentially influence perception through communication. The idea that learners should have authority over their space is something I have been thinking about in regard to SL, wondering if items in a learning space should give all permissions for movement…I would have to experiment with that to see if it made a more chaotic environment. The camera controls obviously give learners more control over their sightline (Chapter 3, p. 28) and their environment, even without the ability to move or change the seating.
In Chapter 3 Vosko talks about territoriality; “Adjustment of things in our personal spaces is another of our interesting habits….When someone encroaches on our space we tend to become defensive and protective.” How true this is, even in SL! Vosco also says, “We do this to give meaning to our space and to create a sense of comfort or familiarity.” (p. 27). We have talked a bit about what we can do to help newbies feel more comfortable in SL but I’m not sure giving new people control over this space is a such a good idea. It IS interesting to note that we “give meaning to our space” and this is something we can consider more fully as we create learning spaces in SL.
Many of the items on these instructional audit checklists are applicable to SL and I am glad I have these to turn to when I do start designing instructional space in SL.
Works cited:
Creating Environments for Effective Adult Learning. Sand Fracisco: JoesseyBass, (1991) http://home.twcny.rr.com/hiemstra/creating.html
