Note: this post was created as an assignment for the course LDT100x Instructional Design and Technology: Learning Theories You can learn more about this course (and the Micro-Master's program it is a part of) here.
Photo by The Gender Spectrum Collection
The Scenario
State University students are taking a course on Race and Ethnic Relations. After learning diverse theories and perspectives on racial inequality in the United States, the professor breaks the students into groups to have them work on a project to demonstrate their learning.
The professor asks students to imagine that they are a student organization tasked with creating a campaign on State U's campus to raise awareness about some issue of ethno-racial inequality on campus. As a part of this project students will need to:
Create an awareness campaign (advertisements, campus posters, a campus event, etc...)
Create a 10-15 minute presentation for university administration and other stakeholders (which will be members of the class) that explains what the issue is and why their project should be chosen
Present their proposal to the class
Write a reflection (approximately 2-3 pages) of their role in the project and what they learned by connecting their material to course theories and concepts
Vote (anonymously) with their classmates to choose the winner
The project will be worked on in class during two class sessions, with the professor available as a guide for any questions that students may have. Students are also permitted (and encouraged) to work together outside of class time to finalize their proposal and presentation. Once all groups have presented, the class will vote anonymously using Socrative for their favorite proposal.
This project-based learning activity is based on principles of constructivism, andragogy, and connectivism. In this project, students learn from each other and build on their pre-existing schemas to assimilate new knowledge (Kim, 2001). The simulation of "real world" activities that they could use in a future career (i.e., presenting a proposal to others), collaboration with colleagues (i.e., their fellow students), and minimal intervention/oversight from the instructor are core foundations of andragogy and adult learning (Kurt, 2020). Finally, there is an element of connectivist approaches as well, as students are required to research the materials and find the information they need using online research databases (Siemens, 2005).
The Assessment
There are two forms of assessment for this project: the review of the materials created by the professor and an assessment of their presentation by their classmates. By having the class vote on the winning presentation, there is an element of behaviorism (positive rewards) integrated into the assessment (McLeod, 2017). Research into gamification in education demonstrates that rewards (badges, trophies, etc...) provide motivation for learners to advance (Madigan, 2016). The same principles are used in this element of the assessment. The winning group members will earn one bonus point for the project.
The learning rubric is a guideline for learners and an objective way for the professor measure learning. Students receive the rubric at the beginning of the activity, so they have insight into how they will be assessed in the project. This activity represents an authentic assessment, because it requires application of the theories and concepts learned in the course to a new situation involving a "real world audience" (professor and peers) that provide feedback (Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, n.d.).
Sources
Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). Authentic assessment. Indiana University Bloomington Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. https://citl.indiana.edu/teaching-resources/assessing-student-learning/authentic-assessment/.
Kim, B. (2001). Social Constructivism.. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved April 29, 2021, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/.
Kurt, S. (2020). Andragogy theory- Malcolm Knowles. Educational Technology. https://educationaltechnology.net/andragogy-theory-malcolm-knowles/.
Madigan, J. (2016). Why do achievements, trophies, and badges work? The Psychology of Video Games, http://www.psychologyofgames.com/2016/07/why-do-achievements-trophies-and-badges-work/.
McLeod, S. (2017). Behaviorist Approach. SimplyPsychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/behaviorism.html
Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. https://jotamac.typepad.com/jotamacs_weblog/files/Connectivism.pdf
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