About This Course

This course explores the evolution of learning theories from traditional behavior-based understandings of how we learn to emerging theories of how social engagement can support the learning process. Access to emerging technologies and increased opportunities for global communications and collaboration have altered how we learn. Today’s learners gravitate toward digital content and media, available anytime, anywhere, coupled with social connections to learn. It’s crucial for instructional designers to understand different theories of learning and how they intermix to create engaging learning experiences.

This course is designed to place you in the role of learner as you apply concepts from learning theories to your own personal experiences. During this course you will share learning experiences you had--some that were terrific, and some that were not so terrific. You will explore theories of learning and scientific research and practice applying those to the kinds of problems you actually want to solve. Finally, you will practice the skills instructional designers use to study instructional problems: situations where someone needs to learn something.

In short, you’ll learn how learning works and how to use agreed-upon and well-researched principles so you can take the sometimes messy and unfocused problems people face in life and work and develop a clear and testable idea of how you might organize that problem so it can be solved by learning. Welcome to the first step on your way to understanding the instructional design process!