Online Learning: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Digital learning experiences have been traced back to World War II (Dick, 1987), which led to tremendous expansion in the field of instructional design. Several methodologies have since been developed to optimize learning outcomes while promoting transferable knowledge and real-world application for all learners. The rapid advancement of technology has further empowered learning designers to diversify and refine the platforms they use, resulting in quality enhancement and more accessible learning experiences across all devices.
Despite the rapid enhancement in technology, online learning experiences occasionally lack instructional elements that enhance engagement, retention of information, applicability and transferability to everyday life, and ultimately: long-term learning. Tim Slade (2020) states in his book, The eLearning Designer’s Handbook, “The sad reality is that most eLearning courses require our learners to sit through a disappointing experience, where information is poorly organized, the content isn’t relevant, and the interactions seem contrived and without purpose.”
Like Tim Slade, I enrolled in a LinkedIn Learning Course in the Spring of 2024 (shown below in Figure 1 below) and it was simply boring and unhelpful. The asynchronous microlearning video course provided learners with autonomy through independent navigation (right-side menu), however, lacked learner objectives and goals, design structure, and cohesive learning theories that would enable the learner to transfer the learning experience to the real world. The learning experience entailed two methods of instruction:
1. Talking head videos
2. Occasional white slides with single-color text lines and graphics
3. Some animations, but not educationally relevant to the learning experience
Additionally, learner interactions and assessments were nonexistent. Therefore, learners simply watched dozens of videos sequentially without any definitive goals, reinforcement of skills, or real-world application. A screenshot of the course is shown below in Figure 1.
Figure 1
Source: Phillips, S. (2023). Digital accessibility for the modern workplace: Accessibility at work [LinkedIn Learning Course]. LinkedIn Learning. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/digital-accessibility-for-the-modern-workplace/accessibility-at-work
Let’s compare the LinkedIn Learning course to a more successful online learning experience. During my studies at ASU, professors utilized multiple learning methods: Brian Merrill’s Principles of Instruction, Mayer’s 12 Principles of Multimedia, behaviorism and constructivism (along with many other learning theories), along with Community of Inquiry. However, one specific course stood out in its effectiveness as a learner. This course provided weekly videos, readings, challenges, assignments, and a community chat among all learners. Weekly videos included "how-to" themed demonstrations and simplified the complex course topics. Readings were relevant to the course material and expanded upon the current climate of the course topics discussed. Challenges presented a simulated experience as a participant with various challenges, and as instructional designers, we were asked how to improve the participant's experience. Each challenge scaffolded course material, demonstrations, and readings. Assignments were built on all elements of the weekly content and provided a simulated experience of working with a company, non-profit, or other organizations. The community framework developed added elements of social presence, cognitive presence, and emotional presence. This provided learners with an outlet to ask questions (or answer them!), respond to an inquiring thread, and connect with their peers. This online learning experience was extremely positive and became more impactful and resourceful than any in-person courses that I took throughout my educational studies.
So, how do we bring a high-level learning experience to learners across the board? Similar to the highly effective course at ASU, improving the learning experience begins with asking: what does the learner need? Let's begin with the idea that Mayer’s 12 Principles of Multimedia would be effective for learners. These principles derived from a set of research-based principles providing guidelines to design effective digital learning materials, and Mayer selected 12 specific principles that embrace how learners process and comprehend information across multiple sensory channels. While the LinkedIn Learning experience utilized the segmenting and voice principles, the usage of additional principles would highly elevate this learning experience. For example, to add the following principles to the learning experience:
Modality Principle Method: Split the screen between a talking-head video and add visuals (graphics, text) to the opposite side.
Temporal Contiguity Principle Method: Split the screen between a talking-head video and add animated bullet points to enter the screen as stated in the narration.
Multimedia Principle Method: Provide a mind map with topics and arrows, providing an explicit direction for the learner (e.g., the process to obtaining a passport).
A second approach to improve the learning experience would be to add Merrill’s Principles of Instruction. Merrill developed five core principles that center on task-based learning. Merrill suggests that truly effective learning experiences are rooted in problem-solving and that online learners must actively engage with the eLearning content to fully grasp the information and apply it in the real world (Pappas, 2017). According to Merrill (2002), the five principles are:
Problem-Centered: Learning is promoted when learners are engaged in solving real-world problems.
Activation: Learning is promoted when existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge.
Demonstration: Learning is promoted when new knowledge is demonstrated to the learner.
Application: Learning is promoted when new knowledge is applied by the learner.
Integration: Learning is promoted when new knowledge is integrated into the learner’s world.
The principles shown in bold represent existing principles in the LinkedIn Learning experience. The course was about accessibility in the online learning environment, therefore, Figure 2 (below) provides multiple methods to incorporate Merrill’s remaining principles (1, 2, and 4).
Figure 2
Source: Lawson, L. (2024). Merrill Principles Chart. In Google Documents. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q4a-jO4xX0J9_H_S6f9wBO6Pwce6toAXOIs6CVr3n08/edit?usp=sharing
During the LinkedIn Learning experience, I learned new information. However, I did not retain it long-term, or add it to my daily career developing accessible online content. Since there were not any social communities, it was difficult to locate resources to continue my education on the topic. In comparison, the ASU course provided continuous learning (beyond the course) and enabled daily motivation to continue improving the skills, tools, and knowledge taught in those courses.
Until I took a course that was specifically designed by an instructional designer for learners to fully grasp accessibility in online environments, I found myself bored or frustrated during an online learning experience. The ASU course presented learners with empathy, direction, real-world scenarios, and most of all: the motivation to continue learning and transforming beyond the course.
During a session about Universal by Design, Grant Wiggins states that the most common student response indicating failure of teaching for transfers is the following student response: “We didn’t cover that one.” Mr. Wiggins’ findings align with my learning experience with this particular learning artifact. It was an urgent reminder that online learning can be boring, confusing, and seemingly useless. Without the usage of an organized instructional design method incorporated with learning theories and methods for optimal learning, the learner suffers. This also reminds instructional designers how impactful learner-centered design is during the comprehensive development process, in addition to the overall health and status of online learning by the community.
Thank you for joining me today! Happy learning!
Sincerely,
Laura Lawson
Instructional Designer, LearningMatters LLC
Sources:
Arizona State University. (n.d.). M1 theory: Mayer’s principles of multimedia. Canvas. https://canvas.asu.edu/courses/192396/pages/m1-theory-mayers-principles-of-multimedia?module_item_id=13910695
Avenues.org. (2013, March 7). Understanding by design, part 2 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgNODvvsgxM&t
Dick, W. (1987). A history of instructional design and its impact on educational psychology. In J. Glover & R. Roning (Eds.), Historical foundations of educational psychology. Plenum.
Merrill, M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 43-59. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02505024
Pappas, C. (2017, September 29). Merrill’s principles of instruction: The definitive guide. ELearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/merrills-principles-instruction-definitive-guide
Phillips, S. (2023). Digital accessibility for the modern workplace: Accessibility at work [LinkedIn Learning Course]. LinkedIn Learning. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/digital-accessibility-for-the-modern-workplace/accessibility-at-work
Slade, T. (2020). The eLearning Designer's Handbook (2nd ed., p. 10). Tim Slade.
