As another online class comes to a close, I will be reflecting upon what I have learned and how I will apply what I have learned in future courses and in my career.  I have found myself very happy with the courses I have taken and will continue on my path.

As I have furthered my knowledge in how people learn, something that I found surprising is how interrelated the learning theories can be.  I am impressed with the fact that the theories that I have learned can be used in combination with each other and not used in isolation.  “Understanding these different learning styles can help you to design more effective learning experiences for all learners.” (Ormrod, 2009

I have learned that I am intrinsically motivated to learn.  Some of the styles presented in this class reflect my own person learning style and I have acquired some strategies to help myself learn in different ways.  Educational technology is a field that I am interested in and I love learning about the new advances in technology related to education.

Ertmer and Newby bring up an important point in their article.  They said that “linking” the understanding of these learning theories and instructional design is the key to having a successful learning experience. (Ertmer et al, 1993)  This information is important to me in my path towards a career in instructional design.  I must know the learning theories and put them into my design to have learners benefit from them.  Another important piece of information that I have learned in this course is that I cannot tailor all of my instruction to only one learning strategy, or try to encompass all of the strategies in one lesson. 

My favorite part of this course was the last week’s lesson on motivation.  I believe that motivating learners is an important part of education.  Even though adult learners are mostly intrinsically motivated to learn, I feel that making sure the content is relevant to the user and “grabbing” the attention of the learner is so imperative.

References

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4),50-71.