Planning For Instructional Outcomes In All Settings...

In the development of of structured educational programs it is important to understand the learning processes of all learners. There are programs that do not meet the needs of all learners as they are. The process requires various interface methods towards meeting the learner at their functional levels of understanding and performance. It is very important to know that all learners have a frustration, independent, and functional level of instruction. Therefore it is paramount that  in your development of any program either site-based, web-based, IVC, etc. that you take these learning styles into consideration. A program should meet the individual learning needs of the learner. Now does this mean that all programs work for everyone, the answer is no. There are programs that only meet the learning style of learning within the specific learning needs. "Emphasize action learning. Classroom training is inefficient. Half the people in the room are secretly working on their "real" jobs; half are so relieved not to be doing their real jobs, they've turned their minds entirely off. Half already know half the stuff being taught and are playing Buzzword Bingo on their Palms; half will never need to know more than half of it (Stewart, 2001, p.184)."

Now, in all settings there will be a need to have very construct learning frames that will guide all instruction. Yes, we want to meet the needs of our learners but we must assist the process by allowing the leaner to prioritize what is necessary for them to achieve their professional outcomes. Learning takes place for all individuals at different times and in various ways. This is the reason it is important to have a guide or curriculum that offers expectations and not to all failure characteristics. For an example, should it be required for all online classes that there be a set time for instruction. Well, you have IVC which is WebCT and Blackboard based. You also have web-based instruction that can be both WebCT and Blackboard based. It all depends on your learning style and need for supervision and individualized instruction. Additionally, it also depends on the level of educational ability that is possessed by the learner. A student with limited study skills and concentration will not be able to manage this type of learning curve.

The leadership that is needed in program develop has a high range. of requirements. There must be a thorough understanding of your program goals and learning outcomes. Thus there must be collaboration with all stakeholders. The implementation of a successful educational program either site-based and/or online is determined by the amount of planning that goes into the process. This is a commonly communicated statement; plan for success. Educators of all programs are required to plan for their learner's achievement outcomes. When you do not plan you have obviously planned for failure both on your part as the educator and the students and the learner.

According to (Heylighen 2008) “Complexity cannot be strictly defined, only situated in between order and disorder. A complex system is typically modeled as a collection of interacting agents, representing components as diverse as people, cells or molecules. Because of the non-linearity of the interactions, the overall system evolution is to an important degree unpredictable and uncontrollable. However, the system tends to self-organize, in the sense that local interactions eventually produce global coordination and synergy. The resulting structure can in many cases be modeled as a network, with stabilized interactions functioning as links connecting the agents”.

In keeping in mind what make learning work. I am constantly directed to a few points. Planning and organization are to the two that resignate with professional outcomes. Often when there is a failure to plan effectively and continuously there is a greater outcome for problematic issues. Education is truly a science and must be treated as such. Too often there are situational matters that impede the learning outcomes of learners because there is limited reflection time towards best practices as well as reflection on failed practices. It is clear; all practices do not succeed all of the time, neither do all failed practices fail all of the time. What is of greatest importance is knowing that learners require nurturing. The development of quality programs begins with knowing the needs of your audience and having a conscience to deliver the product which is quality educational services and professional ethic.

 Resources:

Web Article: Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning

Web Article: Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism

By:

Melvin Alonza Lowe, III, EdD