Abstracts - Earli

O 101 September 2007 08:30 - 10:30Room: KonferenciaEARLI Invited SymposiumTrends in instructional design for complex learningChair: Sean Early, University of California, USAOrganiser: Jeroen van Merriënboer, Open University of the Netherlands, NetherlandsDiscussant: Jan Elen, University of Leuven, BelgiumComplex learning aims at the integration of knowledge, skills, and attitudes; the coordination ofqualitatively different constituent skills, and the transfer of what is learned to daily life or worksettings. New instructional design models are needed to allow for such complex learning. Thesemodels stress the integration of knowledge, skills and attitudes through the use of whole,meaningful learning tasks. They aim at integrated learning objectives and help learners tocoordinate different aspects of whole tasks by scaffolding their performance. And they aim attransfer of learning by means of mathemagenic instructional methods that stimulate learners toconstruct general, abstract knowledge. A fundamental rethinking of traditional instructional designis necessary. In this symposium, trends in instructional design for complex learning will bediscussed from four highly interrelated perspectives: (1) cognitive foundations, (2) cognitive taskanalysis, (3) holistic design, and (4) performance assessment. The four contributions to thesymposium will be discussed by Jan Elen from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.Cognitive foundations of complex learningJohn Sweller, University of New South Wales, AustraliaHumans have evolved to deal with two distinct categories of complex learning: biologicallyprimary and biologically secondary (Geary, in press). From an information processing perspective,the most complex knowledge we acquire is biologically primary knowledge that we have evolvedto acquire, such as a first language, face recognition or general problem solving. It is acquiredunconsciously and without instruction. In contrast, biologically secondary knowledge, while farless information rich, requires direct instruction and conscious effort. This presentation will beconcerned with the cognitive load theory principles that govern the acquisition of biologicallysecondary knowledge.Cognitive task analysis for complex learningRichard Clark, University of Southern California, USAKenneth Yates, University of Southern California, USASean Early, University of Southern California, USACognitive task analysis (CTA) consists of a variety of interview and observation strategiesdesigned to capture an accurate and complete description of the knowledge experts use to performcomplex tasks. Complex tasks are defined as those where performance requires the integrated useof both controlled (conscious, conceptual) and automated (unconscious cognitive strategy)knowledge to handle tasks whose performance often extends over many hours or days. The resultsof CTA are used as the basis of expert systems, the development of tests to certify job or taskcompetence and as the content of instruction when people must acquire new and complexknowledge in order to achieve a performance goal. This presentation will review past research on– 770 –