Complete thesis - Murdoch University

Jonassen (2000) suggests there is a discrepancy between what learners need (complex, illstructuredproblem-solving experience) and what formal education provides. Despite thecentrality of problem-solving in contemporary learning theories, instructional design for wellstructuredproblems are rooted in the information-processing theory: the assumption is madethat problem-solving only requires the acquisition of prerequisite skills. Hence, these modelsinadequately analyse or explicate the nature of the problem to be solved.Current trends in instructional design theory do exhibit a move away from behavioural tocognitivist and constructivist approaches based on situated foundations (Wilson and Myers,1999), with learner control a prominent topic (Richey, 1997). These shifts, which haveoccurred since the mid 1990s, have important implications for instructional design models:• instruction needs to be customised rather than standardised – the conformity and compliancerequired by traditional approaches that facilitated sorting learners into standardisedcategories are no longer appropriate• the role of the teacher becomes that of facilitator• awareness of the social context of the learning experience is required• greater collaboration between all stakeholders of the learning experience (includinglearners, teachers, designers) is required• the learning experience requires authenticity.The basis of a framework for a learning environment is a ‘constructive alignment’ (Biggs,1999) of objectives, teaching context and assessment tasks. Based on the discussions ofBrown et al (1997), these components achieve the following aims:learning objective – expresses the educational expectation of studentsteaching context – encourages students to undertake learning activities likely to achievethe objectivesassessment tasks – these focus on• the student learning process (examples include◦ to provide feedback to students to improve their learning◦ to diagnose a student’s strengths and weaknesses◦ to help a student develop skills of self-assessment to provide a profile of learningundertaken)155