learning architecture
Design and build W
hat does it mean to think about learning architecturally? When we talk about a learning architecture we are discussing a fundamentally different way of thinking to what has gone before.
Getting the plumbing right You could call it a more ‘holistic’ approach, or talk about more ‘joined-up’ learning – but each of these terms comes with its own unwelcome baggage, so I prefer to stick with the architectural metaphor. Anyone who has been involved in building work even on a domestic scale (or
anyone who has seen an episode of Channel4’s Grand Designs, for that matter) will be aware that construction involves careful co-ordination of different trades. Plumbers have to put water supply and waste pipes in the right place and at the right time for builders to put in kitchens and bathrooms, for instance. Electricians have to place power cabling and outlets in position for the appliances that heating engineers will install. Plasterers have to leave an appropriate finish for the decorators who will come later. You might have had the misfortune to be involved in a build where these different trades were not
The different elements of constructing a learning package must slot together in the right way to create a sturdy structure. Andrew Joly walks you through the process
well co-ordinated, and to witness first hand the delays, escalating costs and missed opportunities that result from badly co-ordinated and specified building work. Let me tell you, as one who has been there, that it is a salutary experience! How does this scenario relate to learning and development? Well, designing a blended learning programme at scale in the second decade of the 21st century involves co-ordinating a diverse range of requirements that we could equate to the trades in our building example. You might develop a learning portal, for instance, where learners will go to access self-paced study materials and assignment activities, alongside a calendar of ‘synchronous’ events (both face-to-face and web-based) – that hand-holds them on a learning journey. At the same time you might want to provide subscription-based external web content, reference materials via a physical library or document management system, video masterclasses, modules of online learning, a facility for feedback and evaluation … and so on (it’s a complicated world).
The people and technologies to fulfil each of these different requirements might come from a different source, either within or outside your organisation. Fulfilling each of them will involve very different skillsets, and procuring and deploying these resources as part of an overall plan may call on a wide range of different understandings and sensitivities from you, the learning architect. You will be mixing online and offline modes, synchronous and asynchronous, formal and informal, self-paced and collaborative – and maybe combining these with an internal marketing or awareness campaign.
Like the trades in our building example these resources must be sequenced and combined effectively if the result is not to be an incoherent mess.
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e.learning age june 2011
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