An important aspect of instructional design is understanding the learning context. Dick and Carey even pull out a “Context Analysis” as part of their systematic process.
This is fairly straightforward for face to face training since it means taking a closer look at the classroom and the classroom resources. Analyzing the learning context is a bit more difficult in eLearning.
There are three considerations to examine when analyzing the learning context. The first is the compatibility of the site with your requirements, the second is the ability to simulate the workplace (or whatever environment the learning will be applied), and any constraints that will affect the delivery of instruction or the design of instruction. This last consideration is an important one since if the learning environment can constrain the delivery and design of instructional experiences it should be examined early in the design process.
Compatibility of the Site with the Requirements: Instructional designers should ensure that the training location has the necessary resources to conduct the training. Having a training on a new software is significantly more difficult without access to the software being taught. Likewise for teaching the application of other tools. This extends to the more mundane aspects of the training requirements, items as simple as does the room have a projector is a projector will be needed. For eLearning, it is important to ensure that the eLearning modules will load properly and be compatible with the technology the learners will be using.
Ability to Simulate Workplace: To maximize the transfer of learning the learning environment should simulate the performance environment as much as possible. There are typically things that will need to be added or removed from the learning environment to make this happen. This can be as simple as ensuring the same version of the software is installed in the classroom that is in the performance environment.
Constraints Affecting Delivery or Design: It is very likely in the design of instruction the instructional designer will have constraints placed upon the learning environment. This can be due to a variety of reasons such as available resources or other concerns. For example, if the designer is designing lessons for a 4th-grade class it is likely that the 4th-grade classroom will be the learning environment with little flexibility. Corporate clients may require the training happen in a certain type of training center or be web-based. These constraints should be noted.
In its simplest incarnation, a context analysis involves knowing your classroom space and the resources available. How is the classroom laid out, is there a projector, are there computers. But not every training happens in a classroom.
My favorite example of a well thought out learning context was from Capt. Bert, my first sailing instructor, there was a significant amount of classroom instruction for the course and many sailing schools use a traditional classroom for that part of the instruction. Not Capt. Bert, he picked us up on the dock and brought us all back to the mooring. All of our instruction, including what was traditionally done in a classroom was done on the boat. As close to the performance context as we could get. And then we moved on to the practical parts of the instruction which was essentially conducted in a learning context almost identical to the performance context since the only difference would be the presence of the instructor and our classmates.
Analyzing the learning context becomes significantly more complicated when designing eLearning.
Far too many instructional designers forget that the Learning Management System is NOT the learning context.
The learning context for distance education of any kind is the physical environment where the learning takes place. And without investigation, instructional designers can make dramatic design errors that can be detrimental to the learning experience.
What exactly do I mean?
Think for a moment about where your learners will be taking advantage of the instructional materials you design? Some will be taking the course on their commute into work, will it be a city bus, the commuter rail, or while driving their own car? Will you be producing materials that will be used on the machine shop floor with all of its noise? Will your learners be in a quiet office? Bustling coffee shop? Cubical?
With all of the design choices we have for developing eLearning the learning context becomes a cortical component. For the sales associate who’s learning context is a car they are driving audio is most likely the best choice. For the machine operator on the factory floor where ear protection is required and who wouldn’t be able to hear even without it audio is not likely the best choice.
With eLearning development, the learning context influences many design choices including mediums, length, and complexity of individual units, the level of interactivity, right down to the font choices and resolutions. A learner on the train will likely be on a phone, the same learner in their quiet office will likely have a larger screen.
So what is the first step to the analyzing the learning context?
Asking questions. And asking a client or a stakeholder “What will the learning context be?” isn’t going to get you far. Instead for a face to face setting ask to see the room, ask for a photo, and ask about specific pieces of technology you may need, ask if you can bring what the room doesn’t have, ask if you can move the furniture.
For eLearning design ask more questions about your learners. Even better ask the learners themselves. Where are you going to be taking the course? What is that space like? Lots of “tell me more” type questions will make developing the instructional materials that much easier and will increase the satisfaction and effectiveness of those materials.
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