Note: This is a translation from the French original, which Laurence published on LinkedIn. Laurence translated her own work.
From June 27 to 30, I attended the EdTech@50 conference at Concordia University in Montréal, organized in honour of the 50th anniversary of its Educational Technology program, the oldest in Canada.
As a graduate of this program (Grad. Dipl. 2006) and having worked in the field for 13 years, I hoped to reconnect with my network and take stock of the field of educational technology in Montréal in 2019 . The activities in which I have participated have aroused interesting reflections, which I share with you.
The scientific basis of learning
In her keynote presentation, Patti Shank, PhD, reminded us how research can inform us on best practices in training and help us achieve better results, while also telling us where to find practical and easy-to-apply strategies.
One might be surprised at this choice of subject, rather than recent training trends like artificial intelligence or virtual reality. But it still seems relevant to talk about the scientific foundations of instructional design, because there are still many interventions based on so-called “common sense” or worse, educational myths. Patti Shank noted that in other fields such as cooking or carpentry, it is common to rely on recognized principles from disciplines such as chemistry, mathematics or physics. So why is it still rare in training to use research results to justify strategies?
Researching, reading and evaluating scientific articles certainly requires time and skills that not all training professionals have at their disposal. However, Patti Shank points out that there are experts out there who specialize in analysing and communicating research results on learning, cognition, etc. Knowing and following them can help us learn about the scientific foundations of our profession without spending a great amount of time on it.
This presentation rekindled my interest in science. It made me add resources to my news feeds and a few (printed!) books to my summer readings. This way, I hope to continue to reinforce my arguments and make the best choices in my training strategies to foster learning and its transfer.
Design thinking
I attended the Design Sprint: Designing Educational Games pre-conference workshop with the intention of further exploring gamification. The workshop’s objective was to design an educational game in 90 minutes based on a given context, following a design thinking process. Surprisingly, the process (design thinking) had more impact on me than the purpose of the activity (the game).
Participating in this design sprint reminded me how demanding this exercise can be and how scary it can be to submit an prototype to users… While we were working as a team to design our game, the pressure of time was increasing and I thought to myself at one point: “Why did I sign up for this activity, it frustrates me so much! We need a game in 20 minutes and we haven’t built anything yet! Argh!” But after a last quarter of an hour of great intensity, we produced a game whose strategy stood out and for which we received very positive feedback from the participants who played it. The rich discussion was a pleasant surprise for me, who saw mostly the unfinished or unclear elements of our game.
This experience made me realize that by not allowing ourselves to make mistakes, we end up being afraid to share our work and to submit it quickly to users for fear of bad criticism. However, users are generally generous and constructive. In addition, their feedback allows a design to be rectified quickly, while it is difficult to recover from the failure of a poorly designed training program after its launch. This encourages me to continue to apply an iterative design approach involving users, despite the challenges of planning… and ego!
Entrepreneurs and experiential learning
Educational technology is an area that is particularly conducive to business start-ups. As part of the pre-conference symposium on entrepreneurship, facilitated by Professor Saul Carliner, I had the opportunity to spend a day with educational technology entrepreneurs Paul Cholmsky, Lorne Novolker, Edouard Rotondo and Haidee Thanda, to discuss their respective experiences in the product, service and social entrepreneurship sectors.
Several lessons can be drawn from the exchanges of this day, but I was marked by the essential role that experiential learning seems to play in the success of an entrepreneur. The action-feedback-reflection loop was always present in discussions with the four panelists.
First, the importance of getting into action; of “getting out of your head” and seizing opportunities, sometimes risky but calculated. Indeed, for the panelists, the pivotal moments of their company often required them to step into the unknown. Without knowing exactly how they were going to execute a project, they went ahead anyway, knowing intuitively that they would find a way. Then, entrepreneurs have to be aware of the effects of their actions, seek feedback and be able to identify mistakes, while having a healthy attitude towards failure. One panelist explained how losing a project can actually prepare you for success. He concluded that there are no “bad” experiences, but that an experience without reflection has no value. Another panelist also stressed the importance for the entrepreneur to “look in the mirror” and assess the company’s needs, strengths and weaknesses, as well as the risks. For me, this reference to reflection and self-assessment to inform future actions closed the loop of experiential learning and established a great link between the ability to learn and an entrepreneur’s success.
Storytelling
I love stories and I was delighted during this conference. The panels, roundtables, as well as a video about the history of Concordia’s Educational Technology Department, gave me the opportunity to hear many stories of personal and professional paths, failures and successes, turning points in a career or a company. It was a great demonstration of the power of storytelling to share knowledge and inspire action.
Moreover, the field of educational technology is a gold mine of fascinating tales, because the majority of those who work in it have arrived there by accident. Ask an instructional designer how he or she ended up in this profession, and you will certainly hear an interesting story… I have had the opportunity to share my own story with students and people entering the profession, as others have done with me in the past. These exchanges are great opportunities to discover avenues to guide your career and professional development.
The ultimate lesson
During these few days at EdTech@50, I reflected more on learning and on how I practice instructional design than on new training technologies. I learned through engaging experiences and interacting with my peers, listening to their stories and receiving their feedback. Does this ring any bells? The ultimate lesson I draw from this is that even at an Educational Technology conference, learning and reflection take precedence over technological tools. Well, well, well!