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Drriel: Created page with "The '''interactions and activities''' of a learning experience are the things that people ''actually do'' (i.e., ''actions'') during the experience. == Definition== An '''action''' is any verb that is performed by a person during a learning experience. An '''interaction''' is an action that is performed by someone specifically with another person, a computer, or media. A '''learning''' '''activity''' is a group of actions and interactions that are performe..."

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Created page with "The '''interactions and activities''' of a learning experience are the things that people ''actually do'' (i.e., ''actions'') during the experience. == Definition== An '''action''' is any verb that is performed by a person during a learning experience. An '''interaction''' is an action that is performed by someone specifically with another person, a computer, or media. A '''learning''' '''activity''' is a group of actions and interactions that are performe..."

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The '''interactions and activities''' of a [[learning experience]] are the things that people ''actually do'' (i.e., ''actions'') during the experience.

== Definition==
An '''action''' is any verb that is performed by a person during a [[learning experience]].

An '''interaction''' is an action that is performed by someone specifically with another person, a computer, or media.

A '''learning''' '''activity''' is a group of actions and interactions that are performed by participants for the purposes of learning. Learning activities are designed to have the participant perform specific actions and interactions that are expected to improve their [[Learning objectives and outcomes|learning outcomes]]. Activities often specify the actions that participants should perform in the activity and provide directions on how they should interact with each other, the teacher, computer software and devices, and informational media.

==Additional Information==
[[Instructional design|Instructional designers]] need to include a variety of '''activities''' for people to do within an educational product or experience. It is through action, or activity, that a learner comes to acquire new information and gain mastery with new skills. [[Knowledge of the learner (KAB)|Knowledge]] just doesn't come to people: they instead must do some kind of action to gain that knowledge. For instance, even if a person reads a book or Wikipedia to learn new things, that person must still do the act of ''reading'' to acquire that knowledge. For skills and procedures, learning involves actually performing that skill or procedure. For learning new knowledge ''and'' knowing how to use it, information must be acquired and memorized, but also practiced with and applied in various contexts - all of which are '''activities''' for the person to perform.

'''Learning activities''' are the sets of actions and interactions that people do to learn. In even simpler terms, '''learning activities are the things that people <u>actually do</u> to learn new [[Knowledge of the learner (KAB)|knowledge]], [[Behavior of the learner (KAB)|skills]], and [[Attitudes and affect of the learner (KAB)|dispositions]].''' At their core, learning activities are the types and sequences of '''verbs''' that are peformed by people as they [[Participation|participate]] within a [[learning experience]].

The instructional design team should be attentive to whether the learning activities that are designed for an [[Learning experience|educational experience]] align with the intended [[Learning objectives and outcomes|learning objectives]]. Each type of activity elicits certain actions from both participants and teachers. Instructional designers should therefore create and select learning activities during the [[Design|design phase]] that align with the intended learning objectives. With the intended learning objectives in mind, activities should allow the learner to (1) be exposed to information and knowledge about the [[Learning objectives and outcomes|learning objectives]]; (2) observe tasks being performed that use the skills and knowledge in the learning objectives, ideally in [[Authenticity of learning|authentic settings]]; (3) [[practice]] using knowledge and skills in a sustained way, with [[Formative assessment|feedback]] on performance if possible; and (4) have a chance to use their own interests, motivations, and goals to make the content more relevant to them.

Sustained participation through activities is an important principle of the commitment to [[active learning]]

===== '''Types of interactions that occur within educational contexts''' =====
In addition to the above list of types of activities that are commonly used in educational products, there are specific types of '''''interactions''''' that are commonly seen in educational products. Each interaction has different expectations by the participant and some may be more appropriate for achieving the [[Learning objectives and outcomes|intended learning objectives]] than others.

'''Participant-media interactions'''. Participant-media interactions are those where a participant interacts with an informational source. This includes books, web articles, videos, podcasts, audio, websites, and the like. Media use is typically a static interaction: the participant interacts with it but the content remains the same. However, with digital technologies, dual interactions can be possible where the media can interact back with the participant and changes its content, such as in [[Branching narrative|branching narratives]], interactive hyptertext [[Website|websites]], and change the playback of video content based on choices from the participant.

'''Participant-teacher interactions.''' Participant-teacher interactions are those that occur when a participant interacts with a teacher or facilitator for [[Scaffolding and support mechanisms|assistance]], help, or guidance - or a teacher interacts with a participant to perform an [[Instruction|instructional task]], provide [[Formative assessment|feedback]], or to provide [[Differentiation|help]] when the teacher identifies that it is needed. Interactions between a participant and a teacher can be sustained over time in a back-and-forth way, or it can be short term.

'''Participant-participant interactions.''' Also known as ''peer interactions'', participant-participant interactions are when participants interact with each other in learning activities. This collaborative and communicative interaction between peers is a key component of [[social learning]] theories, which seeks to maximize the benefits of people interacting with each other to gain a deeper understanding about complex concepts and skills. Interactions can be sustained over time, such as discussions, collaboration on projects or work, sharing, research, feedback, or other learning activities. The strength of a peer-to-peer interaction is that it can continue indefinitely provided that the work and activites remain engaging and relevant to participants.

'''Participant-computer interactions'''. Although a human is not involved on the other end of the interaction, participant-computer interactions are an essential components of today's educational landscape. Participant-computer interactions are when a person interacts with a [[Device (EdTech)|device]], computer system, or software (usually via an [[interface]]), and that the computer system interacts back. Because computer systems and software have become highly interactive, it is important to consider how a person interacts with computer systems, interfaces, and devices when performing educational activities. This form of computer interaction is also called '''human-computer interaction''' in some research disciplines.

'''List of common educational activities and interactions'''

Although this list is not complete, it represents many of the commonly seen educational activities that are included within educational products and experiences for people to ''actually do''. Instead of listing specific actions or activities (such as reading a book or having an online discussion with other students), this list represents unique types of activities that can help people learn in different ways by performing engaging actions.
* Using information and [[Media and multimedia|media]] (e.g., reading text, watching video, listening to audio, visiting websites)
* Researching and discovering useful information
* Observing and experiencing, such as through [[Demonstration, tutorials, and modeling|demonstrations]], [[Models and Frameworks|models]], [[worked examples]], and how experts perform tasks
* Memorizing information, facts, and content
* Writing, documenting, and describing
* [[Media Production|Producing media]]
* Storytelling and creating narratives
* Practicing skills or reciting knowledge, such as [[Drill-based learning|drills]]
* Imitating, copying, or mimicking tasks or skills, or following procedures and [[Models and Frameworks|models]]
* Exploring, testing, and experimenting
* Analyzing, comparing, contrasting, evaluating information or arguments
* Reasoning and using argumentation (forming and evaluating arguments)
* Asking questions (also often called ''inquiry skills'')
* Decision making
* Problem solving and critical thinking
* Reflection, self-analysis, and deriving insights from experiences
* Playing and playful actions
* Role playing and perspective taking
* Creating, making, designing, developing
* Brainstorming and idea generation
* Expressing ideas and onesself and artistically representing concepts
* Discussing, describing, and defining ideas or concepts in a group setting
* Communicating with other participants, teachers, and experts, and community members
* Collaborating with other participants, teachers, experts, and community members
* Planning and goal setting (also called metacognition and self-regulated learning skills)
* Immersive sensory perception / exploring virtual or augmented reality spaces
* Taking tests and assessments / participating in evaluations
* Receiving, providing, and processing feedback
* Soliciting and interpreting multiple perspectives and ideas to understand complex topics
* Seeking help and support
* Confronting and working with emotions
* Developing identity and positive dispositions
* [[Instruction|Instructional activities]] performed by teachers and technologies

==Tips and Tricks==

* Every educational product is defined by its unique collection of activities and [[Design feature|features]] that people ''actually do'' while they participate with the product. Using your [[Learning objectives and outcomes|intended learning objectives]] as a guide, consider what types of activities might be useful from the list above and what specifically you will have your participants do.
* Don't just choose learning activities arbitrarily, or because they are popular right now, or because they look cool. The activities in an [[educational product]] must align with the [[Learning objectives and outcomes|learning objectives]] and give people memorable experiences with what goals you are trying to achieve. If you are trying to teach concepts, the activities must expose people to the content and ideas, but also require them to practice using and applying the content knowledge in different ways. '''Thus, you must argue for and justify ''why'' you think that each activity and interaction that you choose will achieve the desired learning objectives''', and not just pick learning activities at random. Every action and interaction gives people a different type of experience that exposes them to new content, ideas, and skills. What activities you choose will matter in how people learn about, use, and gain mastery with the content and skills that the educational product seeks to develop.
* Learning activities are composed of both ''actions'' (i.e., things an individual does by themselves) and ''interactions'' (i.e., things an individual does with other things and people). Consider the different types of ''interactions'' that are possible within an educational product: participant-media, participant-teacher, participant-participant, and participant-computer. Each of these interactions gives learners different experiences and opportunities for achieving learning objectives. How might you achieve your
* The list of activities provided above is just a list of general common activity types. It is not comprehensive and does not include specifically what people should do and how they should do it. For each activity that you choose for your product, a comprehensive set of instructions or directions for how people should perform the activity should be documented so that people perform tasks in the ways that are expected and [[Intention of designer|intended by the designer]] to achieve the [[Learning objectives and outcomes|learning objectives]].
* [[Evaluation and assessment|Evaluation and assessment activities]] are used to investigate whether the learning activities and [[Design feature|design features]] of an educational product actually work as expected and promote learning. This serves to also test whether there is an alignment or link between the [[Learning objectives and outcomes|learning objectives]] and the activity choices in the design. If the evaluation reveals that there was little to no effect, or that people did not participate as expected with the activities, designers should consider revising their products and looking deeper into how and why the activities were expected to lead to learning outcome achievement but did ''not'' achieve these goals. Such instances are not necessarily failures, but do provide ample information on how to improve the product so that the activities better capture the types of actions and interactions that are necessary to promote learning for participants.

==Related Concepts ==

* [[Design]]
* [[Participation]]
* [[Learning objectives and outcomes]]
* [[Instruction]]

==Examples ==

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==External Resources==

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