This document discusses three major learning theories: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Behaviorism views learning as responses to stimuli and emphasizes reinforcement. Cognitivism sees the mind like a computer that processes information through sensory, working, and long-term memory. Constructivism posits that learners construct knowledge based on their own experiences and that social interaction and experiential learning help promote learning. These theories inform different approaches to instructional design.

1. LEARNING THEORY FOR CONTENT CREATORS

2. Studying how people
learn involves many
fields, including
psychology, sociology,
education, and
neuroscience.

3. LEARNING THEORY
Learning theory is the study of how people learn. In
everyday language, “theory” means an educated guess, a
hypothesis. In academic language, a theory is a set of ideas
based on multiple research studies.
For this course, we will consider behaviorism, cognitivism,
and constructivism.

4. BEHAVIORISM

5. Behaviorism views learning as a response to a stimulus.
For example, a child who burns their hand on a hot
stove learns not to touch the hot stove. The stimulus is
the hot stove; the response is not touching it.

6. Conditioning plays a role in behaviorism. Conditioning
occurs when an individual connects behavior with a
response. The response is known as reinforcement. A
positive response reinforces the behavior. A negative
response discourages the behavior.
The burn is a negative reinforcement for the child who
touched the hot stove. In learning, positive reinforcement
can come from praise or personal satisfaction.

7. Behaviorism in Instructional Design
From behaviorism, we learn the significance of feedback
in learning. Feedback lets the student know if they are
on the right track. Feedback tells the student when they
have gotten something right and when improvement is
needed. In the section on Design, we will explore ways
you can provide feedback in your course.

8. COGNITIVISM

9. While behaviorism emphasizes behavior, cognitivism
emphasizes thinking. Cognitivism views the mind almost
like a computer that takes in information, processes the
data, and retrieves information when needed.
In cognitivism, there are 3 types of memory: sensory,
working, and long-term. Sensory memory is the visual
and auditory information you receive. As you read this,
you are engaging sensory memory.

10. Working memory is the short-term processing of recent
information. Most likely, your working memory is trying to
connect what you are reading on this slide to what you
read on the previous slide.
Long-term memory is your knowledge of a topic you
can recall on demand. To access this course, you used
your understanding of the internet which is part of your
long-term memory.

11. Cognitivism in Instructional Design
As educators, we aim to move information from sensory
memory to long-term memory. We can do this by helping
our students organize the new information.
Sensory
Memory
Working
Memory
Long-term
Memory
Retrieval

12. There are several ways to do this, such as:
•Chunking information into smaller pieces, so we don’t
overload working memory
•Memory devices, like mnemonics (For example, we are
taught HOMES to remember the names of the great lakes:
Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior)
•Connecting new information to information in working
memory
•Presenting and reviewing new information multiple times

13. CONSTRUCTIVISM

14. Finally, we consider constructivism. In constructivism,
each of us constructs our knowledge based on our
experiences with the world. Learning is an active
process in which the learner interprets the new
knowledge based on their experiences. We do not
simply share our knowledge with our students. We help
them construct their own knowledge.

15. Constructivism promotes realistic and relevant learning.
Students can better apply knowledge in real-life
conditions when learning occurs in similar situations.
Constructivism also includes a social component. Social
interactions help students explore a topic from multiple
perspectives.

16. Constructivism in Instructional Design
There are many ways you can help students construct
knowledge in your online course, including experiential
learning and collaborative learning.

17. Experiential Learning: In experimental learning,
students learn through guided experiences. This course
uses an experiential learning approach. Each of the
following units allows you to apply learning to the
development of your course. By the end of this course,
you will have a better understanding of instructional
design and a blueprint for your own online course.

18. Collaborative Learning: In collaborative learning,
students learn by working together. Participation in the
course’s Facebook group provides opportunities for
collaborative learning in this course.

19. What are other ways you can help students construct
their own learning? Share your ideas in the Facebook
group.

20. End of Lesson