Ashley Chiasson, M.Ed

Instructional Designer & Consultant

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Terminology Tuesday: Design Thinking

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Continuing on with theories related to thinking, I’ve seen several articles in recent weeks discussing Design Thinking, so I figured it would be a timely term to discuss.

Design Thinking

The concept of design thinking came to be as a method for solution-based thinking. This idea ties in with last week’s discussion of convergent and divergent thinking (considering one, solitary, correct solution, and considering many solutions), as design thinking begins with divergent thinking to identify many potential solutions and ends with convergent thinking to identify one of the many potential solutions that will be employed as THE solution.

The process of design thinking includes several phases (define, research, ideate, prototype, choose, implement, and learn), which in education can be easily compared to Instructional Design models, such as ADDIE. Define/Research = Analysis, Ideate = Design, Prototype = Develop, Choose/Implement = Implement, and Learn = Evaluate. Very familiar, no?

If you’ve participated in workshops or interactive conference sessions, you’ve likely witnessed design thinking first hand. Last year, I was involved in a workshop-style presentation of research findings. In this presentation, participants were prompted to provide some guided feedback at several junctures. At the end of the presentation, it was then revealed that the researchers were conducting data collection throughout the workshop, and our feedback would be used within their research. Genius! Design thinking in action!

Design thinking isn’t a new concept, and it isn’t always employable within our organizations and/or institutions, but it is a great method for eliciting creativity to solve broader problems.

Interested in reading more? 

‘Design thinking’ is changing the way we approach problems big and small by T. Johnson

Design Thinking and How it Will Change Management Education: An Interview and Discussion by D. Dunne and R. Martin

Terminology Tuesday: Convergent vs. Divergent Thinking

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When we come decisions, we most often employ a process for making those decisions. We may weigh the pros and cons, we may jump immediately to a ‘correct’ solution, or we may choose the wrong solution and have to go back to the drawing board. However you make decisions, there’s more going on inside your brain than you might realize.

Convergent Thinking

Convergent thinking is a process where you tend to choose the ‘correct’ response, given very little mental output. Think of multiple choice exams as an example (now, I know this isn’t the case for all multiple choice exams, but how many times have you ever guessed a response?).

With this method of making decisions, the individual is often focused on patterns, responding in a way that is most probable based on previous experiences. It is a method that tends to be entrenched in logic and familiarity and is often the quickest route to making a decisions.

Divergent Thinking

Divergent thinking is a decision making process that emphasizes the consideration of many ‘correct’ or potentially correct solutions to a problem, which tends to require increased mental output. This method may not be as fast as convergent thinking, but it tends to generate many options and is often viewed as spontaneous, emphasizing principles of free association, brainstorming, and critical-thinking.

Using this method, individuals provide an initial spew of ideas, and then use logic to critical connect various concepts related to the problem in an effort to reach the most appropriate solution.

E-Learning Challenge #110 – Awaken Your E-Learning Force

Last year I completed many more e-learning heroes challenges than I thought I had, and I’m surprising myself early in 2016 by completing my first challenge of the year!

The Concept

This challenge was to ‘awaken’ our e-learning force by creating a Star Wars themed interaction…this was a tall order for me because I had never seen an entire Star Wars movie. I know. I know.

The Method

When thinking about this challenge, I knew I wanted to do something with the iconic intro crawl, and I knew I wanted to build the interaction in Storyline, which was limited in terms of being able to adjust the perspective of my text.

So, here’s what I did instead:

  • Went into PhotoShop and created a transparent canvas the width of my Storyline design, and double the height;
  • Then, I added a text box around the entire canvas, chose a Star-Warsy font, changed the font colour to a shade of yellow, and wrote out my crawl;
  • Once I was finished writing the crawl, I right-clicked the text layer, and selected Rasterize Type;
  • Then, I chose Transform > Perspective from the Edit menu, and adjusted the top of the text box to become a smaller width with the bottom of the text box remaining the same;
  • I added a drop shadow and saved the image.

Then…

  • I went back to my Storyline file where I had applied a background fill of a Star-Warsy looking pattern;
  • Then, I added a scroll panel to the entire width (and majority of height) of my project, with the scroll bar extending past the slide so you couldn’t see it;
  • Next, I added the image I had created in PhotoShop and applied a line motion path, changing the direction to up, changing the easing to none, and I dragged the end point of the motion path to the desired location;
  • I added some Star Wars theme music (attribution under the Resources link), and moved on to the next slide, and set a trigger to jump to the next slide when the motion path animation completed;
  • The next slide was a simple click and reveal interaction that employed buttons to trigger layers.

Result

Screen Shot 2016-01-05 at 10.53.44 AM

To view the full interaction, Click Here.

2015 Recap and 2016 Goals

2015 was a great year! Challenging at times, but still pretty solid. I learned a lot this year, worked with a ton of amazing clients, and I look forward to seeing where 2016 takes me!

2015 RECAP:

Let’s see how I did with my 2015 personal goals:

With that being said, my goals for 2015 are mostly personal goals:

  • Begin therapy to conquer my social anxiety (or at least learn how to cope with it);
  • Maintain a consistent exercise schedule and run a half marathon in May (and possibly another in September);
  • Take positive steps toward becoming the best version of myself I can be;
  • Spend more time with my husband and our family; and
  • Travel to Europe with my husband, taking a proper vacation.

As for business goals:

  • Complete both books and have them published;
  • Present and KILL IT at Learning Solutions 2015;
  • Continue networking with colleagues I respect;
  • Continue working with clients I respect;
  • Conduct various workshops at the university and encourage growth within our distance offerings;
  • Overhaul my portfolio;
  • Participate more actively in the ELH Challenges;
  • Continue blogging regularly; and
  • Begin authoring my third book.

Overall, I feel like I did pretty good with my 2015 goals – I also completed the Online Learning Consortium’s Teaching Certificate, 19 E-Learning Heroes Challenge entries and wrote 38 Terminology Tuesday posts. However, there’s still lots of work left to do in 2016.

2016 GOALS

Personal goals:

  • Slow down and take more time to enjoy the present;
  • Maintain a consistent exercise schedule;
  • Rehabilitate my jaw;
  • Spend more time with my husband and our family; and
  • Travel to Colorado and Iceland with my husband.

Business goals:

  • Slow down, take on fewer clients (than in 2015), and work on fostering long-term working relationships;
  • Continuing networking with colleagues I respect;
  • Speak at 1-2 e-learning events;
  • Publish my 2nd book;
  • Conduct more workshops and speaking engagements at the university, continuing to promote online learning;
  • Learn a new skill;
  • Participate regularly in the Articulate E-Learning Heroes Challenges; and
  • Blog regularly.

Terminology Tuesday: Multi-Access Framework

We’re preparing for a busy Winter semester, and this semester we have a large amount of multi-access classes being taught. While not exactly a ‘new’ thing for us, perfecting it is relevantly new, especially with rapid advances to technology.

Multi-Access?

What is a multi-access class? Well, it is a class designed to cater to the needs of two groups of students: those attending face-to-face, and those attending online or at a distance. This type of class allows both groups of students to participate in the learning exchange of the course itself, while creating a greater sense of community by interacting with students in both environments.

Multi-access students are central in this context. They are able to choose when and where they participate; sure, some students may only be able to attend online, but the option is there. They are not restricted by having to register as either an on campus or online student, they can mix and match as their schedules allow.

How is the Multi-Access format beneficial?

Outside of its obvious benefits to student flexibility, the multi-access format allows institutions to increase enrolment opportunities, while providing faculty members with increased delivery options. It also provides increased access to the course content to a broader range of students.

Resources

Articulate Storyline Essentials Ebook Sale!

The lovely folks at Packt Publishing are placing all ebooks on sale for 5 dollars! What a steal! If you’d like to purchase my ebook, Articulate Storyline Essentials, at this special price, please click through the banner below.

Happy Holidays!

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