What is Student-Centered Learning?

A Case for Using Student-Centered Learning Instruction in the Workplace Created for

The Flight Training Support Center at Naval Air Station - Corpus Christi

Created by: Kristi Kosina September 2015

BUSINESS REPORT

What is Student-Centered Learning? 2 Introduction Learning from the student's perspective in educational environments is frequently discussed, tinkered with, and implemented, but perhaps workplace learning, training, or professional development should be given the same consideration. At the Naval Air Station - Corpus Christi (NAS-CC) Flight Training Support Center (FTSC), employees are still learners during trainings or professional development. New employees are trained to get up to speed and more experienced employees still require training to keep up with changing organizational policies and technological improvements. If the Project Manager desires a well-trained staff, then learning approaches that are proven to enhance employee learning should be considered. The answer to this issue is to consider learner-centered approaches in workplace trainings at the FTSC. This business report has been generated for the FTSC Project Manager and all interested FTSC trainers and employees. Each stakeholder will consider its contents and recommendations for implementation in future training sessions in the FTSC workplace. This report details what Student-Centered Learning (SCL) is, including its definition and its characteristics. Essentially, learner-centered approaches allow the student to be more engaged in their own learning and this produces results that can increase workplace productivity. There are research studies that have been performed on several learning theories that say that student-centered learning, as opposed to teacher-centered approaches, more adequately prepares learners for future problems that need to be solved, such as challenges in the workplace. Social Learning Theory and Cognitive Theory of Multimedia support the use of SCL in any educational setting. The advantages and disadvantages of SCL are included to illustrate its successful strategies and ideas, as well as several challenges that may need to be overcome. Finally, the report will detail recommendations for implementation of SCL in the workplace. If approved, these recommendations can be sent to the Quality Assurance department for the certified Quality Assurance Representatives (QARs) who will be encouraged to design, develop, and facilitate future employee trainings. If the FTSC staff is better trained in creating and maintaining aviation training materials, then its aviation clients will also be better trained. This is important because implementation of SCL at the FTSC can increase productivity and also generate a higher return on investments. What is Student-Centered Learning? Learning means that students have acquired knowledge or skills that they previously did not have. However, the design of training, instruction, and education can mean the difference between a learner who closes a knowledge and skills gap and one who does not. Student-Centered Learning occurs when learners are able to take control of and become independently engaged in their own learning. SCL is an extensive learning approach that has a broad definition of "[a] learning environment in which knowledge is constructed by students and the teacher is a facilitator of learning rather than (merely) the presenter of information" ("Student-centered learning: Definition of student-centered learning," n.d.). So, if teachers design and prepare lessons ahead of time that students can then independently engage in later, student-centered learning has occurred. Teachers should not be lecturing the entire training session. With SCL, students are able to "influence the content, activities, materials, and pace of learning" (Froyd &

3 What is Student-Centered Learning? Simpson, 2010). After providing the learning materials, the learner-centered teacher stands back and only assists learning if students request help. It often helps the learning process if the content and activities are also designed with the learner in mind. This means that instructors are knowledgeable of learner needs and desires so that instruction can be tailored toward specific learners. This also means that instructors have an understanding of the learning process from a cognitive perspective so that they will be able to design instruction that can best help the student achieve their learning goals. Edglossary ("Student-centered learning," 2014) mentions four characteristics of student-centered learning:

1. The instruction and learning process is individualized. The learner's entire educational experience is designed to meet their learning desires, goals, and needs in a way that considers their personal sociocultural identity and learning abilities. Project-Based Learning is a solution to personalize learning since learners can draw their own experiences into their learning or use the tools and resources they like.

2. Learning is mastery-based. Learners do not progress to the next learning objective until they have demonstrated proficiency in the current learning objective. The lesson is not complete until all skills and knowledge in each learning objective have been achieved.

3. Learning is flexible. It is self-paced and can be achieved from any place at any time. 4. Learners are able to make their own learning decisions and are involved in the design

of their instruction. Engagement is key in student-centered learning. Possible ways to engage learners include hands-on activities, such as projects, group work, and discussion forums. However, these activities need to be mastery-based to ensure the learning has occurred. They need to be flexible to allow learners to opportunities to educate themselves wherever and whenever they can. Such flexibility increases learning opportunities and chances to succeed. These activities also need to be personal in nature since individualization can increase engagement. After considering several characteristics, Student-Centered Learning can be more narrowly defined as:

A flexible and individualized approach to learning that allows students to independently or interdependently control and interact with hands-on learning content, resources, and peers to achieve learning goals that interest them.

Theoretical Foundations of Student-Centered Learning Not only should the FTSC staff be familiar with what SCL is, but an awareness of the theoretical background of SCL is significant in the decision to implement it into workplace trainings. The science of student learning is very important in developing learner-centered instruction. The learning theory science essentially tells educators how students learn, including what kinds of teaching methods work and which kinds hinder learning. There are several learning theories that support student-centered learning. Some include Jean Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development, B.F. Skinner's Operant Conditioning, Lev Vygotsky's Social Development Theory, Alfred Bandura's Social Learning Theory, and Richard Mayer's Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. Bandura's and Mayer's theories are discussed here to help mold an

What is Student-Centered Learning? 4 understanding of student learning so that effective workplace training and instruction can be designed in the future. Social Learning Theory. The FTSC workplace is filled with people, so the following is a look into a theory that promotes and enhances social learning. When collaborating with people toward a common goal, it is important to consider social constructivist approaches to learning, which suggest that people learn from others and participate in their own understanding of the world through engagement and reflection as opposed to merely obtaining information (Hein, 1991). Alfred Bandura's Social Learning Theory is a social constructivist approach that says it is through observation of people and the environment that learners can acquire new behaviors (McLeod, 2011). This theory implies that people are active learners in that they process information by a cost-benefit approach to any observed behavior. Components to this theory include the behavior that learners see in others as models (Gredler, 2009). A second component of this theory says that people can learn from positive behaviors that appear to work and negative behaviors that do not work. A third component mentions that learners have the cognitive processing capability to differentiate between various models that will ultimately benefit their own learning. Learners can use the models they witness to inform their activities at a later time. They can also use an amalgamation of past experiences and witnessed behaviors as they perform similar activities. Due to these learned behaviors, students develop self-efficacy and self-regulation. Self-efficacy is the learner's confidence level in being able to perform the modeled behaviors. If learners have high self-efficacy, then they will be more motivated to achieve the learning goals that they set (Peer & McClendon, 2002). Self-regulation involves selecting and modifying learned behaviors to achieve goals. Students who are able to regulate their own behaviors well will be able to efficiently use their prior knowledge of observed behaviors to perform the new behaviors required for instruction. Bandura's Social Learning Theory is important to consider in workplace training because it is often the case that experienced employees will train newer employees. So, employers may want to mold how model employees share productive behaviors. Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. Since learning can include methods other than direct instructor-to-student interactions, the following is a look into the methods and strategies for delivering effective instruction of stand-alone, web-based, computer-based, or other forms of lessons that involve multimedia. Richard Mayer's (2009) Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning discusses how students can learn through the use of words and images in instruction. This learning theory has a foundation in learning science and research and can effectively guide instructional design based on how students learn through multimedia. It asks how multimedia instruction can be designed to take advantage of how humans discover knowledge and skills to improve learning. The three assumptions of this theory are (1) information is processed cognitively through duel auditory and visual input channels, (2) cognitive load must be managed since each channel has a limited capacity, and (3) learners are active information processors who learn by sorting, choosing, arranging, and assimilating channel input (Mayer, p. 63, 2009). Below, Figure 1 (Kosina et al., 2015) illustrates the three basic assumptions:

5 What is Student-Centered Learning?

The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning encompasses twelve principles that resulted from research on how people learn through multimedia instruction and is listed below (Mayer, 2009). These principles can guide instructional designers on how best to incorporate multimedia components, such as text, images, and voice-overs, into lessons for optimal learning output.

1. Coherence Principle – Learning is improved when irrelevant information is left out. 2. Signaling Principle – Learning is improved when important information is emphasized. 3. Redundancy Principle – Learning is improved when instruction includes images and

voice-overs instead of images, voice-overs, and text. 4. Spatial Contiguity Principle – Learning is improved when similar text and images are

organized near each other rather than divided. 5. Temporal Contiguity Principle – Learning is improved when narration and images are

synchronized rather than occurring one after another. 6. Segmenting Principle – Learning is improved when multimedia instruction is given in

self-paced chunks instead of as one constant lesson. 7. Pre-Training Principle – Learning is improved when people are given important lesson

concepts beforehand, as opposed to no pre-training at all. 8. Modality Principle – Learning is improved when multimedia instruction includes images

and voice-overs rather than images and written text. 9. Multimedia Principle – Learning is improved when multimedia instruction includes

images and text, as opposed to only text. 10. Personalization Principle – Learning is improved when narration and written text are

informal rather than formal. 11. Voice Principle – Learning is improved when voice-overs are realistic rather than robotic. 12. Image Principle – Learning is not automatically improved when an instructor's image is

available.

What is Student-Centered Learning? 6 Advantages and Disadvantages of Student-Centered Learning After reviewing the theoretical foundations of SCL, it is necessary for the FTSC staff to consider the benefits and challenges of its implementation. Student-Centered Learning requires its stakeholders to invest a significant amount of their time and effort to design and employ learner-centered trainings. Considering the research findings, this approach can be beneficial to the entire staff if executed properly. Some advantages and disadvantages are mentioned below to help in the decision-making process. Advantages. One of the most important benefits to student-centered learning is that the student can take control of their own learning (Corley, 2012). This often leads to improved learning outcomes since students feel empowered to make their own learning decisions, which increases their motivation to complete learning tasks. When students are involved in their own learning decisions, the instructor can relinquish some control in favor of a mentor approach and step in when clarification or help is needed. Since learner-centered approaches can be mastery-based, students do not progress to the next topic or move on before they are ready. Lesson topics tend to include scaffolding and transition from simple concepts to more intricate concepts so learners can build knowledge onto previously learned concepts. Learning is application-based, so students can take what they have gained and apply it to similar situations in the future. In social settings, learners and instructors are able to collaborate with each other and gain perspectives on learning material that would not be available if they were alone. A learner-centered approach is flexible to meet the needs of people in the 21st century. Learners can choose when and where they learn, which creates more learning opportunities. Disadvantages. Perhaps the most difficult part of student-centered learning is implementing it. People may not like change and learner-centered approaches can be drastically different than traditional learning. Sometimes, learners think instructors are being lazy since more control is given to the learners. Since learners do have more control over their learning, they may be more uncomfortable and hesitant to explore their learning freedom. If students are given control, then discussions can be more disorganized ("Which is Best: Teacher-Centered or Student-Centered Education?," 2012). Instructors also have to supervise various learner activities at diverse stages, which may not be ideal for the instructor. If material is presented to learners at various times, not all learners will receive the same information and some learners may overlook important information. Sometimes, learners are more individualistic and have problems working with groups. So, the collaborative nature of student-centered learning may be challenging for them. Even though, there are several challenges to designing and implementing SCL, the benefits seen in research have demonstrated an improvement in workplace dynamics and efficiency. The next section will detail examples of how SCL can be implemented into the FTSC. What Student-Centered Learning Means in the FTSC The research suggests that learning is accomplished by various means and workplace training in the FTSC could be improved by the incorporation of a social component of experienced employee modeling and a multimedia component that follows Mayer's principles. To implement Bandura's Social Learning Theory into the FTSC Instructional Design Team workplace trainings, an expert in each department is recommended to model or perform the required computational

7 What is Student-Centered Learning? procedures in front of less experienced employees. Perhaps the expert employee can train other employees on the wrong or less effective approach first and then show a better or more effective approach second. This way learners can understand the difference between various methods and their results so they can inform their future decisions. For example, an expert courseware developer can show a less experienced courseware developer how to package courses so that they can be successfully transferred into the learning management system. They can also show the wrong way to package a lesson and have the less experienced employee witness what happens when the learning management system does not accept the incorrect format. To implement Richard Mayer's Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, it is recommended to follow the twelve principles in designing multimedia instruction. The QAR instructors and designers should consider how images, text, and narration work together to optimize learning achievement. A specific recommendation includes segmenting or chunking lessons. As far as the length of learning segments, Philip Guo, Juho Kim, and Rob Rubin ("How Video Production Affects Student Engagement," n.d.) researched that a majority of learners become less engaged before six minutes and peak engagement was around zero to three minute long chunks. Therefore, it is recommended to keep learning activities as brief as possible to optimize learning. For example, electronic courseware trainings on protecting personally identifying information given to the employees should include videos that are segmented and last only a few minutes each. This should keep employees engaged and motivated to complete these lessons. Another recommendation based on the SCL approach is to have the QARs create hands-on training activities that simulate actual workplace tasks. This could be project-based and collaborative in the sense that all employees new and experienced in a particular department can come together to solve a workplace problem for that department. For example. if the technical writers need to transition between using Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Word 2010, then all technical writers, including newly hired technical writers, should come together and determine what the new software version will allow them to do and how they will be able to successfully convert documents from the old version to the new version. The technical writers could work with the QARs to determine how best to design and develop training that successfully transitions employees from using Microsoft Word 2007 to 2010. If trainings like this involve multimedia elements that are recorded as a video or an interactive multimedia learning object, such as electronic courseware, it can be reused in the future for new hires. Including a combination of departmental collaboration and hands-on multimedia activities in trainings can create a more cohesive department, as well as improve learning output and productivity. Summary Student-Centered Learning should be considered as a beneficial learning approach to workplace trainings at the FTSC. In this business report, SCL is explained with its definition and characteristics to describe what it is and how it can help influence workplace trainings. SCL is a learning approach that allows learners to take control of their learning, which ultimately encourages them to want to learn more. Learning theory research is included to demonstrate the human learning science behind the use of Student-Centered Learning, which shows that SCL is a superior approach to training and education over traditional training methods. Many learning

What is Student-Centered Learning? 8 theories detail how the human mind works and discuss which learning strategies best take advantage of how people actually learn. The two learning theories in this report are Social Learning Theory and Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. The first theory features research that involves the benefits and repercussions of observing various educational and workplace behaviors in others. The second theory specifies important considerations when designing multimedia instruction, since people rely on duel audiovisual channels to learn. There are several benefits and challenges to implementing SCL in the workplace, so the FTSC Project Manager and QARs will have to weigh each point to see how each relates to the learning needs of FTSC employees. Recommendations are mentioned that suggest how the FTSC workplace would benefit if employees can witness productive and non-productive behaviors in their coworkers. A second recommendation details what to do in designing training using the Segmenting Principle of the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. A third recommendation includes an example of a hands-on learning activity, which is a way to make training more learner-centered. Occasionally, workers will not want to be engaged and try to skate by. However, many more FTSC employees want to be able to perform their best at work and create positive change and improvement. If student-centered learning is implemented, FTSC employees will be engaged in their professional development, they will learn more about how to successfully complete their job, and productivity will go up. Based on this report's findings, the FTSC Project Manager, QARs, and all interested stakeholders should consider designing and implementing Student-Centered Learning strategies into future FTSC trainings. References Corley, M. (2012). Student-centered learning. Retrieved September 23, 2015, from

https://teal.ed.gov/tealguide/studentcentered Froyd, J., & Simpson, N. (2010, March 1). Student-centered learning addressing faculty

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Gredler, M. (2009). Learning and instruction: Theory into practice (6th ed.). Upper Saddle

River, N.J.: Merrill Pearson. Guo, P., Kim, J., & Rubin, R. (n.d.). How Video Production Affects Student Engagement: An

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