May I have a transfer?

One of the ways to determine if learning has been successful is if a student can leave the classroom environment and be able to apply what they have learned to their own work. In the world of learning this is called transfer.


My father taught college for many years. He was a successful and well-liked professor. After he had been teaching for a number of years he took a consulting job in his field. He found out that what he had been teaching all those years did not transfer to the real world. For college that's almost par for the course - for the rest of us - that's a HUGE problem.


One of the aspects we have taken into consideration when designing our courses was to ensure that what the students learn in our classes transfers back to the environment in which they will be using it. Not only do we try to present examples that reflect real applications of what is being taught but we also allow students to work on their own projects for Assignments. Students can then see for themselves how what they are learning applies to them and their situation.


Students are given a whole set of tools they can use to work through any challenge they may face. Many methods of presentation of a topic, many examples of how the knowledge can be applied and many types of assessment of knowledge help ensure that a student can apply what they are learning to a variety of situations. And if the resources that are available don't meet the student's needs then the instructor is there to share his or her own experiences and to help the students find additional resources.

Labels: instructional design

posted by Winona Winslow @ 10:04 AM 0 Comments