Construct Inc: After Action Report

What was expected?

As the first course in my MET journey, I did not have any previous exposure to constructivism and as a result my expectation for ETEC530: Constructivist Strategies for eLearning was somewhat unknown. However, I had done previous work in the area of knowledge management and felt that this could provide me with interesting insights as to how knowledge is formed. The research café concept reminded me of the use of Communities of Practice to support workplace learning, and the idea of constructing knowledge seemed to align with the rationale behind the design of training programs.

What was the reality?

What I quickly discovered is that this course was very theory-based, and my years of experience in the field of adult learning were no replacement for formal training in the field of education, and this quickly became evident. I discovered that many of my peers were educators and had prior knowledge of what constructivism was, and that my learning curve would be steep; to learn the fundamentals of constructivist learning theory as well as it's application to elearning. Nevertheless, I persevered and quickly became engrossed in the materials. I also realized that in some ways this worked to my advantage. It allowed me to think differently than some of my peers; to question and draw parallels to adult learning in unique ways.

I soon discovered that constructivist learning theory is in fact quite applicable to workplace learning, where adult learners are heavily influenced by their prior work experience, personal motivations and organizational culture as they learn. This prompted my interest in designing the knowledge sharing research café for the professional development of teachers, educating my peers on how constructivism can also be applied outside the classroom.

What went well and why? How did it support my goals?

What worked well about this project was the opportunity to construct our own knowledge, while using constructivist learning theories to develop a training program. The professional development workshop option for the final assignment was ideally suited for me as I was able to design it in such a way that it was applicable to my work and could be delivered to my peers.

As workshop participants would not have a background in education, this workshop would lay the foundation for understanding epistemology, learning theory, constructivism and andragogy, and teach them how to apply their learning enhance employee onboarding.

Here I was able to expand my knowledge of learning theories and their application to instructional design for online learning. This also enabled me to further examine how technologies support learning that naturally occurs in the workplace.

What can be improved, and how?

Participating in this course at the end, versus the start of my MET journey would have likely led to quite a different learning experience. Instead of exploring principles of knowledge sharing and community, perhaps I would have explored how knowledge is constructed and supported by the use of artificial intelligence, or how contextual learning creates a creates a tailored learning experience based on their existing knowledge. I might ask questions around the challenges of re-shaping learned behaviours in areas of leadership or communications training, or perhaps how situated learning can be supported by constructivist learning designs.

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Reading List

• Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management

• Knowledge Management Support for Teachers