Educating a Multidisciplinary Human Services Workforce - Information Communication Technologies for Human Services Education and Delivery - page 10

Table 1. Teaching and learning approaches and instructional architectures

APPROACH ARCHITECTURE

Absorption Receptive

Behavioral Directive

Cognitive Guided Discovery

Exploratory

Receptive architecture is characterized by an
emphasis on providing information and reflects
a transmission view-of-learning. The information
may be in the form of words and pictures, both
still and animated. A commonly used metaphor
for the receptive architecture is that the learner
is a sponge and the instructor pours out knowl-
edge to be absorbed. In some forms of receptive
instruction, such as lectures or video lessons,
learners have minimal control over the pacing
or sequencing of the training. In other situations
such as text assignments, learners control the pace
and can select the topics in the topic of interest to
them. Some examples of this architecture include
a traditional (non-interactive) lecture, an instruc-
tional video, or a text assignment. Unfortunately,
some online eLearning programs that are known
as “page turners” lack interactivity. As such there
is no corrective feedback given to the learner.
Directive architecture reflects a behavioral
view of learning. The assumption is that learning
occurs by a gradual building of skills; starting from
the most basic and progressing to more advanced
levels. The lessons should be presented in small
chunks of knowledge, providing frequent opportu-
nities for learners to respond to related questions.
Immediate corrective feedback should be used to
ensure that accurate associations are made. The
goal is to minimize the aversive consequences
of making errors which are believed to promote
incorrect associations. Programmed instruction,
popular in the 50's and 60's, is a prime example of
directive architecture. Such lessons were presented
in topics originally; however, they soon migrated
to a computerized delivery.

Guided Discovery architecture uses job-
realistic problems to drive the learning process.
Learners typically access various sources of data
to resolve problems and have instructional support
(sometimes called scaffolding) available to help
them. Unlike the directive architecture, guided
discovery offers learners opportunities to try alter-
natives, make mistakes, experience consequences
of those mistakes, reflect on their results, and revise
their approach. The aim of guided discovery is to
promote construction of mental models by help-
ing learners experience the results of decisions
made in the context of solving realistic cases and
problems. Guided discovery designs are based
on inductive models of learning; that is, learning
of concepts and principles from experience with
specific cases and problems.
Exploratory architecture, also known as “open-
ended learning”, relies on a cognitive view of
learning. Out of the four architectures identified
by Clark (2003), exploratory architectures offer
the most effective opportunities for providing high
levels of “learner control.” Architectures of this
type are frequently used for online courseware.
Instruction is designed to provide a rich set of
instructional/learning resources that include:
learning content, examples, demonstrations, and
knowledge/skills building exercises that are com-
plete with the means to navigate the materials.
Increasingly there is an emphasis on the need
for educators to develop online communities
to foster a sense of belonging and sharing of
knowledge between students. This is an important
component of online course development but does
not replace the equally important task of adopting