Main Body
Learning Activities
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Create a learning environment that will bring about the intended learning outcomes.
- Design learning activities that support, encourage and motivate student learning and develop reciprocity and cooperation among students.
- Facilitate learning that addresses the diverse needs of adult learners through a variety of instructional techniques.
As you work through the course design and begin to structure and order course content and topics, think about activities that will reinforce and build on learners’ understanding and knowledge of concepts, theory, skills, or abilities.
You should have two goals in mind as you design learning activities for a course. The first goal is to align the activity to the course learning outcomes, the second is to engage and stimulate the learner.
1. Connect the learning activity to the course learning outcomes.
Each piece of learning time in a course should have a purpose and work towards the goal of supporting learners to achieve the course learning outcomes. There should be a clear relationship between learning activities and the stated learning outcomes for the course. This connection assists learners to understand the purpose of the activity and how engaging in the activity will help them to develop or sharpen their learning.
2. Engage and stimulate the learner.
Learning activities can include individual, small group, large group, in class, out of class, and on line activities designed to stimulate and engage learners, and to develop knowledge, skills or abilities related to course learning outcomes. Learning styles and preferences are important to consider when you develop a learning activity. It is essential that the range of activities you select for the course tap into the diversity of learning styles, strengths and needs that learners bring to the learning experience.
Queen’s University has an excellent website outlining suggestions for learning activities for large and small groups and individuals.
Guiding Questions
Before you start this phase of instructional design, be sure to ask yourself the following questions:
- What learning activities do you generally use in class to facilitate student learning?
- Have you considered a broad range of learning activities to engage a variety of different learners?
- How will your learning activities prepare learners to meet course learning outcomes?
Sources
Examples of Learning Activities. Queen’s University. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
