Formula for Success

After spending so much time on our projects, what have you learned?

I have learned a great deal working on my design project. I think one of the most important lessons has been the more attention you pay to detail before putting pen to paper, the easier it will be once you begin designing. After you begin to design, the need to pay attention to detail does not diminish. For me, a person with very little patience for detail, it has been great in helping me start to develop a new and important skill.

I think I am also learning how to look at instruction from a different perspective. It is easy to focus on merely what needs to be taught and learned instead of, what will this look like to the learner? Will it make sense? Will it build upon previous knowledge? Have I presented it in a way that will allow for maximum success for the learners. This shift in view is key for designers. You can design the fanciest instruction in the world, but if it is not done with the learners in mind it will be worthless.

I think the Dick and Carey facilitated this shift in view. They created a model that allows for a lot of thought for the learner. While the Dick and Carey model might not be perfect ( I don't have any complaints), I believe that if followed correctly it can provide a formula for successful instruction.