“An interdisciplinary field that studies teaching and learning”
– Sawyer, 2022, p.1
Sawyer (2022) emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the learning sciences and how it draws from various disciplines to understand and improve teaching and learning. My research about learning design principles aligns with this by integrating insights from cognitive psychology, educational technology, and instructional design to create effective online learning environments.
“The learning sciences is a field that studies how people learn and how to support learning”
-Hoadley, in Fischer et.al. 2018, p.11
Hoadley (2018) focuses on the practical applications of learning sciences research to support learning, emphasising the needs of professional development for instructors. It involves translating research findings into practical strategies that educators can use to enhance their teaching practices.
“The learning sciences as a whole may be taken as an effort to overcome the much-lamented gap between research and practice in education”
-Bereiter, 2014, p.12
Bereiter (2014) highlights the ongoing effort in the learning sciences to bridge the gap between research and practice in education, a task central to my role as an instructional designer and my research focus by emphasizing the importance of translating theoretical insights into practical applications. In my professional life, I bridge this gap by applying current research in the learning sciences to create effective, evidence-based learning experiences that enhance student engagement and self-regulation in asynchronous online courses. My research aims to uncover principles for designing online environments that increase participation and foster active learning, ensuring that educational practices are informed by the latest research.
Overall, the online learning engagements that I am currently studying connect with the learning sciences’ goal of understanding the conditions that support effective learning. Through investigating how to create engaging online learning environments, my research contributes to the broader effort to make learning more accessible and effective, especially in digital contexts.
References
Bereiter, C. (2014). Principled Practical Knowledge: Not a Bridge but a Ladder. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 23(1), 4–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508406.2013.812533
Hoadley, C. (2004). Learning and design: Why the learning sciences and instructional systems need each other. Educational Technology, 44(3), 6-1.
Sawyer, R. K. (2022). The Cambridge handbook of the Learning Sciences (3rd ed.) (Third edition). Cambridge University Press.