Structuring Mutli-Sensory Access Cues in E-Learning Modules
By
Dickson Lane
While there is much documentation on the mechanisms by which human beings compile and store knowledge, there is relatively little published on how human beings recall, extract, and apply those stored memories into practical applicationfromwithin e-learning modules. Results from the multisensory processing literature make it clear that the senses interact in the process of transferring salient stored memory to viable working memory in ways that should have an enormous impact on Instructional Design and application. Yet, many Instructional Designers are still not effectively employing sensory inputs into their e-learning modules.
Instructional Designers have empirically “known”for decades that the more senses engaged in a learning endeavor, the faster the recall and application of transferred knowledge to viable workplace application, without necessarily understanding which senses were the primary receptors. Many people have misinterpreted this as a mandate to flood sensory inputs to e-learners into a “blanket-bombing” approach, instead of focusing interactions bystructuring the key sensory relays into an intuitive array of“Access Cues.” Clicking a button is not inherently an “interaction.” A button-click is simply an action. By definition, an interaction is “a reciprocal action, effect, or influence,” In the realm of Instructional Design, interactionsrepresent sense-to-brain dialogues, as it were; actions, which in turn, triggerreciprocal recall and practical interpretation of stored knowledge. (I am also a believer that we actually have six senses instead of five. Intuition is, to my perception, an independent sense that touches all of the other five, and is primary in terms of transferring stored knowledge into practical application. But, that is for another presentation.)
In a physical classroom, one can notice learners doodling, tapping pencils, putting erasers in their mouths, even humming. The learners are attaching“Access Cues” of a sort as sensory triggers to thelessons being learned. Now that much of our learning delivery is taking place online instead of in classrooms,several key senses have been eliminated in the exchange. Taste and smell, for example, are not possible in virtual environments, at least not in a predictable manner. The challenge for Instructional Designers in virtual environments: How can we, as Instructional Designers, create the opportunity for sensory interactions of e-learners in virtual environments without being able to witness their“Access Cues” first-hand?
Add to that that there are basically four types of knowledge which need to be transferred to learners–Explicit (the mandated knowledge transfer that is the core of the learning module), Tacit (the implied expectation of performance enhancement from the learning module),Individual (unique expectations within the organizational structure, mandates and repercussions from performance lapses, etc.,), and Organizational (the structure, oversight, department expectations, communication channels, deliverables, etc.,), Learning is only one part of knowledge transfer and practical application –but, it is the only avenue of knowledge transfer for which Instructional Designers have a degree of control. The question then is: How can Instructional Designers anticipate and embedviable sensory triggers and “Access Cues” for the most effective knowledge transfer from E-Learning modulesand recall in virtual environments?
In the research of multi-sensory inputs as it relates to learning, many studies have cited the “McGurk Effect” as a pivotal influence on their thinking. The McGurk Effect is a perceptual phenomenon that presents a dysfunctionalinteraction between hearing and vision in speech recognition. The anomaly occurs when the auditory component of one sound (for example, a ”B” sound) is paired with the visual component of another“sound” (for example a “G” image), leading to the perception if a third sound (perhaps, resonating as a “D”). Other studies have extrapolated the “Autokinetic Effect,” or autokinesis. This is a perceptual phenomenon in which a small,stationary focal point in an otherwise dark or featureless environment appears to move unexpectedly.Throughout the library of PubMed, (US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health) there are studies which look at dominant sensory inputs in multi-sensory learning environments. In other words, when a learner is bombarded with simultaneous sensory input which sense becomes the dominant receptor? Since 2010 there is a preponderance of articles and studies about sensory overload in the digital age. Most of these studies present research that speaks to selective sensory shut-down vs. multi-sensory enablement amidst sensory overload. Other studies present the impact of sensory overload on the speed and effectiveness of learning recall and application. (Overwhelmingly, too much sensory input stifles learning assimilation, recall, and practical application of stored learning.) Which brings us to the third question for Instructional Designers in the digital age; How do Instructional Designers effectively structure sensory triggers and “Access Cues” into our e-learning modules without overpowering the learners with sensory overload?
Three Questions, Three Different Perceptions:
1)How can we, as Instructional Designers, create the opportunity for sensory interactions ofe-learners without being able to witness their“Access Cues” first-hand?
2)How can Instructional Designers anticipate and embed viable sensory triggers and “Access Cues” for the most effective knowledge transfer from E-Learning modules and recall in virtual environments?
3)How do Instructional Designers effectively structure sensory triggers and “Access Cues” into our e-learning modules without overpowering the learners with sensory overload?
TheLatinphrase"omne trium perfectum"(everything that comes in threes is perfect, or, every set of three is complete) comes to mind. In Instructional Design we know that presenting something three times (in slightly different ways*) resonates with learners better than less or more. [No more than three bullets visible at any one time per “slide” is easiest for learners to comprehend. No more than three learning modules per “project.” The list goes on.]
(* Consider the traditional construct of a Learning module – Tell them what you are about to teach them, teach them, remind them of what you taught them. The Rule of Three.)
In the realm of multi-sensory stimuliwithin an e-learning environment, we focus on three senses (for which we can effectively create “Access Cues”); sight (optical), sound (auditory), and touch (tactile). This is where the knowledge of your audience steps front and center. There are cultural, gender, and occupational priorities for sensory dominance. (For example, computer programmers and touch-typists “see” in their mind’s eye even before their fingers have completed thecoding sequence/sentence. Musicians “hear” the notes in their head before they visualize the notes. Pilots “feel” a variance in the flight pattern before their conscious mind can assimilate the anomaly). The immediate interactions flow from these“Access Cues.”
With this in mind, structure the sensory “Access Cues” in relation to the priorities of the E-Learning module. The top priority in any learning module is always the Explicit knowledge transfer -the mandated knowledge that is the core of the learning module. The second is the Tacit knowledge – how the learner applies that knowledge in the workplace. The Individual context of the learning module would follow close on. The transfer of Organizational knowledge is the hardest to codify within a learning module, but it still needs to be addressed.
Utilizing the “Rule of Three,” and the awareness of the learners’ sensory preferences, begin to explore how the learners in the target audience respond tointentionally structured“Access Cues” embedded in the presentation. UAT (User Acceptance Testing) is at the core of every successful le- learning module.
Once Instructional Designers begin to consciously embed targeted sensory triggers and “Access Cues” in E-Learning Modules, the retention rates, pass/fail ratios on assessments, compliance quotas should exponentially explode. More importantly, the E-Learners will be able to assimilate and apply learned knowledge much faster and more completely to the workplace than previously. That is our true benchmark of success, is it not?