Forum Discussion
Forced play of narration and gating navigation
Recently had a conversation about why not to gate navigation and only allow progress once a learner has completed audio.
I've argued that not doing this - basically allowing learners to navigate freely and not to gate navigation - is based on Knowles principles of andragogy and is a more welcome approach to consuming online learning programs. My recollection is that I ran across research that suggested that forced consumption of material actually reduces engagement. Learners figure out how much time and effort they have to invest and then simply game the system. A google search on this research hasn't revealed a source. Does this ring any bells for anyone else?
FYI- This document examines a similar issue and provides an array of references that you may find informative.
Excepted from LEARNING PROFESSIONALS THAT LEVERAGE LEARNER AGENCY AS AN ASYNCHRONOUS INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN STRATEGY: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY
Available at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5970&context=doctoral
(from pp. 132-133)
Non-Linear Instructional Strategies Reinforce an Active Learner Role. The reliance on concurrent instructional strategies that reinforce the learner’s role in the experience are a critical to learning outcomes (Knowles et la., 2022; Schreiber, 2022).
If the strategy promotes learner agency and is responsive and immersive, the learner must have more active involvement to match the instructional strategy presented by making inferences and prompting a deeper processing of information for implementation (Schreiber, 2022). The reciprocal situation holds that less engaging instructional strategies perpetuate a more complacent learner without the responsibility of interacting with the content in the flow of the learning.
-Note that one does not merely beget the other; a strategy alone does not create the engagement that ensures success where there is none to be had. But for success with such a strategy, engagement by the learner is critical.
The navigational elements can also be leveraged as a strategy to support learners in a more active role of the experience (Knowles et al., 2022). To use navigational elements or functions strategically, professionals must consider the role the navigational functions play in the experience, especially at they pertain to respective authoring tools and LMS features (Glaveski, 2019; Knowles et al., 2022). The participants in this study distinguish the rationale behind complete restriction of directional navigation and heavily sequence curricular structure as a means to limit the learner to follow a singular path. In contrast, the participants look for ways to blend less restricted strategies with those that emphasize instructional pacing and considers barriers to learning that need to be accounted for or removed (McKay et al., 2023).
Just like speed bumps in a large parking lot are in place to slow vehicles down at certain intervals or high pedestrian traffic areas, the engagement and interactivity of the navigation allows learners to slow down for a strategically placed point in the learning. Navigational engagement and interactivity provide practice opportunities to apply the content within a certain context and grants the agency for learners to balance the expectations and demands of the material in a way that contributes to the development of their professional and individual identities (McKay et al., 2023; Schreiber, 2022).
-This works both ways. Sometimes you need the learners to slow down in order to effectively engage with the learning. Sometimes the learners need to control their pace or sequencing to best accommodate their own personal learning needs.
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The takeaway is that while adult learners benefit from increased control over their experiences, the outcomes are still informed by the underlying desire for the (learning) experience. If the learners are interested, then free navigation is good. If not so much, then it can’t really fix the problem and may even worsen the result.
The design decisions will need to weigh the characteristics of the content against the appetite of the audience.
See the linked document for the references.
