Learner-Centered Design

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511816833.009

8 - Learner-Centered Design

Reflections on the Past and Directions for the Future

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012

Cathleen Norris and

Edited by

Chris Quintana: Affiliation:
University of Michigan
Namsoo Shin: Affiliation:
University of Michigan
Cathleen Norris: Affiliation:
University of North Texas
Elliot Soloway: Affiliation:
University of Michigan
R. Keith Sawyer: Affiliation:
Washington University, St Louis

Book contents

Get access

Summary

As new information technologies have emerged, whether radio, television, or computers, advocates of those technologies hoped that each would have a radically transformative effect on education. However, in many ways, the scope of the resulting educational transformation was less than many had hoped for. In the last two decades, a wide range of new information technologies, such as personal computers, handheld computers, wireless networking, and the Internet, have emerged that again have a potential to transform education. Cuban (1986) noted some reasons why previous technologies have been less than successful for supporting learning. First, there is a failure to understand how technologies must be shaped to support the needs of learners. Second, there is a failure to understand how technologies can be effectively integrated into educational contexts in ways that truly support learning activities and goals. Therefore, if computers are to positively impact learning, educational software must be designed around learners' goals, needs, activities, and educational contexts. This approach to designing software is called learner-centered design (LCD) (Soloway, Guzdial, & Hay, 1994).

Here we will provide an overview of learner-centered design and summarize how it is different from typical software design approaches. We will discuss both the critical role of scaffolding in learner-centered design and how software can serve a scaffolding function for learners. We will describe different design frameworks that can impact LCD by guiding designers and researchers in developing intellectual support in software.

Information

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences , pp. 119 - 134
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511816833.009 [Opens in a new window]
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Bell, P., Davis, E. A., & Linn, M. C. (1995). The knowledge integration environment: Theory and design. In Schnase, J. L. & Cunnius, E. L. (Eds.), Proceedings of the Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Conference '95. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar

Beyer, H., & Holtzblatt, K. (2002). Contextual design: A customer-centered approach to systems design. San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.Google Scholar

Brown, A. L., & Campione, J. C. (1994). Guided discovery in a community of learners. In McGilly, K. (Ed.), Classroom lessons: Integrating cognitive theory and classroom practice (pp. 229–270). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar

Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18, 32–42.CrossRef Google Scholar

Cognition and Technology Group. (1990). The Jasper series as an example of anchored instruction: Theory, program description, and assessment data. Educational Psychologist, 27, 291–315.

Cohen, E. G. (1994). Restructuring the classroom: Conditions for productive small groups. Review of Educational Research, 64, 1–35.CrossRef Google Scholar

Collins, A., & Ferguson, W. (1993). Epistemic forms and epistemic games: Structures and strategies to guide inquiry. Educational Psychologist, 28(1), 25–42.CrossRef Google Scholar

Cuban, L. (1986). Teachers and machines: The classroom use of technology since 1920. New York: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar

Davis, E. A. (2003). Prompting middle school science students for productive reflection: Generic and directed prompts. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 12(1), 91–142.CrossRef Google Scholar

Design-Based Research Collective. (2003). Design-based research: An emerging paradigm for educational inquiry. Educational Researcher, 32(1), 5–8.CrossRef

Edelson, D. C. (2001). Learning-for-use: A framework for the design of technology-supported inquiry activities. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38(3), 355–385.3.0.CO;2-M>CrossRef Google Scholar

Edelson, D. C. (2002). Design research: What we learn when we engage in design. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 11, 105–121.CrossRef Google Scholar

Fitzpatrick, G., & Welsh, J. (1995). Process support: Inflexible imposition or chaotic composition. Interacting with Computers, 7(2), 167–180.CrossRef Google Scholar

Gordin, D. N., Polman, J. L., & Pea, R. D. (1994). The Climate Visualizer: Sense-making through scientific visualization. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 3, 203–226.CrossRef Google Scholar

Guzdial, M. (1994). Software-realized scaffolding to facilitate programming for science learning. Interactive Learning Environments, 4(1), 1–44.CrossRef Google Scholar

Hogan, K., Nastasi, B. K., & Pressley, M. (2000). Discourse patterns and collaborative scientific reasoning in peer and teacher-guided discussions. Cognition and Instruction, 17(4), 379–432.CrossRef Google Scholar

Jackson, S. L., Krajcik, J., & Soloway, E. (1998). The design of guided learning-adaptable scaffolding in interactive learning environments, Human Factors in Computing Systems: CHI '98 Conference Proceedings (pp. 187–194). Los Angeles: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRef Google Scholar

Lesgold, A. (1986). Guide to cognitive task analysis. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Learning Research and Development Center.Google Scholar

Linn, M. C., Bell, P., & Davis, E. A. (2004). Specific design principles: Elaborating the scaffolded knowledge integration framework. In Linn, M. C., Davis, E. A. & Bell, P. (Eds.), Internet environments for science education (pp. 315–339). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar

Linn, M. C., Davis, E. A., & Eylon, B.-S. (2004). The scaffolded knowledge integration framework for instruction. In Linn, M. C., Davis, E. A., & Bell, P. (Eds.), Internet environments for science education (pp. 47–72). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar

Linn, M. C., & Slotta, J. D. (2000). WISE science. Educational Leadership, 58(2), 29–32.Google Scholar

Norman, D. A. (1986). Cognitive engineering. In Norman, D. A. & Draper, S. W. (Eds.), User centered system design. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar

Norman, D. A., & Draper, S. W. (Eds.). (1986). User-centered system design. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar

Papert, S. (1993). The children's machine: Rethinking school in the age of the computer. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar

Piaget, J. (1954). The construction of reality in the child. New York: Basic Books.CrossRef Google Scholar

Quintana, C. (2001). Symphony: A case study for exploring and describing design methods and guidelines for learner-centered design. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar

Quintana, C., Eng, J., Carra, A., Wu, H., & Soloway, E. (1999). Symphony: A case study in extending learner-centered design through process-space analysis, Human Factors in Computing Systems: CHI '99 Conference Proceedings (pp. 473–480). Pittsburgh, PA: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar

Quintana, C., Krajcik, J., & Soloway, E. (2002). A case study to distill structural scaffolding guidelines for scaffolded software environments, Human Factors in Computing Systems: CHI 2002 Conference Proceedings. Minneapolis, MN.Google Scholar

Quintana, C., Reiser, B. J., Davis, E. A., Krajcik, J., Fretz, E., Golan, R.. (2004). A scaffolding design framework for software to support science inquiry. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(3), 337–386.CrossRef Google Scholar

Quintana, C., Soloway, E., & Krajcik, J. (2003). Issues and approaches for developing learner-centered technology. In Zelkowitz, M. (Ed.), Advances in computers (Vol. 57, pp. 272–321). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Google Scholar

Reiser, B. J., Tabak, I., Sandoval, W. A., Smith, B. K., Steinmuller, F., & Leone, A. J. (2001). BGuILE: Strategic and conceptual scaffolds for scientific inquiry in biology classrooms. In Carver, S. M. & Klahr, D. (Eds.), Cognition and instruction: Twenty-five years of progress (pp. 263–305). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar

Salomon, G., Perkins, D. N., & Globerson, T. (1991). Partners in cognition: Extending human intelligence with intelligent technologies. Educational Researcher, 20(3), 2–9.CrossRef Google Scholar

Sandoval, W. A., & Reiser, B. J. (2004). Explanation-driven inquiry: Integrating conceptual and epistemic supports for scientific inquiry. Science Education, 88(3), 345–372.CrossRef Google Scholar

Singer, J., Marx, R., Krajcik, J., & Clay Chambers, J. (2000). Constructing extended inquiry projects: Curriculum materials for science education reform. Educational Psychologist, 35(3), 165–178.CrossRef Google Scholar

Smith, B. K., & Reiser, B. J. (1998). National Geographic unplugged: Classroom-centered design of interactive nature films, Human Factors in Computing Systems: CHI '98 Conference Proceedings. Los Angeles: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar

Soloway, E., Guzdial, M., & Hay, K. E. (1994). Learner-centered design: The challenge for HCI in the 21st century. Interactions, 1, 36–48.CrossRef Google Scholar

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar

Wilson, B. G. (1996). Introduction: What is a constructivist learning environment? In Wilson, B. G. (Ed.), Constructivist learning environments: Case studies in instructional design. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.Google Scholar

Wood, D., Bruner, J. S., & Ross, G. (1975). The role of tutoring in problem-solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17, 89–100.CrossRef Google Scholar

Accessibility standard: Unknown

Why this information is here

This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.

Accessibility Information

Accessibility compliance for the PDF of this chapter is currently unknown and may be updated in the future.