{"id":7011,"date":"2016-08-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/cw_post\/learning-engineering-making-its-way-in-the-world\/"},"modified":"2020-02-27T14:45:05","modified_gmt":"2020-02-27T19:45:05","slug":"learning-engineering-making-its-way-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"cw_post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/cw_post\/learning-engineering-making-its-way-in-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cLearning Engineering\u201d Making its Way in the World"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-14139\" src=\"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Deeper-Learning-300x209-300x209.jpg\" alt=\"Deeper Learning\" width=\"250\" height=\"174\" \/>This post originally appeared at <a href=\"http:\/\/gettingsmart.com\/2016\/07\/learning-engineering-making-its-way-in-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\">Getting Smart<\/a> on July 26, 2016 and <a href=\"http:\/\/brorsblog.typepad.com\/brors-blog\/2016\/07\/learning-engineering-making-its-way-in-the-world.html\" target=\"_blank\">Bror&#8217;s Blog<\/a> on July 21, 2016.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I recently (re)stumbled across <a title=\"Four Tips for Edtech Investors Who Care About Impact\" href=\"https:\/\/www.edsurge.com\/news\/2016-02-15-four-tips-for-edtech-investors-who-care-about-impact\" target=\"_blank\">an interesting article in EdSurge<\/a> about using educational impact to evaluate ed-tech companies and services. It seems an obvious thing, but as the article points out, it\u2019s not so simple to do. It reminded me of a range of efforts that are now popping up to assist us all with\u00a0\u201c<a title=\"CHE Article: Why We Need Learning Engineers\" href=\"http:\/\/chronicle.com\/article\/Why-We-Need-Learning-Engineers\/229391\" target=\"_blank\">learning engineering<\/a>\u201d work \u2013 applying good learning science and evidence-gathering at scale.<\/p>\n<p>In my previous blog, <a title=\"&quot;I've got one word for you - Adaptivity&quot;\" href=\"http:\/\/brorsblog.typepad.com\/brors-blog\/2016\/07\/ive-got-one-word-for-you-adaptivity-adapted-from-the-graduate-with-ed-tech-could-he-have.html\" target=\"_blank\">I mentioned a range of resources<\/a> that attempt to synthesize evidence-based learning for use in the field, including resources like Clark and Mayer\u2019s <em><a title=\"Amazon link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/e-Learning-Science-Instruction-Guidelines-Multimedia\/dp\/1119158664\/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1469120160&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=e-learning+and+the+science+of+instruction\" target=\"_blank\">E-Learning and the Science of Instruction<\/a><\/em>, which I have recommended for years to many people as a great initial synthesis. (OK, Dr. Hess would be grumpy if I did not mention our own efforts along those lines, <em><a title=\"Amazon link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Breakthrough-Leadership-Digital-Age-Schooling\/dp\/1452255490\/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1469120253&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=breakthrough+leadership+in+the+digital+age\" target=\"_blank\">Breakthrough Leadership in the Digital Age: Using Learning Science to Reboot Schooling<\/a><\/em>). There are now other efforts around to put such syntheses to work:<br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>MIT\u2019s <a title=\"Home page\" href=\"https:\/\/oepi.mit.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\">Online Education Policy Initiative<\/a> group recently released <a title=\"Final report\" href=\"https:\/\/oepi.mit.edu\/final-report\" target=\"_blank\">an excellent report<\/a> on how various kinds of learning science should be applied in the higher education context, explicitly calling for the creation of a \u201clearning engineering\u201d profession to help drive evidence-based progress among faculty, who are far more likely to be expert at domain research than in applications of learning science and good psychometric practices to their own domain. (Intriguingly, the report reminds us that the term \u201clearning engineer\u201d is pretty old \u2013 was first used with exactly the same meaning by the Nobel Prize Winner Herb Simon back in 1967.)<\/li>\n<li>Carnegie Mellon has fronted the creation of a <a title=\"Home page\" href=\"http:\/\/www.globallearningcouncil.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Global Learning Council<\/a> to pull together many leading higher education institutions around the world to work on applications of learning science at scale, how to understand cross-cultural diversity as an influence on evidence-based learning, and how to think about data security within this context. They\u2019ve put together\u00a0<a title=\"Online document with examples\" href=\"http:\/\/www.globallearningcouncil.org\/documents\/\" target=\"_blank\">a Web site that includes examples<\/a> of good practice as well as recommendations for action, which will evolve over time.<\/li>\n<li>Last year saw the start of <a title=\"Home page\" href=\"http:\/\/deansforimpact.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Deans for Impact<\/a>, a group of 30+ deans of schools of education who\u2019ve committed to using evidence about the performance of their teachers after they graduate to improve their program, and to teach their teachers <a title=\"Learning Science guide\" href=\"http:\/\/deansforimpact.org\/the_science_of_learning.html\" target=\"_blank\">about applying learning science<\/a> in the classroom as part of their training.<\/li>\n<li>A recent effort started by the University of Virginia called the <a title=\"Home page\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jeauva.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Jefferson Education Accelerator<\/a>\u00a0seeks to help mid-sized start-ups work on gathering efficacy data, by connecting them to learning science researchers. They\u2019ve recently embarked on <a title=\"CHE article about the effort\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jeauva.com\/news\/which-ed-tech-tools-truly-work-new-project-aims-tell-why-no-one-seems-eager-find-out\" target=\"_blank\">a year-long effort<\/a> to understand what\u2019s in the way of \u201clearning engineering\u201d being used in higher education.<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"ADC Forum home page\" href=\"http:\/\/adcforum.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Australian Davos Connection (ADC) Forum<\/a> in Australia has begun <a title=\"Description of Education Initiative\" href=\"http:\/\/adcforum.org\/education-taskforce-and-summit\/\" target=\"_blank\">a series of working groups around education, innovation and economic development<\/a> in Australia. At least one of the groups, the Human Performance subgroup, has been digging in to research on learning science and motivation as part of its contribution.<\/li>\n<li>A relatively new non-profit, <a title=\"Home page\" href=\"http:\/\/www.transcendeducation.org\/#home\" target=\"_blank\">Transcend Education<\/a>, was created by Aylon Samouha and Jeff Wetzler. Their intention is to <a title=\"Transcend's approach\" href=\"http:\/\/www.transcendeducation.org\/approach\/#approach-page\" target=\"_blank\">help reform models accelerate their progress<\/a> to effectiveness at scale, in part by providing specific guidance (including frameworks and templates, eventually) on applications of learning science and good assessment practice.<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Home page\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mheducation.com\/\">McGraw-Hill<\/a> has claimed the title of <a title=\"Video showcasing commitment to learning science\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/KNWZhaiQZSE\" target=\"_blank\">The Learning Science Company<\/a>, and is digging more deeply into the data sets it is beginning to accumulate through its LearnSmart technology as well as working on incorporating better design practices into product design processes.<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Home page\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pearson.com\/about-us\/measuring-success-in-education.html\" target=\"_blank\">Pearson<\/a> several years ago made a point to <a title=\"Pearson efficacy approach\" href=\"https:\/\/efficacy.pearson.com\/about-efficacy\/introduction.html\" target=\"_blank\">focus on efficacy<\/a> of the different offerings it has around the globe, including running a series of evaluations of different products and services.<\/li>\n<li>The Department of Education has been running a series of efforts to design <a title=\"RCTE project description\" href=\"http:\/\/tech.ed.gov\/rcte\/\" target=\"_blank\">Rapid Cycle Technology Evaluation<\/a>frameworks and tools, culminating in a set of pilots this fall with districts to lower the barriers to gathering the right kinds of evidence for different kinds of decisions. For example, deciding if something can be used by teachers and students at scale can be done with very different study designs than trying to compare the learning impact of two different interventions.<\/li>\n<li>There are more!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Full disclosure: A number of people (Ken Koedinger, Marsha Lovett, me, others) have been involved in more than one of the above efforts \u2013 this is one area where we\u2019re not afraid to put our thumbs on multiple scales!<\/p>\n<p>We at Kaplan are also taking this to heart. I think of myself as Kaplan\u2019s \u201cChief Learning Engineer,\u201d and my colleagues around the company are doing a number of things to deploy evidence-based learning at scale:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Training all our instructional designers on what evidence suggests the best solutions to learning and motivation challenges might be \u2013 working to make \u201clearning engineering\u201d decisions in the field, with all the constraints and challenges the real world throws at us.<\/li>\n<li>Running a series of randomized controlled trials in different parts of the company (more than a 100 now) with the goal of finding out what interventions really make a difference to student success, improving the outcomes or the efficiency of learning or both.<\/li>\n<li>Focusing more time and attention on the validity and reliability of learning-evidence-gathering methods, an Achilles heel for many approaches to learning, and especially for ambitions to make adaptive learning an effective reality. (For example, if your learning outcome assessments are actually reading\/writing tests, not tests of the real learning outcomes you intended, you\u2019ve got the wrong end-metric for pilots or for adaptivity.)<\/li>\n<li>Detailed learning strategy and planning conversations between the CEO of Kaplan, Andy Rosen, the CFO, Matt Seelye, and the different general managers across the business (not just the learning leaders), to ensure the right kinds of \u201clearning engineering\u201d tradeoffs get made within the constraints of each set of learners, and each learning organization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There\u2019s a lot to do to get this right at scale \u2013 many of these threads have been around for years, but have not made it to scale. (For example, see <a title=\"Bruer, John T. &quot;The mind\u2019s journey from novice to expert.&quot; American Educator 17.2 (1993): 6-15.\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jsmf.org\/about\/j\/minds_journey.htm\" target=\"_blank\">John Bruer\u2019s great synthesis in 1993 in the American Educator<\/a> \u2013 still sounds pretty good!) However, it\u2019s great to see more groups world-wide beginning to focus on implementation \u2013 how learning science and good evidence-gathering about learning can help materially and measurably accelerate learner success at scale.<\/p>\n<p>There will come a time when we look back at how we \u201cused to <em>do<\/em> learning,\u201d and, just as we now look at medicine in the 19<sup>th<\/sup> century, wonder how we ever made progress without using the science and evidence that we can now generate. We\u2019re not there yet \u2013 but we may be on our way.<\/p>\n<p>See also:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.competencyworks.org\/analysis\/what-the-learning-sciences-tell-us-about-competency-education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"bookmark\">What the Learning Sciences Tell Us About Competency Education<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.competencyworks.org\/analysis\/mindsets-and-student-agency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"bookmark\">Mindsets and Student Agency<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.competencyworks.org\/reflections\/social-learning-cbe-competency-education-is-a-team-sport\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"bookmark\">Social Learning &amp; CBE \u2013 Competency Education is a Team Sport<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b>Bror Saxberg<\/b> is Vice President of Learning Science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","mapsvg_location":""},"legacy_category":[414],"issue":[61,63],"location":[],"class_list":["post-7011","cw_post","type-cw_post","status-publish","hentry","legacy_category-higher-education","issue-federal-policy","issue-modernize-hea"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - 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