E-LEARNING ACTIVITIES DESIGN AND INDIVIDUAL

LEARNING STYLES

Case Study

Cláudia Fernandes and Luís Rocha

CATIM – Technological Center for the Metal Working Industry, Porto, Portugal

Keywords: Design of learning activities, learning styles, e-learning.

Abstract: With this paper the authors aim to explore the importance of e-learning activities and materials’ design

towards attaining learning and development objectives. This work rests on the belief that activities’ design

must be thought according to different learning styles, and is based on a case study from a hands-on-project

– “Think Industry” (TIP) focused on experiencing. TIP is running since 1995 and it has encompassed more

than 7600 youngsters with ages between 13 and 17 years old and enrolled on the formal teaching system.

The main objective for the TIP is to develop a positive vision of industry and of employment opportunities

and technical careers in the industrial sector. TIP activities are clustered in three main categories: (1)

awareness; (2) experiencing; and (3) complementary support actions. The authors will focus on one e-

learning experiencing activity’ design and implementation: “This is an Idea!” (TiaI!), an web based game

designed with the objective of fostering entrepreneurial spirit and creative in a sustainable and global way.

Pedagogy, technology use and global impact were the main drivers for the development of the e-learning

game TiaI!. The game is used according to different styles of learning: (1) reading; (2) seeing; (3) hearing;

(4) watching; (5) doing – experiential learning; (6) learning by teaching/selling. Some reflection for the

future, based on this e-learning experiencing game are: (1) people have basic styles of learning, usually tent

to prefer one. So if we provide different styles we can strive higher mastery; (2) Blending more than one

approach improves retention and proficiency; (3) e-learning lacks socialization, but with this program it is a

complement to one global understanding of pré-determined issue (e.g. renewable energies, fuel cell energy,

new products design, global impact of technology use, development of green technologies); (4) Feedback

and global contextualization are mentioned to be important issues for the development of a “new” or

“renewed” conscienceless for the globe; (5) Youngsters approve the use of different means for the

attainment of the same objective; (6) The design stage and the learning point are crucial to success; (7)

Personal values need to be spoken and challenged in an entrepreneurial fashion to promote awareness.

1 THE ENTREPRENEURIAL

LEGACY FOR E-LEARNING

AND INDIVIDUAL LEARNING

STYLES

Some researchers argue that an increasing number of

Western economies have transformed into arenas

where information, services and knowledge have

become the primary value creators, e.g. Castells

(2000), Dobers and Stranngard (2005).

If so, information, services and knowledge are

powerful and strategic weapons towards attitudes,

values and behavioural change. These aspects must

be taken in account when designing learning and

development programs (namely e-learning and b-

learning) for different target audiences.

“New” forms of learning closely related with

lifelong learning and personal development emerge

and develop more and more each day (e.g. e-

learning, m-learning). E-learning, b-learning, virtual

learning environments, wikis, Internet based games,

among many other forms carry the legacy from their

ancestors, distance learning, mediated

communication and computer based learning. These

are well established practices in business and leisure

areas, in private and public institutions worldwide.

E-learning is characterized by a blended mixture of

delivery trough technology and some change in the

individual/grupal learning stage. For designing the

program it is important to reflect on “How do people

349

Fernandes C. and Rocha L. (2008).

E-LEARNING ACTIVITIES DESIGN AND INDIVIDUAL LEARNING STYLES - Case Study.

In Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies, pages 349-355

DOI: 10.5220/0001514003490355

 SciTePress

learn?” on virtual and on real environments. So….

We ask: How do people learn? Much research as

been done on learning styles, and there is no doubt

that we can apply those principles to e-learning and

b-learning contents and course design. People learn

in different ways, but it seems that there are three

primary ways to learn (Bersin, 2004):

• Visual Learners: Approximately 50 to 70

percent of the population. People on this cluster

relate most effectively to written information,

diagrams, images and pictures. Visual learners

like to take notes, write on the whiteboard,

create and view power point slides with

graphics.

• Auditory Learners: Approximately 20 to 40

percent of the population. The best way to learn

is hearing. These people like to listen to lectures

and take notes later.

• Kinaesthetic Learners: approximately 5 to 20

percent of the population. Learn best through

touching and doing things. These people learn

by imitating, trying, holding and feeling things.

As some researchers have argued and defended

previously (e.g. Fernandes and Rocha, 2006a)

people learn best by doing, the often called

“experiential learning”. This was the principle used

on all the activities underlying the TIP’ project, the

case study presented in this paper.

Table 1: Six models of learning.

Approach Techniques used (examples)

6. Teaching

Mentoring, manager assistance,

on-line coaching

5. Doing

Simulations, on-the-job exercises,

labs, web interactivities, scenarios

4. Watching

Demonstrations, instructors,

video, replays, animations,

scenarios

3. Hearing

Lectures, discussions, audios,

webinars

2. Seeing Graphics, images, videos

Higher

level of

Mastery

↑

Low

levels of

Mastery

1. Reading Web pages, books, documents

Adapted from Bersin (2004, p. 35)

According to Bersin (2004) there are mainly six

modes of learning according to the mastery you

want to obtain at the end of the program: reading,

seeing, hearing, watching, doing, and teaching.

“Mastery” is a combination of proficiency and

retention. Proficiency measures the ability for

learners to perform a task accurately and retention

the ability for the learner to remember and apply the

task to many different situations.

There are many questions on e-learning that are still

open, and with different answers according to the

contextual, personal and organizational variables.

Doing so, goes considerable way towards addressing

these issues, delivery, maintenance, cost, content

quality, target audience in a single way. But, we can

also ask if the e-learning field is moving fast enough

to warrant the attention lavished on the subject?

Every organization must take the best out of its own

resources, creativity and different ways for using the

same tools striving renewed answers approaches to

challenges that emerge each day. There is the need

to design new business models based on the use of

several tools available on the organizations, and

according to the target audience defined.

In this paper the authors explore one particular

activity “This is an Idea!” (TiaI!) enclosured in one

hands-on project “Think Industry Project” (TIP).

TIP merges new ways of learning (e-learning) and

traditional learning.

2 CASE STUDY: TIP “THIS IS AN

IDEA!”

Hands-on programs have been originally proposed

as means to increase student achievement (in science

education), and in the authors approach, hands-on

projects such a TIP, also intent to promote general

conscience on several issues, and be the basis for a

differentiation for career interests. There are several

theoretical rationales for hands-on programs that are

explored by Fernandes and Rocha (2006) and

applied on TIP activities. Scientific knowledge for

reality as youngsters know it is the main work base

for the several TIP’ activities. Researchers identify

mainly two broad domains of scientific knowledge:

(1) content knowledge, and (2) process skills

knowledge (Glynn & Duit, 1995; Lawson, 1995),

the authors’ extent it to a third one, (3) Real world

knowledge. Content knowledge, also known as

declarative knowledge includes the real “contents”

that students are supposed to know, remember and

understand, such as theories, principles, facts,

theorems, laws, etc.. Process skills or procedural

knowledge are the techniques and approaches to

solving a problem, such as observation,

measurement, hypothesis formulation and testing,

among many others. Real world awareness it’s the

link of both of the former to real life contexts

namely industry and possible impacts. It allows

youngsters to give a meaning to their knowledge,

promoting the learning and development of a global

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350

awareness for the impact of different knowledge and

its real application, even that this knowledge is

acquired on-learning through a game or any other

activity. The authors defend that the conjunction of

the three complementary issues is necessary for the

e-learning activities’ design in a way that students

can fully understand scientific knowledge and

develop capabilities to apply it in real everyday life

settings, namely the industry, never forgetting the

global impact of each and every action.

2.1 TIP Characteristics

TIP is a hands-on program that encompasses

youngsters with ages from 13 to 17 years old. The

Technological Centre for the Metal Working

Industry (CATIM) has the project running since

1995 (Rocha, 1998) and since then, more than 7600

youngsters were evolved in it just in this

Technological Centre.

TIP has several stakeholders: general citizen,

parents, youngsters, Technological Centres Network,

Universities, Polytechnics and Research Institutes,

Industry and Professional bodies, Education and

Training Providers, National and local Government,

Government Agencies.

The main objectives for TIP are to develop a

positive vision of the industry and of employment

opportunities and technical careers in the industrial

sector towards a sustainable and active citizenship.

In table 2 we present the main problem dimensions,

specific targets and general objectives.

Figure 1: TIP stakeholders.

TIP’s activities can be clustered into: (1)

Technology laboratories; (2) Simulation games; (3)

Field trips to industrial enterprises; (4) Visits and

trips to events; (5) Thematic seminars; (6) Sessions

held up at schools; and (7) TIP in the mass media.

The activities developed under the TIP scope,

generally tent to promote the understanding of

different settings of the industrial value-chain, e.g.

“simulation games” that represent management

actions and functions, and “technology laboratories”

that correspond to the manipulation of equipments

related to the industrial activity and the underneath

technologies applied in several industrial processes

such as robotics, hydraulics, haptical devices, energy

consumption, environment, mechanics, milling,

lathering, etc..

Table 2: TIP’ problem dimensions and objectives.

Main Problem

Dimensions

Specific Targets

Traditional

image for the

industry

* Develop a positive

vision of the industry

* To link industry with

positive values and

attractive careers

Withdraw

between

youngsters in

school ages and

industrial

activities and

careers

* To make youngsters

and industry closer

(and vice-versa)

* Evolve youngsters

and industry in mutual

approximation

processes

Training choices

and market

integration

heavily

influenced by

commerce and

services

* Make youngsters

aware of industrial

careers in short term

* Motivate youngsters

to carry on their

studies on

technological areas

To develop a

positive

vision of the

industry and

employment

opportunities

and technical

careers in

the

industrial

sector

TIP is also designed to show youngsters new ways

of learning and working, e.g. using e-learning and

Communities of Practice (Fernandes & Rocha,

2006b, 2006c; Rocha & Fernandes, 2006).

2.2 Design and Learning Styles

2.2.1 Reading

Reading is the easiest way to “teach”, and it consists

in giving people things to read. Most material for e-

learning encompasses reading material; there might

be some exceptions like game learning or intuitive

learning. When designed effectively reading is very

effective for visual learners. In e-learning or in web

environments reading is less valuable because

people will not and cannot read long manuscripts on

the web. Especially when our target audience are

youngsters with such diverse activities, and are

comprised in the majority of the population, are not

visual learners. In the authors’ perspective, in e-

learning settings, reading is a source of referenced

material, not learning. And it must always be

complemented with an all kind of diverse elements

E-LEARNING ACTIVITIES DESIGN AND INDIVIDUAL LEARNING STYLES - Case Study

351

(in the clusters for seeing, hearing, watching and

doing).

Figure 2: Print screen from the e-learning materials

(Module 3 – Unity 2 – Nanotechnology).

2.2.2 Seeing

If we follow the hierarchy, the next step is “seeing”.

It encompasses diagrams, photos, images, etc. As we

know and have experienced, visual images add

tremendous “new” conceptual understanding to

known or unknown settings. In the web we have

extra-resources comparing to books or static

material, such as animation, interactive tools, push

buttons, knobs, slider bars, drag and drop

applications, among many others.

Figure 3: Examples of used images on the e-learning

materials.

There are some choices to be done relating to the

“seeing” point: colours, pictures, which diagrams to

animate, how to make synopses, the use of several

resources (games, exercises, push buttons, knobs,

slider bars, drag and drop applications).

We have chosen the “orange” colour for the main

screens because is the colour for TIP is “hot”, and

it’s a colour associated with youth. It had to be a

colour according to the target public and that could

motivate youngsters to read, see and learn in on-line

environments (see figure 1). The contents

encompass an interactive game – Pulltex for

simulating Industrial settings (see figure 4). This

game was thought according to the same premises.

Figure 4: Pulltex game.

2.2.3 Hearing and Watching

In these clusters we have techniques related with

sound, motion, and demonstrations. In our particular

case we always add a scenario when there is an

activity (e.g. Pulltex game, see figure 4). In this

stage youngsters can read, see, hear and watch.

One improvement action to be taken in the contents

is adding a button that allows youngsters to choose

either they want to listen to a narrator or not when

reading materials. This improvement adds authority

to youngsters in the learning mix, improving

interest, motivation and retention.

2.2.4 Doing – Experiential Learning

Research shows that the highest level of mastery

comes from experiential learning: learning by doing.

For example ask a call centre agent to answer a live

call. In our case youngsters do the activities in their

schools and then come to the technological centres

to do it with other resources (e.g. machinery,

materials). The e-learning materials provide the

experience in an on-line environment – simulation

(e.g. Pulltex game).

The final result from this doing activities is the

participation in National and International

Entrepreneurship contexts.

2.2.5 Learning by Teaching/Selling

By far the most valuable way to master a subject is

to teach it. We apply this approach in TIP too. There

is an all set of activities that complement the TiAI!

Learning objectives, e-learning activities, industrial

field trips, national and international contests,

brainstorming, experiencing in the laboratory. Each

team has to “sell” its own idea, they can appeal to

several arguments (e.g. market studies, quality,

environment, ecological impact, costs, designs,

supply chain management).

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3 ANALYSES AND DISCUSSION

OF TIAI DEVELOPMENT

The TiaI activities are several, varying from

laboratory sessions, industrial visits, to e-learning,

simulations. The e-learning is part of a mix so that

TiaI Learning and Development objectives can be

meet.

The e-learning developing team took in account

several aspects when working the contents. The

aspects were clustered into 3 main categories: (1)

Pedagogy; (2) Technology and (3) Global impact.

There was also the general belief that e-learning is

enormously diverse and dependent of the context

whilst not always cognisant of the consequences

(Massy, 2002).

Figure 5: Nine aspect to explore in the Pulltex game.

Taking in account the pulltex game (one of TiaI’s

activities) one e-learning activity, it were taken in

the 9 points shown in figure 5:

1. There is always a scenario

for the game to take

place (as real as possible). In this case we have

an office. There are tasks that are done on the

plant and others outside. This way

generalization and knowledge application to

other settings is easier to youngsters.

2. Global conscience

is strived by benchmarking

practices on the same game business areas. For

example by looking at the market, dividing the

target groups, defending the options to take.

3. Questions like Environment, Quality, And

Global Impact are points that youngsters have to

take in account for going through the different

phases of the game.

4. Generalizing knowledge

is the 4

item to work

with. Youngsters get in touch with effective

design practises and get to apply it on their

games.

5. Price, brand, distribution channel

are also points

to work with when designing the activities.

6. The supply chain management

and all its

implications is not a forgotten issue. Global

impact is thought of also in this point.

The systemic theories for organizational

management are striven in this game. Youngsters

can know see how one decision, for example the

choice of one material to build an object can have an

impact on several areas, environment, people,

consumption patterns…With this game youngsters

learn by doing in an on-line environment and in a

second phase they do it presentially and with other

youngsters.

Previous results on e-learning programs’ evaluations

were also used. The main complaints from users

were information overload, difficulties accessing the

web, conflicting technologies and lurking.

So the development team had to get to one final

product were the:

• Information presented was useful and directly

related with the topic;

• Superfluous or complementary information

should be presented in accessory spaces;

• e-learning contents had to “run” in different

applications and with different settings;

• Contents motivate people to participate and

learn;

• Contents were adapted to the target audience;

• Contents had all the information presented

according to different learning styles and

approaches.

4 CONCLUSIONS

Programs for learning and development of

youngsters (and all others ages) have to be thought

in a structured way, so that broad objectives can be

meet. There are several strategies and from research

and practice the authors defend that the conjunction

of content knowledge, process skills knowledge and

real life awareness must be taken in account when

designing e-learning materials, so that the learning

and development objectives can be meet. Different

learning styles have to be taken in account when

designing e-learning materials to promote learning

and development, and to promote behavioural

change, and adoption of new or renewed behaviours.

Some reflections for the future, based on this e-

learning experiencing game are:

E-LEARNING ACTIVITIES DESIGN AND INDIVIDUAL LEARNING STYLES - Case Study

353

(1) People have basic styles of learning, usually tent

to prefer one. So if we provide different styles

we can strive higher mastery;

(2) Blending more than one approach improves

retention and proficiency;

(3) e-learning lacks socialization, but with this

program it is a complement to one global

understanding of pré-determined issue (e.g.

renewable energies, fuel cell energy, new

products design, global impact of technology

use, development of green technologies);

(4) Feedback and global contextualization are

mentioned to be important issues for the

development of a “new” or “renewed”

conscienceless for the globe;

(5) Youngsters approve the use of different means

for the attainment of the same objective;

(6) The design stage and the learning point are

crucial to success;

(7) Personal values need to be spoken and

challenged in an entrepreneurial fashion to

promote awareness.

It appears that the secret to successful learning (e-

learning and probably all learning) is surprised and

reinforced at the designs stage previous to the

learning points. The values of both need to be

spoken to and challenged in an entrepreneurial

fashion by being novel, positive and with an element

of risk. As defended by Al Gore in several public

seminars, the word for crises in Chinese is the

conjunction of danger and opportunity. The balance

between both is the critical point for learning,

development and innovation. So, industry must

make the best of all means for developing new

business models and getting a qualified workforce.

E-learning gained with “traditional” pedagogy and

owns new tools for maximizing learning and

development, in this setting e-learning activities’

design is central,

5 REFLECTIONS AND

IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE

WORK

The strategies suggested by different theorists’ tent

to overlap and often advocate a judicious selection

of approaches rather than an exclusive focus on just

one. According to Coffield et al. (2004), the

critiques to learning styles can be divided into two

main champs. First, there are those who accept the

basic assumptions of the discipline (e.g. the

positivist methodology and the individualistic

approach), but who nevertheless claim that certain

models or certain features within a particular model

do not meet the criteria of that discipline. A second

group of critics, however, adopts an altogether more

oppositional stand: it does not accept the basic

premises on which these bodies of research, its

theories, findings and implications for teaching and

training have been built. The opponents are basically

the ones on the quantitative approach side and on the

other hand the qualitative approach.

According to Dewey (1916, 170), pedagogy is often

dismissed as futile because: “Nothing has brought

pedagogical theory into greater dispute than the

belief that it is identified with handing out to

teachers recipes and models to be followed in

teaching”. In this century that has passed since these

stirring words were written, it is surprising how the

concept of pedagogy has remained relatively

unexplored and untheorised. Literature review

suggests persistent problems in learning styles

theories, such as: (a) theoretical incoherence and

conceptual confusion; (b) labelling as a mean to

classify and intervene; (c) variables quality and

reliability; (d) psychometric weakness; (e)

unwarranted faith placed in simple inventories; (f)

lack of communication between different research

perspectives on pedagogy and we could add (g) lack

of application to training and development fields, (h)

to centred on academic outputs.

But we can not neglect the positive implications of

applying to practice pedagogy findings, in spit of all

the critiques surrounding the field. And we know

that the primary professional responsibility of

training professionals is to maximise learning and

development opportunities for their trainees. The

changes in the training resources available, for

example concerning technology, opens new doors to

pedagogy implications in the field. Training

programs supported by e-learning or m-learning are

mostly unexplored for theirs real practical

implications. A number of questions that we would

like to research could be address as follow:

• What are the implications of pedagogy for

designing e-learning and m-learning

contents?

• What impacts are learning styles having on

on-line training methods?

• Do instructional designers know how to

monitor and improve learning and

cognition on others’ learning with the

developed materials?

• How far do e-learning contents design

affect trainees’ and trainers’ responses to

knowledge about their learning styles?

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Only research allied to practice can answer these

questions. No better way of testing, than making it

happen in training.

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