Program Design

Self-Directed Learning Program Design

Educational Services for the Graduate Student

EDAC 634

3/5/17

DeArtha Chambers

Tashina Manuel

Terry Rood

Raeanne Schlotterbeck

Group Members	Roles	Commented On
DeArtha Chambers	Program Section, Meeting Facilitator, and Assignment Editor	Group 4 Group 5
Tashina Manuel	Group Leader, Ideas from the Literature Section, Formatting Tables 2 & 3, and Assignment Editor	Group 4 Group 5
Terry Rood	Practical Programs Section and Assignment Editor	Group 1 Group 2
Raeanne Schlotterbeck	Synthesized Sections of Program Design, Introduction, Highlights, Formatting Table 3, and Assignment Editor	Feminism: Group 5 Experiential Learning: Group 1

Introduction

            Imagine returning to your education years after earning a bachelor’s degree, choosing a career path and leading a nonacademic life to achieve your graduate degree. Your first challenge is gaining acceptance to a graduate program and signing up for classes. These tasks complete, you are intellectual confident in your ability manage the work load, however when you read your first syllabus of the semester you suddenly feel a surge of panic. The abbreviations, the websites, the formatting requirement, and even the language are daunting. You may ask yourself, “What is APA? All I ever used at my school was MLA!”  This difficulty is not uncommon. Many graduate students enter programs each year expecting a familiar nostalgia of their previous college learning. However, as research and technology progresses, college courses and methods of learning on college campuses are advancing in like.

            Our self-directed learning (SDL) program described in our design is created to enhance learning for returning graduate students. The purpose of our program is to equip returning graduate students with essential knowledge they will need to learn and apply in their graduate courses. The information in our program will be customized for the learner based on a Likert scale survey. Learners will then participate in online activities that help them with specific skills topics they find challenging. The information will be provided to the graduate learners through discussion boards, videos, presentations, and other resources facilitated by an instructor online. This program will be utilized to help returning graduate students become more successful and independent in their learning.

Rationale

Definition      

Earlier research on SDL focused on verifying that adults do indeed learn on their own as well as focusing on the ways adults learn on their own (Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner, 2007, p.106). When an individual engages in a SDL experience, he or she initiates a systematic process in that he or she diagnoses individual learning needs with or without the help of others, formulates goals, identifies both human and material resources, chooses and engages in appropriate learning strategies, and evaluates success through learning outcomes (Knowles, 1975; Merriam, 2001). Our program will focus on the ways adults can learn best when using SDL, in a technology-driven setting, and how this learning can support and assist participants in gaining the skills and knowledge they are seeking.

Goals

Several goals of SDL will help guide the set-up and outcome of our program. One primary goal of SDL in adult education is to enable students to be lifelong, self-directed learners (SD learners) (Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner, 2007). As SD learners, individuals gain independence and become successful in future educational programs or careers. Merriam, Caffarella, and Baumgartner (2007) mention three categorical goals of SD learning that include: (1) enhancing the ability of SD learning in the adult learner; (2) promote transformational learning as a central focus of SD learning; and (3) cultivate emancipatory learning and social action as an essential part of self-directed learning.

Our program is designed to assist students as in becoming better SD learners. Our desire for the participants is to build interest in what they are learning, further enhancing their ability to be SD learners. Success in this program will show and teach SD learners how to continue to use SDL as a method of learning in the future. 

Settings

Within the literature there are a wide variety of settings in which SD learning can take place. Regardless of the age, goals, or preparedness of the learners, SDL can take place in classrooms, online environments, and private exploration are all possible places where SDL may occur. This will provide several platform options in regards to choosing a setting for our program. 

Van den Berg (1992) describes an open learning system for adults who wish to complete their high school education. This system allows the learner to choose what, where, when and how to learn. The “how” may include lecture, seminars, and independent learning. The “when” can see variations in timing, frequency, and duration of activities. The “where” could be any combination of classroom, home, and library. The “what” leaves the definition of the nature of learning to the learners themselves. Incorporating a combination of these variations in our program through optional online lectures, various timetables for completing the program, as well as flexibility of learning from home or not.

Models

            A single SDL program may employ multiple models of SDL at any given time. One model of SDL involves SD groups of adult learners (Morrow, Rothwell, & Wright, 2012). Group members, in an SDL group, provide support for professional, social, emotional, and practical foundation among members. With a lack of formalized leadership and external facilitation, participants may engage in discussion of case studies, journal articles, or audits and complaints (Morrow et. al., 2012), A self-directed group learning environment opens the door to peer mentoring and providing a support network throughout a project or course. We want the students to not only receive guidance from the instructor, but also from their peers.  This will enrich their SDL experience. 

            When assessing individual SDL learners, Grow’s (1991, 1994) staged self-directed learning (SSDL) model allows the SD learner to identify her/his readiness and comfort with being an SD learner (Merriam, 2001). The four stages of SSDL begin with the learning being completely dependent on the educator (Grow, 1991). Next, interest is when the educator is more of a motivator using lecture and discussion. Involved is the third stage of the model, transforming the lecturer into a facilitator through discussion and group projects. Self-directed learning (SDL) is the final stage, here the educator is a consultant and the student is engaged in individual work (Grow, 1991).  Within our program, we maintain a pool of instructors providing guidance, developing lesson plans and activities, and continued growth to our program.  The students will be responsible for their own learning by setting their own goals, participating in SD learning group, and doing their own individual work. 

Measures

Our program engages students in performance evaluation designed to monitor individual experiences during the educational opportunity.  The self-directed readiness scale (SDRS) is the most commonly used scale to assess the individual skills, motivations and skills of the self-directed learner (SD learner) (Artis, Boyer, Edmondson, & Fleming, 2013; Ayyildiz & Tarhan, 2015). Identifying eight factors defining the attitude, abilities and values of the learner as it relates to readiness this scale has been (Best, Hoban, Lawson, Mazmanian, & Seibel, 2005; Ayyildiz & Tarhan, 2015). The eight factors are: future orientation, openness to learning opportunities, self-perception of effective learning, initiated and independent learning, creativity, informed responsibility for one’s own learning, a love to learn, and critical thinking skills (Best et. al., 2005; Lai, 2011). As one of the most common measure to use for assessing SDL insight provided lacks theoretical backing (Best et. al., 2005) and must be provided by the researchers utilizing this instrument.

Evaluation of performance will help to determine if the student is meeting the requirements of the program set by the instructors and the students. Ultimately, informing students of their learning strengths and weaknesses raises student awareness of his or her role in their own education. We employ the use of measurements to ensure that students and instructors are aware of how useful SDL is in helping each student.

Practical Programs

Self-directed learning (SDL) programs are becoming more common and the forms that they can take are as varied as the learning goals of the individuals who take part in them.  Ranging from short term focused topics that can be completed in an afternoon at home to long term internet-based instructional programs that can last if the learner remains interested, SDL can come from personal research, outside resources, or more traditional academic institutions.

Hubball and West (2009) focus on children’s participation in outdoor education programs but many of their points can just as easily be applied to adult learners. They point out that one-size fits-all “learning experiences and teacher-centered instructional methods are: (a) not likely to completely respond to the changing circumstances and developmental needs of students’; (b) plausibly restrain the creativity and individual voices of the students; (c) and lastly, deter holistic learning outcomes for students. The authors suggest that involving the learners in the design of goals and activities will lead to greater involvement and the creation of meaningful connections between participation and the development of life skills. This can be achieved at any age level and is a cornerstone of self-directed learning.

This idea of SDL being necessary for the achieving ownership of outcomes is echoed in the work of Patterson, Crooks, and Lunyk-Child (2002). They list six competencies necessary for successful SD learners: “assessment of learning gaps, evaluation of self and others, reflection, information management, critical thinking, and critical appraisal” (p. 26). Regardless of the size or scope of a SDL program it is important to keep these competencies in mind when in the design phase of a SDL program.

One short term SDL example is provided by the American Heart Association (AHA) in their family of CPR Anytime SDL programs (American Heart Association, 2007).  Seeing a need for parents, grandparents and caregivers to learn to perform infant CPR and choking rescue actions, they developed the Infant Anytime training program. This program includes a 22-minute instructional DVD, quick-reference guides and an inflatable “Mini Baby” manikin to practice the techniques on.  Per the AHA, “Infant CPR Anytime is designed for people who don’t require a course completion card to satisfy a work requirement and who most likely would never attend a traditional CPR course” (American Heart Association, 2007).

If a SD learner wants a little more guidance, companies such as the Competency Group (Self-directed learning, 2017) offer a more structured SDL online experience. Providing a competency-based training a SDL program the Competency Group developed a program utilizing a competency map, or general and specific skill sets, abilities, behaviors and knowledge required by a specific occupation (Self-directed learning, 2017). Designed with clear learning objectives, activities, and additional resources training modules are completed with the assistance of learning supervisor (Self-directed learning, 2017). The learning supervisor works in sync with the SD learner to develop, complete and assess the SD learners identified skill gap (Self-directed learning, 2017).

Universities and colleges offer more formalized SDL programs through SDL degrees to the SD learner. Many educational institutions have developed (and continue to develop) online courses and degree programs, which may be earned without ever visiting a brick and mortar facility.  A lack of standardization from educational institution to educational institution and from degree program to degree program, may involve participation in classes that meet via internet video connections or involve a hybrid system containing both virtual and physical attendance requirements. While many SDL programs provided by educational institutions are completely asynchronously with pre-set assignments and deadlines, others exist through a SDL learning contract, such as what is provided by Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.  A learning contract “is designed to stimulate [the student’s] thinking about how …[the] learning outcomes fit into the expectations and activities for a self-directed course” (Indiana University, 2017).  A faculty advisor then discusses these goals with the student to further clarify and focus them.  

Program: Educational Services for the Graduate Student

In our educational skills SDL programs, we are connected to several educational institutions kindergarten through higher education. Our connection with educational institutions allows the SD learner to tap the resources available to the individual. Our free services facilitate real-time instructor access delivered through ‘Gotomeeting.com’ on a schedule that works best for the SD learner with all necessary materials supplied. Our mission here at SDL4U is to nurture the SD learner with an accurate, appropriate, and attuned educational opportunity, in this case adult graduate students.

Target Audience.

Adult graduate students returning to academe, may, after years of absence find themselves overwhelmed. Writing literature reviews, reading academic articles, and designing research proposals all within a specific formatting guideline such as APA may not only be daunting, it can be downright overwhelming. Here at SDL4U we relate to the frustration of relearning how to be a student and this program is designed fit individual adult graduate students needs through SDL.

Assess Skill Set

Our program’s first objective is to identify the SD learner’s current skill set. By answering the self-directed readiness scale (SDRS), a skills assessment questionnaire designed to identify the level of readiness and comfort level of the SD learner. The SDRS identifies eight factors: future orientation, openness to learning opportunities, self-perception of effective learning, initiated and independent learning, creativity, informed responsibility for one’s own learning, a love to learn, and critical thinking skills (Best, Hoban, Lawson, Mazmanian, & Seibel, 2005; Lai, 2011) influencing the attitude, abilities and values of the learner as it relates to readiness across a leveled schema. An individual’s skills are scored and then categorized on a level schema enumerated from one to four.

Our program incorporates Grow’s (1991) model of SDL skills to enact our second objective, to pair the SDL with the appropriate format. Divided into four levels of SD learner, the first level is the traditional student, described as completely dependent upon an instructor for all learning needs. Guided student is the second level of SD learner at which point the SD learner is researching topics without interceptive directions from an instructor turning; to an instructor for motivation through discussion, goal setting and developing learning strategies.  The third level is the Facilitated student, similar to the guided student, the facilitated student thrives in a discussion based environment. While the guided student is still reliant on the instructor, the facilitated student utilizes both an instructor and a group of peers to engage in the learning process. The fourth level of the model is reflected in our program from Grow’s model (1991) is the independent student, in which the educator becomes a consultant and the independent student performs individual work. Each level determines the frequency of instructor involvement assisting with the deadline management, assessment of work, and topic discussion.

Implementation

After completing the SDRS, the SD learner will receive materials on a given topic per an individual’s results. For example, a SD learner at the level of facilitated student who wants to learn how to format a research paper in APA 6^th edition format will need to be provided both a group setting and an individual instructor. During the APA 6^th edition program facilitated students will individually write a research proposal and work with a group on the same nonacademic topic to engage in discussion, reflection, and peer editing over six weeks. SD learners are responsible for choosing the research topic, leaving the topic pool range open and unlimited.

Our APA 6^th edition program will provide the SD learner with materials to include the following: guided recorded online videos and guided slide based lessons, transcriptions of the video recording, textbooks (audio or digital), activity (descriptions, guides, and worksheets), and assignments (rubric, description, and exemplar), as well as access to a text based discussion board and a voice interface protocol platform (VOIP) via ‘Gotomeeting.com’ to have real time live discussion. Assigned instructors’ design, and/or are supplied, with lesson plans designed to keep a topic discussion moving rather than a content lecture to guide the peer discussions. Alternate assignments include an individual project intended to build on a group project; likewise, course content may be taught in a group work setting where individual group members collaborate to produce a single product.

Equally, designed as a six week APA 6^th edition formatting program, the independent student level SD learners will be provided the same materials as the facilitated student, in addition, rubrics and answer keys for the materials will be provided as necessary. Instructors in this setting exist as a consult as needed, to serve as a sounding board, point of references, and assignment evaluator. Assignments are designed with specific criteria guiding the SD learner as he or she research a personally chosen topic. While the assignment pool is limited, the length of the project will vary per the desires of the SD learner. Upon completion of a given module of content a SD learner will receive a printable certificate, if they so choose. In addition to the working assignment provided to SD learners, our service also maintains a quick guide for SD learners in need a reference rather than a full lesson plan.

Reflection

Highlights

            Designed emphasizes the importance of SDL among graduate students, our program displays the importance of is SDL and the facilitation by an experienced mentor guiding graduate students as they take control and responsibility of their individual learning directly affecting their sense of independence. As current graduate students, we recognize the need to embed our program in theory and the practicality of design, as such our program is based upon the variety of literature as well as our own experiences in graduate programs.

Process

            We completed the program design by assigning roles to each group member at our first online group meeting. We made sure to document our jobs for the semester so that we would have a clear understanding of our responsibilities. We also set deadlines for each portion of the project so that we knew when to have our portions read for final edits and postings. One important aspect of group work is communication. Fortunately, our group has worked well together in communicating through online meetings and e-mail. Throughout our group work so far, we have utilized two helpful websites which are www.gotomeeting.com and www.blogspot.com.

Tables

Table 2 Summary of Literature Review
Main Themes/Ideas in Literature (Check General Themes)	Application of the Main Ideas in Practice (Check Implications)
Goals of SDL to help guide the set-up and outcome of our program.	To enhance the ability of adult learners to be self-directed in their learning. To foster transformational learning as central to self-directed learning. To promote emancipatory learning and social action as an integral part of self-directed learning.
Settings in which SDL can take place	Classrooms, online environments, and private exploration are all possible places where SDL may occur.
There are several methods of SDL. A program can combine several of these methods.	Self-directed groups of adult learners                 Group directed learning environment fosters mentoring and provides a support network throughout the program.                                                    Instructor provides guidance.
Engage students in performance evaluation	Self-directed readiness scale (SDRS) is the most commonly used scale to assess the individual skills, motivations, attitudes and values of the SD learner; identifying eight factors as it relates to SD learner readiness. The eight factors are: future orientation, openness to learning opportunities, self-perception of effective learning, initiated and independent learning, creativity, informed responsibility for one’s own learning, a love to learn, and critical thinking skills.

Table 3: Summary of Program Design
Purposes	Our program will focus on the ways adults can learn best when using SDL, in a technology-driven setting, and how this learning can support and assist participants in gaining the skills and knowledge they are seeking.
Objectives	Utilize a SDL strategy to assist graduate students in a program in which they have an opportunity to learn about and use APA format. This will enhance their success as graduate students in their writing assignments.
Rationales- Ideas from Literature	Goals of our program include: To enhance the ability of adult learners to be self-directed in their learning. To foster transformational learning as central to self-directed learning. To promote emancipatory learning and social action as an integral part of self-directed learning.        Settings include: classrooms, private homes and devices, and online environments to engage in exploration are all possible places where SDL may occur.                                                 Methods of SDL include: Self-directed groups of adult learners:  Group directed learning environment fosters mentoring and provides a support network throughout the program. Instructor provides guidance and students are also responsible for their learning through their own individual study. Performance evaluation is essential to measure how the learner is doing.  Self-directed readiness scale (SDRS) is the most commonly used scale to assess the individual skills, motivations, attitudes and values of the SD learner; identifying eight factors as it relates to SD learner readiness. The eight factors are: future orientation, openness to learning opportunities, self-perception of effective learning, initiated and independent learning, creativity, informed responsibility for one’s own learning, a love to learn, and critical thinking skills.
Rationales- Features from Practical Cases	CPR Anytime SDL programs (n. a., American Heart Association, 2007).  Seeing a need for parents, grandparents and caregivers to learn to perform infant CPR and choking rescue actions, they developed the Infant Anytime training program.  This program includes a 22-minute instructional DVD, quick-reference guides and an inflatable “Mini Baby” manikin to practice the techniques on.    Colleges and universities have also taken the opportunity afforded by the World Wide Web to share their expertise through the creation of massive online open courses (MOOCs).  Thousands of college courses are available (for free) from renowned schools and top professors in a large range of fields.                                                                               Many schools have developed online courses and entire online degrees that can be earned without ever setting foot on a physical campus.
Highlights and the major components of the program	This program is designed to foster graduate students’ success. The program will be a facilitated SDL experience online. The program is customized to fit graduate students’ needs based on a Likert scale survey. The graduate learners will receive resources to help them with challenging topics regarding their graduate courses.

References

American Heart Association. (2017). CPR anytime(TM) [Program description]. Retrieved from: http://cpr.heart.org/AHAECC/CPRAndECC/Training/CPRAnytime/CPRAnytimeAdult/UCM_473169_CPR-CPR-Anytime-Adult.jsp

Artis, A. B., Boyer, S. L., Edmondson, D. R., & Fleming, D. (2013). Self-directed learning: A tool for lifelong learning. Journal of Marketing Education, 36, 20-32, doi:10.1177/0273475313494010

Ayyildiz, Y. & Tarhan, L. (2015). Development of the self-directed learning skill scale. International Journal of Live Ling Education, 34, 663-679, doi:10.1080/02601370.2015.1091393

Best, A. M., Hoban, J. D., Lawson, S. R., Mazmanian, P. E., & Seibel, H. R. (2005). The self-directed learning readiness scale: A factor analysis study. Medical Education, 39, 370-379.

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Hubball, H.& West, D. (2009). Learning-centered planning strategies in outdoor education programs: enhancing participation and self-directed learning. Strategies, 23, 25-27.

Indiana University (2015). Graduate student portal: Program specific content: Adult education: Self-directed learning course [Course catalog online]. Retrieved from: http://education.indiana.edu/students/graduates/programs/adult/self-directed-learning-courses%20.html

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Self-directed learning (2017). Retrieved from: http://www.thecompetencygroup.com/optimization/custom-training/self-directed-learning.aspx

Van den Berg, E. (1992). Motivational profiles of adult learners in relation to self-directed

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