An Integrated Framework of
Learning & Performance
Explore the dynamic relationships between Systems Thinking, Learning Sciences,Learning Engineering, and Human Performance Technology.
Human Performance Technology
IDT was influenced by systems theories of the 1950s–1960s, and by shifts from behaviorism to cognitivism to constructivism.
💡 Simple Explanation
Imagine a forest. You can't understand the forest just by looking at one tree. You have to see how the trees, soil, rain, and animals all work together. Systems Thinking is looking at the 'whole forest' of learning, not just one student or one test.
📖 From the Readings
"Derived from General Systems Theory (von Bertalanffy), this view posits that learning environments are 'complex systems' where parts (students, teachers, tools) interact in non-linear ways. A change in one part (e.g., a new textbook) affects the whole system."
Technical Details
Systems Thinking provides the overarching context for all other disciplines. It emphasizes that the whole is more than just the sum of its parts. It distinguishes between simple systems (predictable, deterministic, linear) and complex systems (unpredictable, adaptive, non-linear). Learning occurs in a multi-level teaching-learning system, ranging from the individual student to the classroom, organization, and community.
Key Characteristics
- Whole is more than the sum of its parts
- Feedback, self-regulation, homeostasis, equifinality
- Distinction between simple (designed) and complex (human) systems
- Multi-level analysis (student, classroom, organization)
Understanding the Connections
These four disciplines form a synergistic framework where research, analysis, and application converge to improve human performance.
Systems thinking provides the holistic analytical framework for all other disciplines. It allows us to see learning not as an isolated event but as part of a complex ecosystem of interconnected parts, feedback loops, and emergent properties.
Learning Sciences provides the "what" and "why" through empirical research. Learning Engineering then takes these insights and applies the "how" through systematic, data-driven design and implementation at scale.
Human Performance Technology (HPT) expands the scope beyond just learning to include all factors affecting organizational performance. It operationalizes systems thinking to identify root causes—whether they are skills gaps, environmental barriers, or motivational issues.
Together, these fields create a powerful loop: Systems Thinking analyzes the context, Learning Sciences provides the theory, Learning Engineering builds the solution, and HPT ensures it delivers measurable organizational results.