Explore the definitions, history, and real-world examples behind the key concepts of the Learning & Performance Framework.
A holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the way that a system's constituent parts interrelate and how systems work over time and within the context of larger systems.
Emerging in the mid-20th century (e.g., Ludwig von Bertalanffy's General Systems Theory), it shifted focus from breaking things down (reductionism) to seeing the 'whole' as greater than the sum of its parts.
"Think of a car. If you just study the engine, tires, and brakes separately, you won't understand 'driving.' Systems thinking looks at how they all work together to transport you."
A theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning, and conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment.
Dominant in the early 20th century with figures like B.F. Skinner and John Watson. It focused only on observable behaviors, ignoring internal mental states.
"In a video game, when you get a coin (reward) for jumping on a block, you learn to jump on blocks more often. That's positive reinforcement, a core behaviorist concept."
A learning theory that focuses on the processes inside the learner's mind, such as thinking, memory, knowing, and problem-solving.
Rose in the 1950s as a response to behaviorism (the 'Cognitive Revolution'). Researchers like Jean Piaget and Noam Chomsky argued that we must understand the 'black box' of the mind.
"When you learn a phone number, you might chunk it into groups (e.g., 555-0199). You aren't just reacting; you are actively processing and organizing information in your memory."
The theory that learners construct knowledge rather than just passively take in information. People build their own representations and incorporate new information into their pre-existing knowledge (schemas).
Rooted in the work of Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. It emphasizes that learning is an active, social process where learners build meaning based on their experiences.
"A science teacher doesn't just tell you 'gravity exists.' They let you drop different objects and measure the fall, so you 'build' your own understanding of how gravity works."
The amount of working memory resources used. Cognitive Load Theory suggests that since working memory is limited, instructional methods should avoid overloading it.
Developed by John Sweller in the late 1980s. It applies information processing theory to instructional design, emphasizing the bottleneck of human working memory.
"If a slide has a complex graph AND a lot of text AND the speaker is talking fast, you can't process it all. That's cognitive overload. Good design splits this up."
A process and practice that applies the learning sciences using engineering design processes and data-informed decision-making to create and improve learning solutions at scale.
Coined by Herbert Simon in the late 1960s but gained massive traction recently with the rise of big data, AI, and online platforms (MOOCs, LMS) that allow for large-scale testing.
"An app like Duolingo doesn't just guess what works. It runs A/B tests on millions of users to see if a 'heart' system or a 'points' system helps people learn French faster."
A randomized experiment with two variants, A and B. It involves showing two versions of a learning asset to different segments of users to determine which version performs better.
Originated in marketing and web development but is now a staple in Learning Engineering to empirically validate what instructional choices actually work.
"Half the class gets a video tutorial (Version A), and half gets a text tutorial (Version B). We measure test scores to see which format was more effective."
A systematic approach to improving productivity and competence. It uses a set of methods and procedures (and a strategy for solving problems) for realizing opportunities related to the performance of people.
Evolved from instructional systems design and behavioral psychology. It broadened the scope from just 'training' to looking at all factors (incentives, tools, environment) that affect work.
"If employees are slow at data entry, HPT asks: Do they need training? OR is the software slow? OR is the lighting bad? It fixes the root cause, not just the symptom."
A situation where the output of a system is circled back and used as input. In learning, this means using assessment data to immediately inform and adjust the teaching strategy.
A core concept in Cybernetics and Systems Theory. In education, it moves away from 'fire and forget' teaching to responsive, adaptive instruction.
"A thermostat turns on the AC when it gets hot, then turns it off when it's cool. Similarly, a learning system gives you harder questions when you get them right, and hints when you get them wrong."