Architects for learning by Clive Shepherd

Clive Shepherd summarizes in this related article, "An architect is someone who creates the plans from which others build. An architect of buildings designs environments for living. Only rarely will they be designing an environment in which they themselves will be living. More typically they will be responding to a very specific brief that reflects very particular requirements."

To coincide with the release of his new book, 'The New Learning Architect', Clive Shepherd explains about his theories of learning design.

Before they put pen to paper, the architect simply has to know the following:

• What type of building is required – a home, an office, a factory, a school, a hospital? What functions must this building perform?
• How many people will be using this building? What activities will they be carrying out? What are these people like?
• What constraints are placed on the design of the building in terms of budget, time, quality, regulations?

A learning architect designs environments for learning. Like the architect who designs buildings, the learning architect will be responding to a specific brief:

• What is the nature of the learning requirement? What knowledge, skills and attitudes is the employer (the client) wishing to engender in the employees working within the business, division or department in question? How will this learning contribute to effective performance?
• What jobs are carried out in the target area? How many people are doing these jobs? What are these people like in terms of their demographics, prior learning, ability to learn independently, their motivation and preferences?
• Under what constraints must this learning take place? How geographically dispersed is the population? How much time and money is available? What equipment and facilities can be deployed to support the learning?

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New recommended book


Buy this Book

The New Learning Architect provides an easy to read guide to the new learning technologies from a man with a wealth of experience as a practitioner in the field. Clive Shepherd is well respected for his knowledge and forward thinking approach to the subject. This book provides something for the beginner seeking to find their way in the maze that is now learning technology - and at the same time the book is a useful reference text for the more seasoned and experienced professional.


About Clive Shepherd
Clive is a consultant specialising in learning and communications technologies. He is widely acknowledged as one of the UK's foremost experts on e- and blended learning, with more than one hundred published articles and four books to his name. He speaks regularly at major international conferences and contributes regularly to his blog, Clive on Learning.
He was recognised for his Outstanding Contribution to the Training Industry at the World of Learning Conference in 2004 and is currently chair of the eLearning Network.

Source: TrainingZone