I’m very excited that tomorrow i’ll be going to the 2022 ICICLE Conference on Learning Engineering at MIT in Boston July 26-28!
The big questions about this conference are, “Do you have a deep desire to help people learn? Do you have a driving desire to help people reach their full potential and enjoy the new opportunities that learning will bring to their lives?”
I’m excited to be able to share this with you! Here is a preview of the schedule. What do you think?
Looks like a great conference. Can’t wait to read the trip summary 
Oh boy, this conference was amazing and I have so much to say about it! First of all, MIT was absolutely gorgeous, and it was incredible to be surrounded by so many titans in the fields of learning engineering, curriculum development, computer science, instructional design, and many others.
Here are some pics!
Okay, let’s talk about some of the things that I actually learned. First thing: what is learning engineering? The Learning Engineering Toolkit book defines Learning Engineering as,
"a process and practice that...
1. applies the learning sciences,
2. using human-centered engineering design methodologies, and
3. data-informed decision-making
... to support learners and their development."
To pull on this a little more, here is an excerpt from the book, “Learning is a human process, and “engineering” sounds too technical or industrial. The “art” of teaching sounds more natural. When talking about creating solutions for learning, isn’t “design” a better term? The words learning engineering justifiably raise concerns and questions especially for professionals who care deeply about human learning at all levels. In the following pages, we define learning engineering - it’s engineering for learning. Learning engineers don’t engineer learning any more than civil engineers engineer civilians. Just as civil engineers create and maintain physical infrastructure for the benefit of civilians, learning engineering creates solutions for the benefit of learners and learning. (pg.5)”
Okay, now that we get an idea of what learning engineering is, let’s talk about learning a little more. It was covered at the conference that Humans are Learners… and… Learners are Human. Here are some bullet point notes that I took on this subject, as well as a summary from the workbook.
Next, I learned a little more about motivation, and more specifically, the difference between motivation and engagement.
Chris Dede was the speaker for this portion of the conference. I was fangirling yes.
"Chris Dede is the Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. The former Chair of the HGSE Department of Teaching and Learning (2001-2004), he was honored by Harvard University as an outstanding teacher in 2007 and later named a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association.
From 2014-2015, he was a Visiting Expert at NSF, Directorate of Education and Human Resources, and has served as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Foundations of Educational and Psychological Assessment, a member of the U.S. Department of Education’s Expert Panel on Technology, and a member of the 2010 National Educational Technology Plan Technical Working Group."
Chris was talking about motivation vs. engagement. You can actually read more about this, and listen to his podcast here (which is also where I got the quotes from above). I highly suggest you check that out, it was really awesome to hear. I think sometimes in education, those two terms mean the same thing, but in fact, they do not.
Next, we talked about the Learning Engineering Process.
This shows the general model, or cycle, of learning engineering. Similarly if you were engaging in the Engineering Design Process (EDP), this has a similar feel. But you’ll notice that learners, context, and working in a team, are foundational to this process.
Some other competencies from multiple domains may also be required for learning engineering. Some of those are displayed in this graphic:
All that being said, what do you think about learning engineering? Is it something that you already do… but didn’t know there was a title for it? Do you think implementing the learning engineering framework would be beneficial for you and your students?
@Lauren_Harter Thank you for such a detailed and thoughtful post! It sounds like this conference was a great learning opportunity, and I’m so glad you’re sharing it here There is so much here that I think can be really helpful, especially as we are putting ourselves in the ‘back to school’ mindset. The seemingly simple notion that 'Humans are learners…and learners are human" is so powerful, and can at times, get lost in the shuffle of lesson plans, paperwork, and the myriad other things that teachers are tasked with from day 1 (and even before). But keeping in mind that all students are learners, no matter what other human qualities they are bringing to bare that day is incredibly important.
I also really appreciated the context setting of motivation and engagement. Motivation might get you started, but engagement will take you places. And finding ways to manifest both requires having some kind of relationship and a foundation of trust with your students (which gets back to that humanity element). You won’t know how to best motivate students if you don’t know who they are; and even if you can get them started, you may not reach your desired level of engagement if you don’t know what about this learning is inspiring them to keep going.
Absolutely, thank you so much for putting it that way. And you’re right, the start of the school year is a busy time, and a lot can get lost when creating lessons plans, on top of the million other things on the minds of teachers. But I love slowing down and reminding myself that yes, all students are learners, and they’re all human, and there are many aspects of making learning meaningful and relevant
