Page 103 - Educational Technology A Primer for the 21st Century

92 6 Learner Experiences with Educational Technology

6.1 Introduction

In Chap. 5, the essential points of user experience were introduced. Learner
experience is a notion derived from user experience in software engineering and is a
kind of general experience. The subject of a learning experience is the learner, just
as the subject of a user experience is the user. Learner experience is important to
instructional design and the development and refinement of learning environments
just as user experience is important for software design, development, and refine-
ment (Dutton, 2017). Effective learner experiences result in engaging and memo-
rable educational experiences. In fact, learner experience is a key factor in keeping
instructional design relevant. There is now a great variety of learning technologies
as well as many different learning environments, learning spaces, and learning
situations available to designers and developers. While many people are involved in
designing, developing, and deploying these technologies, in this chapter, the focus
is primarily on learners’ experiences with these technologies, as those experiences
have implications for design, development, and deployment.
For more than a hundred years, the classroom has been a major element in
support of teaching and learning processes. A typical classroom is designed to
accommodate various things such as chairs, desks, shelves, cabinets, a blackboard
or whiteboard, and audiovisual equipment (Udin & Rajuddin, 2008). In the
mid-1990s, schools began to implement programs to bring digital technologies into
classrooms. These technologies included desktop computers, laptop computers,
interactive whiteboards, digital projectors, Internet access, productivity and
curriculum-related software, and printers. More recently, 3D printers and virtual
and augmented reality equipment have been introduced in some classrooms.
Educational technologies impact learner experience. The focus of this chapter is
on determining how well technologies fit learners’ needs and expectations. One
issue to be elaborated is the concept of learner experience. The second issue to be
elaborated is the evaluation of educational technology from the perspective of
learner experience.

6.2 Experience and Learner Experience

Every day, people go to school, participate in classes and school activities, and have
learning experiences. The idea that students have learning experiences seems
simple enough, but what is meant by a learning experience?
We all know that a singular experience is made up of an infinite amount of minor
experiences, relating to contexts, people, and products. Moreover, the experience
can be divided into different stages. Please think of your experience of camping on
a huge mountain, which might be made up of smaller experiences, such as seeing
the trees, rivers, feeling the breeze, and you recognize it appreciated and the climb
from the bottom to the ascent, during the process you have interactions with
products such as one’s tent and cook stove, and interactions with companions on