5LD01 ASSIGNMENT EXAMPLE

Task One: Draft Article for the Transformative Learning Magazine

AC 1.1: Concepts and Connections Within Self-Directed Learning and Social Learning

The world has seen an increase in methods of accessing sources of knowledge, calling into question the notion that information is static. It is now more widely acknowledged that no one, including authorities, has absolute and exclusive access to knowledge. As knowledge continues to emerge as a mechanism and framework of conception, absorption, and internalization, the concept of knowledge as limited to information gathering alone remains challenged. The importance assigned to memorization as a primary component in the learning process is being diluted. Anyone who has interpreted the new concept of learning can organize self-learning systems, distribute information to broader contexts, overcome potential knowledge acquisition barriers, and project the image of a person open to new ideas and concepts. The learner may also demonstrate the ability to clearly distinguish emerging learning strategies and theories while contextualizing them appropriately to relevant situations. The season of self-directed and social learning has arrived, and the entire world must take notice.
In a broader sense, self-directed and social learning denotes the ability to learn on one’s own initiative, in the absence of external support, and to diagnose one’s own learning needs, construct clear learning goals, identify the necessary resources, and identify the most appropriate mechanism for activating the learning exercise. Self-directed and social learning emphasizes the sense of autonomy present in learning activities as well as the level of control that an individual has over their learning needs. Self-directed learning opposes teacher-directed learning by demonstrating the ability to transfer knowledge to oneself (Loeng, 2020). There are several concepts or dimensions that can help with the extended interpretation of self-directed and social learning. Learner control is a fundamental aspect that manifests. In contrast to teacher-directed learning, in which an institution has substantial control over the knowledge transferred to the learner, self-directed and social learning empowers the learner to direct their environment, which includes all components that can facilitate conventional learning. The learner then assumes complete responsibility, including the evaluation component.
The sociological dimension of self-directed learning is an important concept in facilitating comprehension of the subject. The angle of social isolation falls within this dimension. Social isolation in self-learning means that a learner can turn off all social components of learning while still absorbing the knowledge required for an identified learning cause (Loeng, 2020). The substantive and rapid evolution of technology provides an appropriate foundation for explaining the social isolation factor. Web-based learning, a component available in all environments, has given learners a wide range of options for managing their programs while requiring minimal interaction. A post-graduate student can begin an academic course, complete it without physically meeting with professors or students, and virtually attend the graduation ceremony. This process eliminates social gatherings and emphasizes social isolation as a dimension in self-directed and social learning. This case is applicable in non-academic situations where an individual may choose to seek growth for personal development.
Self-directed and social learning can exist as separate concepts while still sharing characteristics. The issue of personal responsibility is one of the integrated components straddling the two sub-concepts. Social learning differs from self-directed learning in that it promotes social interactions by allowing social interactions during the learning process. However, it is clear that the two systems place the responsibility for learning on the individual, who must engage in learning processes with specific goals in mind. No form of learning can exist in the absence of well-defined goals, regardless of the environment. Surprisingly, social learning, like self-directed learning, can necessitate that an individual maintain control over their learning environment (Tekkol and Demirel, 2018). The social learner must understand the immediate interactive set-up, as well as decide what resources to use, who to interact with, and how to respond. The element of social isolation in self-directed learning indicates that the learner has already decided who not to interact with. The two connections between self-directed learning and social learning emerge in the form of carrying out well-defined goals and maintaining control over learning environments.

AC 1.2: An Assessment of Theories

Self-directed and social learning can exist as separate concepts while still sharing characteristics. The issue of personal responsibility is one of the integrated components straddling the two sub-concepts. Social learning differs from self-directed learning in that it promotes social interactions by allowing social interactions during the learning process. However, it is clear that the two systems place the responsibility for learning on the individual, who must engage in learning processes with specific goals in mind. No form of learning can exist in the absence of well-defined goals, regardless of the environment. Surprisingly, social learning, like self-directed learning, can necessitate that an individual maintain control over their learning environment (Tekkol and Demirel, 2018). The social learner must understand the immediate interactive set-up, as well as decide what resources to use, who to interact with, and how to respond. The element of social isolation in self-directed learning indicates that the learner has already decided who not to interact with. The two connections between self-directed learning and social learning emerge in the form of carrying out well-defined goals and maintaining control over learning environments.
Albert Bandura’s Theory of Social Learning contains numerous concepts on how to facilitate social learning as individuals. Bandura indicates that no learning can occur if external instruction does not correspond with the learner’s immediate needs, so reinforcement qualifies as a primary component in the theorem. The broader idea is that anyone in charge of any social learning environment must fully comprehend the learners and take into account the presence of the learners’ independent thinking processes (Liu and Xiang, 2020). The main takeaway from Bandura’s position as a strength is that an individual can only imitate or absorb what they consider to be aligned with their interests. A person who is uninterested in social learning will fail. The disadvantage stems from the failure to recognize the benefits of being exposed to a wide range of learning environments. B.F Skinner developed operant conditioning theory after observing that rewards and punishments can influence a learner’s educational path. In professional workplaces, the presence of rewards in the form of increased perks can justify learning investments. On the other hand, potential forms of punishment, such as demotion or redundancy, can motivate people to pursue all forms of social learning. Skinner may have failed to distinguish the difference, in terms of overall objective, between rewards and punishments. Individuals are motivated to engage in similar activities by the two factors.

AC 1.3: Benefits and Risks

Self-learning has been celebrated for centuries, and the advancement of technology continues to provide the world with exciting opportunities. Although the primary focus of self-learning may be in the adult education learning environment, professionals have made significant efforts to interpret the concept in the workplace. The ability of employees to absorb a bottom-up knowledge and skills approach is a key benefit of self-learning, particularly in the workplace. This framework implies that they can comprehend new skills and detect even minor details as the learning process unfolds naturally. Self-learning allows professionals to understand their ability to absorb any level of knowledge they desire, putting them on a path of limitless knowledge (Overton and Dixon, 2016). Organizations also benefit from creating learning cultures within their operating environments. However, the concept is fraught with dangers that could lead to a variety of drawbacks. When organizations run defined objectives, it is difficult for employees to engage in self-directed learning autonomously. Timelines and free periods required for learning may also be unavailable for such engagements. Organizations may also be tempted to stifle self-directed learning initiatives based on direct performance indicators. This implies that employees are left to invest in self-learning without any form of support from their employers.
Many facilities around the world have raised their awareness of the importance of implementing collaborative levels and moving away from processes that promote isolation. This factor emphasizes the ongoing significance of social learning. Social learning in corporate environments now includes knowledge transfer between colleagues as well as engagements realized within functional teams. CIPD podcasts on learning and development (L&D) feature Perry Trims admitting that no substantive learning can occur in the absence of interactions. If a man or woman chose to live in complete isolation, they would be helpless. Social learning improves the value of learning from others while weakening weak points. Collective cultures of innovation emerge from established social learning systems. Individuals who prefer highly formalized learning environments over social learning systems are a weakness in social learning. This evolution has the potential to dampen an organization’s desire to foster social spaces and promote individualized learning mechanisms. If a pairing exercise is required, social learning suffers as well. A mismatch in skills can have disastrous consequences.

AC 2.1/2.2: Steps to Encouraging Self-Directed, Social and Informal Learning

The primary responsibility of organizations is to facilitate informal, self-directed, and social forms of learning for their internal customers. The proper design of learning environments significantly improves overall organizational strategies, all types of professional performance, and works to elevate workplace skills. To that end, it is critical for facilities to understand the strategies they can use to ensure excellent informal, self-directed, and social learning mechanisms. Institutions may invest in infrastructure such as physical libraries, digital databases, museums, interactive fora, chat rooms, and social gatherings outside of the workplace for informal learning. Informal learning mechanisms do not have a specific goal, but they do help to increase workplace productivity. Employee study leaves or dedicated timelines for individualized learning within workspaces can be used to support self-directed learning. Most L&D departments create guidelines on organizational support systems for people who want to learn on their own. Intentional steps such as pairing employees, creating dedicated teams assigned to defined projects, holding collective training sessions, and sending teams into single professional development faculties can all be attracted by social learning processes. An organization committed to exposing its internal customers to the three forms can create customized learning programs and install necessary infrastructure.

AC 2.3: Theories of Learner Differences

Theoretical underpinnings can aid in demonstrating the distinctions between self-directed and social forms of learning. Behaviourism, as a theoretical concept, states that all forms of learning must take place in an environment that encourages interaction. This proposition establishes the first learner distinction between self-directed and social learning frameworks. This theory outright rejects the concept of autonomy in the learning process, instead emphasizing the need for learners to seek assistance as a means of productively absorbing knowledge. Its likely role in the workplace is to help an intern understand general work skills from colleagues and controlled environments as the intern progresses up the professional ladder. Individuals with the ability to develop learning objectives, define the learning path, and evaluate their learning journey are fiercely contested by the theory. For the sake of success, learners acquiring knowledge through this theory must receive instructions and encounter reinforcements. The theory distinguishes between self-directed learning and social learning frameworks. The concept of self-directed learning gives the learner complete control over the knowledge absorption trajectory, which is not addressed by behaviorism theory.
Constructivism considers learners to be autonomous individuals capable of determining their own paths of knowledge rather than passive recipients of knowledge systems. People’s experience over time allows them to create independent courses for the absorption of extensive knowledge. Contrary to behaviorism, constructivism positively supports the self-directed learning mechanism while opposing social learning systems. The conceptual framework then asserts the presence of people who can autonomously choose to add any type of knowledge to their already existing schemas, implying that learners already understand their position and have clearly defined their next learning points. In the workplace, an entry-level employee can fully understand their path, the types of knowledge they need to advance, relevant resources, and mapping individual actions to take along that path. It is the system of constructing identified paths and doing everything possible to travel those paths. Organizations can only allow and support such determined employees to continue on their professional journey if the organization recognizes and accepts the validity of their learning desires.

AC 2.4: Digital and Technological Innovation in Self-Directed and Social Learning

The digital environment has significantly improved people’s ability to absorb knowledge. The most influenced form of learning by digitization is self-directed learning. Individuals can use an autonomous tool to determine their learning trajectory under the current technological framework (Tekkol and Demirel, 2018). The internet of things (IoT) has covered every academic and professional discipline, resulting in the rise of fully independent means of learning and knowledge absorption. For a professional seeking to self-determine their professional progress, minimal infrastructure investment is required for their learning journey to take shape. The CIPD, an institution that offers professional exams on people practices, posts the entire course content on the internet, creating a large space for learning and understanding. Many other professional bodies have invested in digital databases to improve their customers’ ability to prepare for exams. Academic institutions have greatly expanded their options, with a significant number allowing students to begin and complete professional papers using web-based technologies. With its global reach, technology has enabled the diffusion of various learning mechanisms, allowing students to tailor their learning needs. Professionals have succeeded in having highly specialized learning curves leading to the rise of equally specialized careers all through self-learning by constructing widened options.
Educators now wield enormous power over how courses and duties are delivered in social learning. Professional curricula can be processed by tutors using the bulk content available in modern digital databases. Technology has expanded forms of communication and social interactions, thereby amplifying the social interaction angle. Using audio visual technology, a lecturer can access an entire course class. They can also instantly access student assignments and share feedback at their leisure. The presence of journals containing numerous theories and concepts implies that students can fulfill course requirements on academic instruction while also forming a positive tutor-learner relationship. Professionals looking to advance their academic careers can easily interact with peers and contextualize their learning. The development of participatory learning environments strengthens learning processes and contributes significantly to the development of strong academic communities. Because of the close interaction spaces made possible by technology, a large number of people have achieved academic success. Access to course materials online reduces learning time and saves academic administrators money on the costs of building physical libraries. Educators and students can also conduct peer reviews on other institutions and students in order to reflect on appropriate learning practices.
The breadth of technology allows for unintentional learning, which adds enormous value to socializing. Individuals all over the world have learned by interacting with knowledge without any prior planning or determination. Someone can access the CIPD website by searching for something on the internet. Inadvertently entering such a platform can bring up content about people’s practices and influence the user in a variety of ways. Physical technology infrastructure remains affordable, and people now have a plethora of ways to be exposed to information and understand various formal and informal concepts. People’s understanding of many issues, including cultures and geopolitics, has been greatly expanded by the social media framework. The vast majority of users in social media platforms do not plan their content absorption trajectories, so their learning curves do not take shape in very defined ways (Overton and Dixon, 2016). It is also possible for a person to think of an issue at random and proceed to understand it from a short-term perspective. Anyone who wants to simply understand what people do can do so using the endless internet-based technologies. The rise of many tech wizards around the world has occurred against a backdrop of people gaining access to knowledge tools and engaging in self-training exercises.

AC 2.5: Supporting Strategies

Executive functioning, meta cognition, and social-emotional learning all emerge as viable strategies for developing capable self-directed learners. The ability to lead a highly regulated professional life and align identified objectives with relevant actions is implied by executive functioning. A professional learner can create an agenda and divide it into smaller successful tasks that will lead to the completion of their academic goals. As a self-directed learning strategy, metacognition allows a learner to reflect on their journey and think more deeply about the best ways to complete their roles. It is a mechanism that allows a learner to choose the best learning mechanisms and understand the importance of following all processes. As a metacognition sub-strategy, reflective journaling promotes conscious attitudes toward learning. If a student considers the two components to be beneficial, social-emotional learning as a strategy can enable solid communication and relevant collaboration (Schweder and Raufelder, 2021). Identification of emotions that can support the presence of a conducive learning environment can help learners complete their learning tasks more easily.
Social learners’ intentions for active communication and collaboration influence their course of action. Learners have no choice but to absorb methods of accessing information, sharing feedback, and collaborating with educational and professional stakeholders in a learning situation requiring repeated interactions. The presence of a diverse set of technological tools helps to build a formidable collaboration and communication portfolio, which leads to strong social learning processes. The use of observational learning strategies can improve knowledge retention (Pllana, 2021). With social learning theories emphasizing reinforcement as a step toward sloid learning, keen social learners can use consistent observation as a familiarization tool to support their learning goals.

Task Two

Content Curation: How to Curate Effective Learning Resources

AC 3.1

The curation of resources to support self-directed and social learning emerges as a project in desperate need of clarified strategies. There are principles to guide the process and give eager learners a chance to succeed at self-directed and social forms of learning. The reference to a defined structure that can guide the development of the learning journey is the first principle in a set of guiding elements. The learner must understand the learning mechanism and identify the types of resources that will help them achieve their goals. A self-directed learner using online platforms, for example, may consider online databases as their go-to framework for gathering sources. Another supporting principle is the acknowledgement and acceptance that a learner does not always need to create resources. The majority of learning tools are readily available, and the learner only needs to identify the appropriate access strategy. From this perspective, the learner should consider access to be yet another individual principle. Some resources become expensive, and the challenge of unplanned access severely interferes with learning mechanisms. Social learners may have an easier time with access because they can easily collaborate with other students.
Learners must consider the principle of identifying expert knowledge developers in their area of interest when curating resources. The use of non-experts can send learners on a wild goose chase as they absorb irrelevant information. Identifying the experts saves time because the learners can complete their tasks with high precision. Experts also aid in the delivery of strong content, laying the groundwork for learners to succeed. The fifth point is to focus on the learner’s cognitive and professional levels. Curating resources that do not correspond to a learner’s cognition ability and do not answer to the professional level is a risky endeavor.

AC 3.2

The process of curating learning resources is feasible, as evidenced by the presence of examples. The creation of a reading list is a good example of a potential curating initiative. This reading list includes books, peer-reviewed online articles, and business reports on the topic of ‘Gender Diversity and Inclusion’ in the workplace. The reading list in the example will only include highlighted materials, and the texts should have been published in 2017 or later. They should also concentrate on global corporations with headquarters in the Americas and Europe. The development of these resources has taught us that learners should use a filtering method to identify specific sources. They should also define the nature of the resources so that subject experts can provide resources. The second example of curation is on ‘Expert Professionals to Follow.’ This list or portfolio should direct the individuals who need to stay current on the subject. If the issue of gender and inclusion remains, it is possible to identify the figures who can have an impact on that matter, such as instructors for social learning or active professionals in digital platforms for self-directed learning. A third example is a database on ‘Trends in CIPD Curriculum,’ which contains research material on the changes made by CIPD regarding the course under consideration. The research items have the potential to influence understanding of anticipated changes and guidance on organizational behavior at CIPD. The strategy in this example is to prepare and maintain a prepared mindset if changes occur at any point during the course program (Dailey-Hebert, 2018). The changes under consideration should have occurred within the last two decades and should have been directed toward a specific course. It is critical to emphasize that the filtering method strongly promotes an accurate curation culture.

AC 3.3: Guidance Section

1. Run a category mindset: Category reflection allows learners to determine elements such as the necessary resource formats compatible with the learning objective. Using this method, the learner can separate audio from visual items and create a portfolio for written resources (Mello, 2016). Items in the categorization mechanism can be arranged by topic or subject, making it easier for the user to retrieve when needed. Categorization aids planning and saves the learner significant time resources.
2. Align the content with the learning objectives: The learner must accurately identify their learning objectives and clearly match the resources to the objectives. This strategy enables the learner to identify areas that require additional assistance (Mello, 2016). It is also a differentiation strategy that allows learners to track their progress in learning.
3. Identify authentic content: A list of experts and authentic sources increases the likelihood of encountering useful content relevant to the development of a strong learning exercise (Mello, 2016). Many students may encounter content that is not clearly beneficial, resulting in significant time waste. Prior research on credible sources can greatly improve this approach. The use of non-authentic content can result in the challenge of failing to meet learning objectives.

References

1. Dailey-Hebert, A., 2018. Taming the Beast: Principles to Efficiently Curate and Customize Online Learning Resources. Journal of Educators Online, [online] 15(3). Available at: <https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1199113>.
2. Devin, M., Augustine-Shaw, D. and Hachiya, R., 2016. Changing from Traditional Practice to a New Model for Preparing Future Leaders. Educational Considerations, [online] 43(4). Available at: <https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1116646.pdf>.
3. Lemmetty, S. and Collin, K., 2019. Self-Directed Learning as a Practice of Workplace Learning: Interpretative Repertoires of Self-Directed Learning in ICT Work. Vocations and Learning, [online] 13(1), pp.47-70. Available at: <https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12186-019-09228-x>.
4. Liu, W. and Xiang, S., 2020. The Effect of Leaders’ Coaching Behaviors on Employee Learning Orientation: A Regulatory Focus Perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 11.
5. Loeng, S., 2020. Self-Directed Learning: A Core Concept in Adult Education. Education Research International, [online] 2020, pp.1-12. Available at: <https://www.hindawi.com/journals/edri/2020/3816132/>.
6. Mello, L., 2016. Fostering postgraduate student engagement: online resources supporting self-directed learning in a diverse cohort. Research in Learning Technology, [online] 24(1), p.29366. Available at: <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298806503_Fostering_postgraduate_student_engagement_Online_resources_supporting_self-directed_learning_in_a_diverse_cohort>.
7. Overton, L. and Dixon, G., 2016. Preparing for the Future of Learning In-Focus Report: A Changing Perspective for L&D Leaders. [ebook] London: CIPD. Available at: <https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/preparing-for-the-future-of-learning_2016-a-changing-perspective-for-l-and-d-leaders_tcm18-13846.pdf> [Accessed 3 October 2022].
8. Pllana, D., 2021. Combining Teaching Strategies, Learning Strategies, and Elements of Super Learning Principles. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, [online] 8(6), pp.288-301. Available at: <https://journals.scholarpublishing.org/index.php/ASSRJ/article/view/10366>.
9. Schweder, S. and Raufelder, D., 2021. Examining positive emotions, autonomy support and learning strategies: Self-directed versus teacher-directed learning environments. Learning Environments Research, [online] 25(2), pp.507-522. Available at: <https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10984-021-09378-7>.
10. Tekkol, İ. and Demirel, M., 2018. An Investigation of Self-Directed Learning Skills of Undergraduate Students. Frontiers in Psychology, [online] 9. Available at: <https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02324/full>.

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