Influence of Informal Learning

Throughout the weeks of this course, I've had the opportunity to explore not only how adults learn, but all the unique and intentional things an instructional designer can do to make their content engaging, memorable, and interesting. From the use of various design principles, to video audio quality and length and everything else in between. I've had some eye opening moments that made me realize how I personally learn best, giving me a new appreciation for content creators of all kinds. 

It has also given me a different perspective on what aspects of learning and content that can be manipulated for learning transfer and audience engagement. We are all likely subliminally (at least) aware of things that appeal to our own learning preferences, but paying attention to those things and using them in your own learning creations is another thing entirely.

In this post, I'll touch on specific creators that I frequent, my reasons for doing so and what I have learned from them about the benefits of informal learning.

Engaging prior knowledge

In the ID realm, an important aspect of learning transfer is being able to tie new information to stuff you already know. Prior experience and knowledge of the subject is key to learning, which is why learning something completely new is so hard sometimes. 

Something I have learned from the podcasts embedded below is that two incredible ways to tap into prior knowledge of something are storytelling and tangents. I listen to these podcasts on a weekly basis, and most of the time I have little to no knowledge of the subjects they cover. Or, so I think. Intentionally or not, the podcasters of both of these pods do a great job of using their own stories, experiences, or random thoughts to add to their explanation of the topic. It of course does not always make sense, but a lot of time it puts the concept into a perspective that I can latch on to and relate to something else I understand.

Both of these podcasts utilize humor to the fullest extent as well, which is candy for my brain. If I'm laughing, I'm paying attention. I've actually noticed that if I find something particularly funny, I'll repeat it over in my mind a few times. As we know, repetition is helpful for memory recall. Stuff You Should Know (SYSK) is primarily an educational and history podcast, and The Last Podcast on the Left is primarily a true crime and comedy podcast. Both have taught me that learning about wild, crazy, horrific, or even stereotypically boring topics can be made fun and interesting - and I'll still be thinking about it a week later.

Production quality and design principles

Other important aspects of effective learning experiences in ID include quality of production (sound, image, etc.) as well as effective use of graphic design principles.  You can experience all of those in my favorite YouTube channel Sci Show, where a small team of creators release educational videos on anything and everything science related. Which, as you can imagine, is a very broad range of things and basically encompasses...everything?

My favorite aspects

Everything I've already talked about are things I enjoy about the content, but my very favorite aspects about them that double as things that I will carry into my own training in the future are:

• Chunking: Sci Show in particular has taught me a lot in terms of how to successfully chunk information. The topics they cover are so broad and challenging at times, and I find it amazing how they can break it down into digestible chunks for the average layperson. They will likely be a resource for this in my future, in addition to ideas for microlearning.

• Storytelling: short snippets of personal accounts, when placed correctly, have huge potential in professional practice. It breaks monotony, provides points of reference, and adds personalization.

• Humor: e-learning doesn't have to be dry and boring, and I think humor is underutilized in learning environments. It isn't for every situation, but when used appropriately, I believe it's the #1 thing that keeps me engaged.