Why is it important to plan for learner differences to have an effective instructional design?

Cite

at least five (5) resources to support your position. In addition, highlight any factors that are

unique to your profession/industry.

It is important to plan for learner differences when designing instruction because not everyone

learns the same way. According to Morrison, Ross, Kalman, and Kemp (2013), lectures to a

group of learners can pose a problem because there are varying levels of comprehension and

understanding amongst the students and they each may learn at a different pace. Economides

(2008) argues that learning motivation is directly affected by the learners cultural differences.

Learners bring with them their beliefs, culture, attitudes, values, etc. All of these impact the

learners abilities to communicate and collaborate with others (Economides, 2008). Different

learning styles also impact how students interact with the learning environment and content

(Baker and Dwyer, 2005). Serri, Boroujeni, and Hesabi (2012) posit that a learners listening

comprehension is affected by factors such as personality traits, gender, age, learning style, and

level of motivation. Desmarais and Baker (2012) state that, individualized learning is much

more effective than classroom learning (p. 9). In addition, the prior knowledge and experiences

of the learners have a dramatic impact on how they learn and interact with the learning

environment and instructional content. In my industry, we have a wide range of skills and

abilities amongst our personnel. We have accountants, electrical engineers, linemen, customer

service representatives, purchasing coordinators, communication specialists, and much more.

We have employees with GEDs and some with masters degrees. It is important for instructional

designers to understand the individual needs and backgrounds of learners so they can design the

most effective instruction for those students.

Baker, R. M., & Dwyer, F. (2005). Effect of instructional strategies and individual differences: A

meta-analytic assessment. International Journal of Instructional Media, 32(1), 69-84.

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Desmarais, M. C., Baker, R. S., J., & D. (2012). A review of recent advances in learner and skill

modeling in intelligent learning environments. User Modeling and User - Adapted

Interaction, 22(1-2), 9-38. Retrieved from

http://dx.doi.org.trevecca.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s11257-011-9106-8

Economides, A. A. (2008). Culture-aware collaborative learning. Multicultural Education &

Technology Journal, 2(4), 243-267. Retrieved from

http://dx.doi.org.trevecca.idm.oclc.org/10.1108/17504970810911052

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K. & Kemp, J. E. (2013). Designing effective

instruction (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Serri, F., Boroujeni, A. J., & Hesabi, A. (2012). Cognitive, metacognitive, and Social/Affective

strategies in listening comprehension and their relationships with individual differences.

Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(4), 843-849. Retrieved from

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