Learning Design Patterns: Bringing patterns to life while mastering FIFA 19
Learning design patterns are typical solutions to common problems in learning design, found in applications that might just surprise you.
Crucial to good learning design, is the use of patterns. These are the basis of the activities that we as learners, will navigate along our path towards achieving the learning outcomes of a course.
OpenLearning is developing a Learning Design Pattern Library, drawing from all of the carefully designed learning experiences that live within our courses.
I’ve been thinking a great deal about patterns. This is the second instalment on the topic, and follows a recent article on ‘Understanding Learning Design Patterns’. It provides me with an opportunity to share a revelation about patterns that I experienced upon delivery of a new PS4.
I’m going to be honest, straight up, before we start, I’m hopeless at playing video games. However, in the spirit of being a lifelong learner, I decided I wanted to master the PlayStation handset. I actually didn’t really care what game I used to learn the handset, so long as it wasn’t either too ‘G’ rated or too violent. FIFA 19 seemed to fit nicely along that gaming continuum, and as fortune would have it, the PS4 that I purchased came with FIFA 19 as a bonus.
Major problem here. I’ve watched the occasional World Cup game, and at least know that it involves a round ball that you can’t touch and the players often fall over, clutching a foot or a knee for no apparent reason. But if you asked me what the rules were, you’d hear crickets. Maybe I should’ve chosen the ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 3' package instead?
So, it appears that I’ve got some serious learning to do in my quest to master the PS4 handset. Fortunately, there is a significant volume of online learning activities devoted to this particular game, and as I waded through, I could clearly see effective use of learning design patterns that have been used to guide me through to eventually winning the FIFA 19 Global Series.
Mmm…, let’s start small and work up to that!
Learning Design Patterns
Crucial to good learning design, is the use of patterns. They are the basis of the activities that we as learners, will navigate along our path towards achieving the learning outcomes of a course. Each learning design pattern is a blueprint that can be customised to solve a particular learning design problem.
In describing one of these patterns, a learning designer will address the purpose, the pattern and the praxis of that pattern. Let me explain that a little further. Specific patterns are developed or chosen that will address the purpose of what they are trying to solve. The pattern itself is the approach or structure of a learning activity, and the praxis describes how the pattern is put into practice.
Back to my living room. I’m searching online to find out a little more about the rules of this new game. Without too much effort, I stumble across ‘FIFA Play’, a wiki site specifically devoted to FIFA 19. As luck would have it, there exists on this site, a short game called ‘Football Referee’.
I’m pretty sure you’d agree, that there’s a clear connection between the terms ‘referee’ and ‘rules’. I click and start playing.
- Purpose: To introduce the learner to the rules of football.
- Pattern: A scenario based game where the learner is asked to choose the most appropriate decision for the referee as he prepares for, then manages a game of football.
- Praxis: This is a simple, clickable learning experience where the learner is provided with a scenario and asked to click on the correct course of action. Feedback on learner decisions is provided at the end of the game.
Solving Problems
A carefully used learning design pattern, that exists to take the learner to a new level of knowledge or skill, will influence their learning and lead them towards the desired outcome of the course. Think about the value of learning design patterns in solving the following problems.
- How will you develop an online learning community at the outset of your course?
- How will you encourage learners to co-construct knowledge, or reflect on their learning experience?
The FIFA Play site addressed the need for community building through another pattern I found throughout the site. I’ve used the forum from the ‘Tips and Tutorials’ page to demonstrate the pattern used.
Pattern #2 — FIFA Play: Community
- Purpose: Develop an online learning community that encourages the co-construction of knowledge and reflection on learning experiences.
- Pattern: A FIFA 19 social community, where information can be shared among players, questions asked and even social connections are made between players spread throughout the world.
- Praxis: This community is driven through a simple forum section at the bottom of each page. Players can post comments and reply to others in discussions.
Clearly, a social constructivist approach has been taken in the design of this resource. This helps develop a thriving player (learner) community, where social interactions, as well as the sharing and co-construction of knowledge is possible.
Directing Play (the role of the learning designer)
I hope you don’t mind, I’m going to leave my PS4 handset lying on the floor, still unused, so that I can share some thoughts on how a learning designer would develop and share their learning design patterns?
Effective use of well designed patterns provides your learning design with a level of consistency both within and across courses. Therefore, less time needs to be spent introducing a new activity, when learners are already familiar with the design pattern. This provides an opportunity to reduce cost of developing a learning experience if a tried and tested learning design pattern is used. It also helps to adhere to design standards.
There needs to be consistency in the way learning design patterns are presented and shared among a team or learning design community. The following provides a suggested approach to structuring the communication of your patterns.
- Pattern Name: Seriously, some people name the weirdest things! One of my colleagues calls his biceps ‘Walter’ and ‘Hank’! Give your learning design pattern a little respect. Give it a name.
- Problem: A statement of the common problem that the pattern will solve: I’ve discussed this and the next two points earlier. Let’s not overdo it.
- Pattern: A brief overview of the pattern
- Instructions: Help others to understand how to use the pattern. Maybe even make suggestions on how it can be modified to solve other problems.
- Implementation: Help those who want to use your pattern to understand the correct and incorrect implementation. Provide some guidelines or principles behind the pattern.
- Justification: If you can, share some of the theory and/or research behind the design of your pattern.
Learning design patterns can be classified into several distinct categories; Scaffolding, Interactions, Activities, Motivation and Media Use. While patterns are chosen to solve a specific learning problem, you’ll discover that any single learning design pattern is likely to sit within more than one of these learning experience categories. This means they are potentially able to offer a genuinely deeper learning experience.
These learning design categories will be explored in greater detail in the next article on Learning Design Patterns.
The Final Whistle
Back to the honesty. I did have a brief fling with my PS4. However, the hours spent trying to master the game and the handset were in vain. My lack of skill development had less to do with the plethora of learning resources and more to do with the fact that I’m just not good at rubbing my belly, patting my head and rolling my eyeballs in two different directions at the same time, all the while concentrating on a screen in front of me. Seriously, have you seen how many buttons you have to press on those handsets?
The console is gathering dust and will probably be given to someone who deserves it more than me, or will be sold in the next garage sale.
The morale of the story is that to effectively convey critical learning objectives, it is important to employ carefully designed patterns that provide a variety of quality learning experiences. While you may not be developing an online course for the next blockbuster video game, you are likely to be striving to develop the best and most effective learning experiences for your courses. Learning design patterns, used with skill and with clear learning objectives in mind, are a highly valuable item in your toolbox.
At the time of writing this, I still haven’t kicked a goal.
References
FIFPlay. (2019). FIFPlay. [online] Available at: https://www.fifplay.com/ [Accessed 7 Aug. 2019].
NDTV Gadgets 360. (2019). FIFA 19 Review. [online] Available at: https://gadgets.ndtv.com/games/reviews/fifa-19-review-ratings-release-date-xbox-one-1921811 [Accessed 7 Aug. 2019].
SegmentNext. (2019). This is What FIFA 19 Referee Mode Could Look Like If It Existed | SegmentNext. [online] Available at: https://segmentnext.com/2018/07/12/this-is-what-fifa-19-referee-mode-could-look-like-if-it-existed/ [Accessed 8 Aug. 2019].
