Category: Peer Responses

I appreciated how you connected your example of studying to the principles of backward design. It shows so clearly how defining a clear end objective, such as mastering DFA and NFA. I have had the same experience myself where studying without an end outcome lost hours, so I could appreciate your experience. It’s a pleasant reminder that learning design, whether for a friend or an entire class, is most effective when it is deliberate.

My favorite section was your design thinking section too. I liked how you set up empathy to be the basis of innovation, especially in your co-op experience where you created a training app. That indicates that design isn’t always about being efficient but also about people, which I think is so easy to forget in technical fields.

I also agree with your interpretation of SOLO taxonomy. Bloom’s is helpful, but SOLO’s emphasis on progression is more representative of the way learning actually occurs. Your example of reinforcing the DFA/NFA result showed how minor wording changes can lead learners toward deeper understanding.

Your post does a great job connecting learning design theories to real-world experiences in programming and software development. I especially related to your example about surface learning in the Python course compared to deep learning during your internship. I’ve had similar experiences where the assessment style determined how much of the knowledge stayed with me after the course. Like you, I found that when activities and outcomes were tied to authentic applications, the learning became much more meaningful and lasting.

I also appreciated your emphasis on empathy in Design Thinking. The example you gave about redesigning a UI for accessibility highlighted how feedback and iteration are crucial, not only in tech but also in education. It made me think about how often courses fail to “test” their design with learners in mind. Your insights on SOLO Taxonomy stood out as well; the progression from surface to deep understanding feels especially relevant in computer science, where growth is often about moving from memorization to problem-solving.

Hi Amy, thank you so much for sharing such a thoughtful and motivational post! I particularly loved how you connected your own ADHD and growth mindset experiences to your learning trajectory. It made your observations seem very real and relatable. I also enjoyed your description of behaviourism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Especially how you showed how your professor employed all three theories collectively was a good example of how they can work together in the real world. I enjoyed the way you then applied the theories themselves to actual study habits. Your lists make it very easy to adopt the ideas. Your explanation of the ARCS Model was also a really nice thing about your post, and I liked how you wove in relevance and confidence in your own motivation as a student. It was wonderful at illustrating how theory applies in real life. Finally, I loved your conversation about prior knowledge, specifically your comment on not merely adding to what we have in mind but unlearning when necessary. Overall, your blog was nicely structured, engaging, and chock full of information that I can utilize for myself within my own education.

Hi Alexandra. Thank you so much for sharing! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your educational journey and how it took you from Calgary to UVic. It added such a personal touch to your introduction and made your account interesting. I also appreciated how you described your learning style so elegantly. Your point that you learn things more easily when you are able to see them and discuss them resonate strongly with me, since collaborative work tends to foster understanding. Your observation about how your own working definition of learning evolved over time was also useful. I liked the contrast between the way you used to think about “street smarts vs. book smarts” and the way you now value both formal education and life skills. All in all, your entry was reflective, intimate, and inspiring to read, and it helped me have new perspectives on my own learning experiences.

Hello Fiona! Thanks so much for the great post! I enjoyed how you transitioned your love of childhood books into your life of learning today; it made your concept of learning so personal and meaningful. The example of the sewing class and wood shop was one that I found particularly enjoyable, since it showed so well how creating new information connect back to something you are already passionate about ensures that it sticks with you. I also appreciated your discussion of behaviorism and cognitivism. It is interesting to see how you balance memorization with attempts to do the heavy lifting of making connections at the deeper level in what you’re learning. The motivation section was also what caught my attention, and how you differentiated the different ARCS categories according to whether you are learning for school or for yourself. Finally, I enjoyed the format of your post by use of pictures and diagrams and it made it appealing and easy to follow. Overall, your entry was understandable, well-organized, and motivating, and it caused me to think differently about my own methods of learning.