Analysis

At the onset of this case study, I confess to having completely different expectations for its outcome. In Adam, I expected to find an older, non-traditional learner belittled by the forced participation and lack of meaningful presence in an online environment. I anticipated this rote content with what appeared to be “busy work” would create an absence of autonomy, a feeling of condescension, and an underlining lack of motivation.

What I instead found was a relentlessly optimistic outlook, supported by a firm foundation of personalized, intrinsic goals and understanding.  In short, I misjudged the role developed metacognition and motivation play in allowing a learner to overcome obstacles. 

While I will briefly analyze said obstacles (extraneous load, a lack of social presence, limited opportunity for feedback, and dated materials) in this section I will also dive into the ways in which Adam’s experience exemplifies the theories around motivation and metacognition that exist today. By exploring these factors I will present my learnings with the hope that other educators may find them a useful reminder of all that our students are capable of. 

As Adam notes, his course is not without its strengths. During the creation of his discussion post, he is being prompted to reflect on his learnings and articulate the neural pathways he has strengthened through the introduction of new concepts.  In this way, he has exemplified a reflective practice as articulated by Taylor and Marineu in their 2016 study.  By forging personalized connections, learners undertaking this assignment increase the likelihood of retention. They also are invited to interrogate previous cultural notions around this politicized topic (Taylor & Marienau, 2016).

In this portion, students are also activating and integrating prior knowledge. In doing so they make familiar the once unfamiliar material (Ambrose & Lovett, 2014).  

We can view this process as a successful iteration of the assimilative learning process. Through this lens, we can see how it allows Adam to “adapt and incorporate impressions from his…surroundings as an extension and differentiation of mental schemes built up through earlier learning” (Illeris, 2007).

With regards to the amount of cognitive load created in this course, I want to explore a slightly different type of extraneous load as defined by van Merrieboer and Sweller. To review, the extraneous load is typically defined as an energy lift “not necessary for learning that can be altered by instructional interventions” (2005, p. 150).  Adam notably struggles in his attempt to compose the writing of his discussion prompts. While the material has been properly integrated and incentive is present, the process of writing the perfect response becomes taxing. While to some this may be considered a kind of germane load and thereby crucial to his learning process, I think something else is at play. Without instructor feedback, Adam attempts to calibrate for an unknown metric. He loses points each week but is unable to correct and assess future attempts. For that reason, his efforts are excessive and appear stressful. (de Jong, 2009)

In a live classroom, this load might be reduced by the fluency of speech and real-time reactions. In this case, I cite the detached, non-specific grading of the discussion board as a source of excessive energy detracting from a true, uninhibited process of assimilation.

Related to feedback, it may be that a lack of social presence as defined by Mayer’s Personalization principle is at play in some of the weariness Adam expresses. The videos are without a human image, and the conversations are in his own words “sterile.” The environment, therefore, misses an opportunity to facilitate increased motivation, accountability, and overall enjoyable interaction (Mayer, 2014). I will explore this further in the Recommendations section.

Having considered the energy required to learn in this environment, I will now turn my attention to the science behind what makes Adam able to succeed. 

If we define motivation as J.J. Ratey does in a 2001 study— “a process that determines how much energy and attention the brain and body assign to a given stimulus.”  While a fair amount of energy is needed to overcome the obstacles listed above, it’s fair to say that Adam's reflection of his goals and dream-based reasoning for returning to school has created a considerable amount of intrinsic motivation. In other words, his energy source is unique, powerful, and personalized specifically to his needs (Ratey, 2001).

Finally, and perhaps most notably, Adam’s life experience allows him a high degree of metacognition. His “intellectual skills” as defined by Pascarella and Terrizini (2005) allow for considerable adaptability in his course work. Because this is not his first experience as a student, and because his work responsibilities necessitate it, Adam is able to "process and utilize new information, communicate effectively, reason objectively and draw objective conclusions from various types of data …[and] make reasonable decisions in the face of imperfect information" (Pascarella & Terrizin, 2005, p. 155).

To summarize, Adam exemplifies a considerable body of theory behind the power of intrinsic motivation, metacognitive, and intellectual skills.