Empathy in Distance Learning Design Practice
Keywords
Distance learning, Empathy, Learner analysis, Practice, Stakeholders, Instructional design
Abstract
The notion of designer empathy has become a cornerstone of design philosophy in fields such as product design, human-computer interaction, and service design. But the literature on instructional designer empathy and learner analysis suggests that distance learning designers are generally quite removed from the learners with whom they could be empathizing. We describe a qualitative study conducted with practicing distance learning designers across the United States. We selected designers in varying sectors within the workforce, and interviewed our participants via videoconferencing. Our inquiry uncovered important tensions designers live with regarding empathy in practice. Designers struggle to know how much learner analysis is sufficient, which of many stakeholders to empathize with, and navigating constraints. Future work in this area could help designers practice more empathically and, in doing so, improve the learning environments they create for learners.
Original Publication Citation
Matthews, M. T., Williams, G. S., Yanchar, S. C., & McDonald J. K. (2017). Empathy in distance learning design practice. TechTrends, 61(5), 486–493. doi:10.1007/s11528-017-0212-2
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Matthews, Michael T.; Williams, Gregory S.; Yanchar, Stephen C.; and McDonald, Jason K., "Empathy in Distance Learning Design Practice" (2017). Faculty Publications. 1973.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/1973
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2017-07-11
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/3927
Publisher
TechTrends
Language
English
College
David O. McKay School of Education
Department
Instructional Psychology and Technology
Copyright Status
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11528-017-0212-2
Copyright Use Information
http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/