Consider learner lifecycles (There's at least 2)
When designing educational software, I make sure to consider how it will fit with the learner's life. There are at least two orientations for this sort of exercise. I refer to them as the student's schedule and study life cycles. For canonical points in each, I then consider the educational intent, student-teacher ratio, and person-technology ratio. This helps me plan course components, select their platforms, and design their interaction types.
The schedule lifecycle is a daily student lifecycle and it presents specific settings in which study occurs. For example a study lifecycle could include, pre-class refresher, in-class study, out of class study (homework), and personally-directed study (auto-didactic).
The study lifecycle is the student's progression in formality, and represents the purpose of study. For example a student might be in a pre-enrollment phase, where selection of a course is still occurring; in an enrolled phase of formal study; in a certification preparation, or test-prep mode; or in a practitioner, or job, mode and needing decision support.
The two life cycles interact or change in combination. For example, the daily study lifecycle of an enrolled student will differ from the daily lifecycle of a practitioner. The study needs of a nursing student are different from those of an EMT shift worker. But both will have discrete opportunities to study, both are along a continuum of "studenthood", and both will benefit from educational materials (new or traditional media) that are aligned to their daily realities.
Given that, here is a basic table of daily study contexts and useful technologies, as elicited by student-teacher ratio and person-technology ratio:
| Student:Teacher | Person:Tech | Example media | |
| Classroom | *:1 | *:1 | Interactive whiteboard, projectors |
| Media lab | *:1 | 1:1 | Desktop PCs, audio recordings |
| Personal study | 1:0 | 1:1 | Mobile phone |
| Group study, in-person | *:0 | 1:2..n | Paper and pencil through notebook PCs |
| Group 2.0 | *:* | 1:1 | Social network spaces |
When you design educational materials, I encourage you to consider these aspects of the their usage. How many students and teachers are around when it's used? How many people are their per instance of the study aid? What sort of technology supports that?
You might pick a print book or you might pick the newest gadget around, but your choice will be purposeful. And that will help your students.
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