About
I am an interaction and curriculum designer specializing in the design of technology-supported learning environments. I use the term “interaction” rather than “instruction” to focus attention on the need to plan for active learning and not simply to present content (to “instruct”).
You can reach me via email: sgance at techwisesolutions.com or sgance at pdx.edu
I am always open to new ideas and critiques. Steve Gance, June 2008
I focus on three aspects of technology-supported learning: 1) Learning technology skills; 2) Design of curriculum and assessments that foster active learning; and 3) Design of effective support systems for the use of technology.
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Learning technology skills refers to the mechanics of using software such as discovering the features and learning how the software implements those features. Direct technology training can be one aspect of this. But I believe the most effective learning occurs when the technology is used in the service of accomplishing other learning or problem-solving goals.
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For the design of curriculum and interaction (“instruction”), I use a method of “backward design” combined with community of practice framework where a key goal of teaching is to provide authentic, professional practice-based learning experiences.
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To design support systems, I analyze systemic, organizational and cultural aspects of current practices to find supporting technologies that help people be more effective and efficient in accomplishing their teaching and learning goals.
Design of learning experiences should start with thinking through assessment: what performances or artifacts will demonstrate that students have learned and can apply the learning? Then determine how those performances or artifacts will be evaluated: What distinguishes a good performance from a weak performance? Finally, one can work backward asking “What learning resources or experiences give learners the necessary background to do well on the culminating performance?” I focus on planning “learning interactions” rather than “instruction” or “teaching.”
To address the third item, support systems, I analyze systemic and cultural aspects of technology to help design supporting systems and processes to make the use of technology for teaching and learning efficient and effective. Rarely is weak technology use due simply to weak technology skills. For example, the interactions of various technologies used will often present users with conflicting models of use and arcane practices such as the need to update two technology applications because the two applications do not share data.
Coming from a user-centered design background, I am always keen to learn from the people I work with and the people I support. I work to understand, support and build communities of practice. A community of practice framework helps me in my own use of technology and helps me understand the difficulties of learning to use technology. I like the term “technology steward” coined by Etienne Wenger, Nancy White and John Smith. The term refers to a role in a community where one or more people take responsibility for finding and promoting technology that contributes to successful community interaction. The use of new technology takes time to integrate into one’s practices. And these practices are constantly changing. A technology steward takes special responsibility for easing the transition to new technology practices.
I have taught instructional design, curriculum planning, media literacy, web authoring, C-programming and educational philosophy. I have taught face-to-face courses, online synchronous and asynchronous courses as well as hybrid courses with a blend of online and face-to-face interaction. I have worked with faculty, corporate trainers, K-12 educators and others over a number of years helping create effective and efficient technology-supported learning environments.
I received my undergraduate and master’s degrees in computer science from the University of Colorado in Boulder focusing on usability, information architecture and software human factors. My Ph.D. is from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in Curriculum and Instruction with a minor in Educational Psychology and a specialization in Educational Communications and Technology.
