Guided Design - Session 4

This week's readings introduced the concept of Guided Design as an education strategy that incorporated "real world" problems to help students learn a decision making process.  Guided Design originate at West Virginia University to help ; and has been widely used in high schools and in business and industry training.  Use of this method has been shown to positively influence student's personal confidence and competence.

What are your initial reactions to this theory/model? What are barriers to its use? What benefits might be expected for those who overcome the barriers?

• The Guided Design theory is heavily employed in our Career and Technical Education classes here in North Carolina.  In fact, every curriculum I teach has some element of Guided Design included for student instruction, especially my Finance and Accounting Classes.  Additionally, since CTE classes are responsible for preparing students for entry into the 21st century workplace, it is imperative for students to learn decision making skills. 

• There are some barriers to the use of Guided Design, however.  Students that are uncomfortable with making decisions struggle with this type of assignment.  Further, many students have never been exposed to the decision making steps; and are therefore unfamiliar with the design of the theory.  Unmotivated students or students with specific learning disabilities will struggle with the independence of this model.   Higher level students sometimes overshadow struggling students in group settings, so careful appointment of group members is essential to success.           

•  For students who overcome these barriers, the result will be increased decision making skills; greater confidence and competence in themselves; and an increase in learning.

Would you attempt to use this theory/model with the students you are currently teaching or hope to teach in the future? Why or why not? Could elements of the theory/model be modified so that it would work with your current/future students?

• I have effectively used this model with my students; and most of the time it has been successful.  This past week, I actually taught a lesson on decision making to my Career Management students.  The students in this class are attendance or academically challenged; and are taking my class in the evening in order to receive enough credits to graduate on time.  Students were given several real life scenarios and were asked to  identify the problem; choices/alternatives; opportunity costs; consequences - both good and bad; potential outcomes; and reflection.  The first scenario was done as a group; then the students individually worked on the remaining scenarios in groups of 2.  Afterward, we regrouped and shared steps in each scenario as a class.  The students led the discussion, and I simply added to the discussion; or kept it on track.  Students were so much more involved and in tune with the lesson than other lessons I have taught.

Since we're taking learning theories/models that were not necessarily created with the Web in mind and turning them into Web modules, what Web-based tools or resources could be leveraged to carry out this learning theory/model online?

• Collaboration tools such as Elluminate; Wimba Proto or Wimba Classrrom; Ipod/Itouch Facetime; Google Docs; or Wikis could help students to join together for discussion.

• The Internet, including subject directories, could help students to gather information on which to base their decisions.  Additionally, the Internet has numerous decision making websites that can help students to learn the process.

This is by far my favorite method studied.  I feel that this method forces students to take ownership of their work; and puts the teacher into the "guide on the side" mode rather than the "sage on the stage."  Today's students want (and need) to be more involved in the hands on of the learning.  Helping students to learn decision making skills in the real world will further help them to be successful 21st century leaders.

Casada, M. E., & DeShazer, J. A. (1995). Teaching professionalism, design, and communications to Engineering freshmen. In Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education, Biological and Agricultural Engineering Division (pp. 1381-1385). Anaheim, CA.


Trivette, C. M. (2005). Effectiveness of guided design learning strategy on the acquisition of adult problem-solving skills. Bridges, 3(1).


Wilson, P. N. (2004). Mutual gains from team learning: A guided design classroom exercise. Cardon Research Papers in Agricultural and Resource Economics (No. 2004-07). Tuscon, AZ: University of Arizona.