The “Define” step is about narrowing in and identifying a problem, or in our case, a challenge, based on what you know and have discovered about your learner. This is key to the design process as it is the focal point that you will use to build your solution. It is tempting to start BIG, but it is actually more productive and yields better results if you start with something small.

To Do:

  1. Define a learner challenge. Write it down and put it front and center. You will be using this for the next steps of the design thinking process.
  2. Add your challenge as a post to the collaborative Learner Challenge Bank padlet. This can be done anonymously, without logging in. Sharing here may help other spark more ideas!
  3. Take a screenshot of the area of the Padlet with your post.
  4. Edit the image to indicate which one is yours and insert it into a document. You can also add it to a Google doc and get a shareable link to it.
  5. Upload your saved image or add your shareable link with your explanation in your response to the Learner Challenge activity.
  6. After you make your submission, save the web address to your response (found in the green confirmation box) so you can use it later for your badge submission form.

This activity is part of the Define your learner challenge section of the Technologist Module.

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211 Responses for this Activity

  • Change Resistant
    by winton cape (@winton)

    Students, like everyone else, resist change. They are accustomed to powerpoint presentations.

  • Learner Challenge Activity
    by Ani Amirmooradian Malhami (@Ani)

    I could not open the Pallet, so I am sending my learner challenge activity as a PDF document attached.

  • Learner challenge activity- Engagement on heavy topics
    by Afshan Jabeen (@ajabeen)

    My challenge as a teacher is to engage students while teaching the heavy topics in Pathophysiology and Biomedical Chemistry courses. I posted this on the Padlet.

  • In-Class interaction
    by Oday Aswad (@odayaswad)

    To enhance the learning experience, I use active learning techniques through in-class activities that encourage small and large group participation. I have observed that students who miss classes often struggle to grasp the topic, as well as those who attend the sessions, even if they can access the recorded lecture.

  • Learn Challenge – Relevant Information
    by Peter Sheedy (@PeterS)

    This is my learn challenge posted on padlet. How can students better understand and decipher relevant information from irrelevant?

  • Learner Challenge – Carolyn Nesbitt-Larking
    by Carolyn Nesbitt-Larking (@Carolyn)

    Going through the empathy map it became clear some students will use a lot of behaviours etc. to try to hide their basic fear that they may not / can not connect with the material.

  • Online boredom
    by Ryan Wybenga (@Ryan.wy)

    A common refrain on course evaluations is that students struggle with the 6 hour + online day we have every other week. I’m looking to find ways to make it more engaging. Currently i’m looking into Slido.

  • Learner Challenge – Confidence in Sharing Thoughts and Ideas
    by Kymberly Ash (@kash)

    I tend to be a guest lecturer in classes so I sometimes find it hard to get students to participate in class discussions or openly share their experiences. This is something I have been working on improving throughout my teaching career and have seen minor improvements over time. I incorporate new strategies from colleagues and more… »

  • Mobile Application Development in a 1-Year College Program
    by Nathan Abourbih (@nathan.abourbih)

    In my one-year graduate certificate program, students work to gain the skills necessary to become a Mobile Application Developer. This program requires students to learn multiple programming languages and techniques quickly. Understanding various programming languages and techniques is essential to being a well-rounded software developer. However, learning so many languages and techniques in such a more… »

  • Learner Challenge-Motivation
    by Valerie Watts (@vwatts)

    In my math and statistics classes, I have students complete online quizzes, hosted on and auto-graded by the LMS, which count towards the students’ final grade. However, these quizzes are not enough practice for most students to fully master the course content. Most students require a significant amount of practice, especially those with weaker math more… »

    1 Resource for this Activity

    • LEARNER CHALLENGE
      shared by Cindy Cheung (@CCheung)

      Creating the Empathy map allowed me to narrow down specific challenges that the students face in my course. As an instructor, it is my goal for all students to reach a level of competence at the end of the course. My goal is not to make the learning a difficult and arduous journey, but a more… »

    Creative Commons License
    This work by Ontario Extend is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

    4 Responses to “Learner Challenge”

    1. Ahmed Mukhlis

      Students facing difficulties in completing the lab works using simulation, they need face – to – face class to collaborate with the teacher and real physical devices

      Reply
    2. Tom Honey

      With group work in class, or on-campus I am looking to understand how to set up groups in teams and use/train the students with a steep learning curve in the using software to complement the information being provided in the LMS. Teams will be pivotal in ensuring success for a large project, using the file-sharing feature, and presenting remotely as a team.

      Reply

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