How might we help learners become a proficient
in dog body language?
Right Info
To debunk misconceptions and learn new information
Attitude
be patient and pay more attention to dogs‘ attempts at communication.
Practice
Always look at the whole body.
Everything is contextual.
Every dog is an individual.
Goal and objectives
Goal:
After learning Dog Body Language, learners will be able to understand signals sent from their puppy by reading the dog’s body language.
Objectives
Behavioral problems:
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Learners will be able to prevent dogs’ behavioral problems by reading the dog’s body language.
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Emotional states: Learners are able to identify dogs’ possible emotional states by looking at their whole body. (Fear, Anger, Affection/Love, Suspicion/ Shyness, Stress, Joy, Disgust, Contentment, Distress, Excitement, Sad, Physical Discomfort)
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Learners will be familiar with a range of dogs’ emotional states such as fear, anger, happiness, excitement, etc.
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Learners will be able to comprehend dogs’ emotional states by reading whole body language such as tail, eyes, posture, ears, etc. based on the context.
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Learners will be able to identify the root cause of dogs’ behavioral problems.
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Through its vocal language, such as growling, yelling, wheezing, and continuous slow barking, the dog's behavioral state is determined.
Health problem
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Learners will be able to Identify whether the dog is healthy or not by external state, such as mood (depressed, inactive, etc.) and behavior.
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Through learning the dog's body language, learners will be able to determine the dog's abnormal reaction, so as to avoid health problems.
Design Implications
Most learners prefer to learn dog body language through videos and interactive media
We should consider our priority decisions of tasks about how to teach step by step.
We need to minimize the cognitive load to ensure our contents match our goals.
Early Design Ideas
Logic Model
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Learning assessment
Simulation/Game
Games are a great way to assess learners’ knowledge as the assessment is embedded right in the experience of the game. It requires learners’ real-time decision-making and provides a safe environment to take risks (Bates, 2019).
Multiple Choice
At the end of tutorial videos, learners would take scenario-based multiple-choice tests about how to deal with behavioral and health problems in different contexts.
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DESIGN IDEAS
#1 idea - Video tutorials
The video tutorials will become the fundamental resource for dog owners to process and retain information about dog body language. Learners will be given the flexibility to choose a subject regarding dogs’ behavior problems or health problems and able to learn depending on their own preferences and situations.
Activities
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After having the knowledge of dog body language and the ability to accurately identify it, learners are given the opportunity to learn how to make appropriate responses encountered in different scenario contexts through further video tutorials. The content will be designed by providing examples and counter-examples.
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A Pop-up quiz may be embedded in each short video to reinforce learners’ comprehension and increase their engagement.
Theories and Strategies
Dual Coding Theory (Paivio, 1991)
The combination of verbal association and visual imagery enables learners to understand dog body language in different contexts better and retain the information for the long term.
Multimedia Design Principles (Mayer, 2020)
• Signaling Principle: Learners can learn better when they are shown the highlighted part that they need to focus on (Mayer, 2020).
• Segmenting Principle: Learners can learn better when information is segmented into small chunks (Mayer, 2020). For the whole video tutorials, the content will be slipped into multiple shorter videos with separated learning objectives.
• Personalization Principle: We may consider using dog voice-over in the video to enhance the overall learning experience.
Story-based and narrative learning
Learners should be able to more easily understand and foster strong motivation on learning dog body language by watching different compelling scenarios.
Counter-Examples
Using counter-examples as learning strategies in our video tutorials associated with one good example can help learners be aware of the misinterpretation of dog body language.
Self-regulated learning
Learning is actively built while learners have control of their learning environment and track their own learning path.
Media and Technology Affordance
Video
Asynchronous video tutorials enable learners to access information at their own pace and provide them with more control.
Audio
Work in conjunction with storytelling that combines animations and audio voiceover to engage the learners and deliver information.
Digital Devices
To access the video tutorials by computers or mobile devices.
Analysis
Pros
• Transform text and abstract ideas into visualizing learning for assisting information retention.
• Create emotional resonance to motivate learners to value certain procedure knowledge.
• Make the learning process more fun and therefore increase engagement and participation.
#2 idea - Interactive game
Learners would practice dealing with the dog’s behavioral and health problems encountered in several contexts at home, in parks, streets, etc by reading the dog’s body language in an interactive game. Faced with challenges in a virtual world, learners need to observe the dog’s whole body language, identify the dog’s emotional states based on the context and the cause of it, then make choices of how to tackle the problem.
Activities
Learners are tasked with independently fostering a dog who was abandoned in the rescue shelter. Learners who manage to clear all the courses can finally get the badge of “Dog Mind-Reader”.
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Level 1: Learners are asked to complete a knowledge check, based on what they have learned from the video tutorial to get permission from the shelter to foster the dog.
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Level 2: They would take care of the dog and tackle the behavioral and health problems in several contexts with guidance from the staff from the shelter.
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Level 3: Learners need to foster the dog independently. We would like to extend the scenarios in Phase 2 a little bit and impose new challenges, but meanwhile still enable them to use skills together with new ones they have to learn and integrate the old ones.
Theories and Strategies
Game-based Learning
Following the model of game-based learning (Plass et al., 2015), we include three key elements, namely, challenge, response, and feedback, in the game. Also according to Gee (2005), game-based learning would be the perfect method in this case as the game offers:
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Cycle of Expertise enables learners to practice, test their knowledge, then a new challenge, and then new extended practice.
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Sandboxes put learners into a real-life situation, but with lower risks and stakes. Learners in our game can explore the world and practice reading the dog’s body language without causing any harm to real life.
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Skills as Strategies: Learners would learn and practice skills best when they see related skills as strategies to accomplish goals they want to accomplish. By successfully completing the task of fostering the dog, learners would be aware of the importance of the related skills of reading the dog’s body language.
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Games are also a great way to assess learners’ knowledge as the assessment is embedded right in the experience of the game. It requires learners’ real-time decision-making and provides a safe environment to take risks (Bates, 2019).
Behorisism
Learners would be gamified at the beginning with the rewards and points to move on to the next level of the game. Meanwhile, for captivated learners, we use rewards as extrinsic motivation to entice them to start playing the game, then help them gradually find intrinsic motivation.
Constructivism
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Scaffolding would be offered to support learners and it would also fade away after learners accomplish several tasks.
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Anchored Instruction: learning is anchored in a realistic, evolving context with guiding resources available to help the learners solve the instructional problem presented.
Methods
​According to Julie (2015), we aim to have learners remember, get their attention and provide more opportunities for practice by:
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Scenarios and Storytelling
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Create emotional context to close the gap between the context of encoding and the context of retrieval.
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Bring problems closer to learners to have them realize the gap in knowledge so that they can leverage their metacognition.
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Have learners generate declarative memory, episodic memory, and procedural memory.
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Engage learners by creating urgency and emotional resonance.
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Guidance, Feedback, and Rewards:
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Show the direct consequence of learners’ choices with action-oriented feedback to create friction.
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Give learners rewards to engage them.
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Examples are followed by concepts.
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Media and Technology Affordance
Video: The animation of several contexts
Text: Debrief of the game rules and instructions from staff
Computing: The computing system would assess learners’ knowledge
Analysis
Pros
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Learners are more likely to be engaged and motivated in a simulated context.
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Easily to digest and more interesting compared to other forms of media.
Cons
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Games can be a source of distraction.
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Games might not be inclusive, for example, people who are not skilled in technology.
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Higher costs compared to other forms of media and technology.
#3 idea - social media discussion forum
Activities
Learners will interact with more dog owners and professional dog trainers in social media discussion forums to learn more about dog body language, gain more useful information and have more connections with other dog owners. Learners can simply ask questions to get answers about dog health, dog training, communication, and more from social media.
In social media discussion forums, there will be moderators to set up rules, provide useful information and give feedback based on learners' questions.
Theories and Strategies
Social Constructivism
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Through communicate with others, which stimulates the user's desire to learn. Learners can be more engaged in researching and learning the body language of dogs and achieve good communication with dogs.
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Get more useful information through communication and interaction and have a deeper understanding of the different personalities and different communication styles of different dogs. Eventually become a responsible dog owner.
Scaffolding
Learners get more useful information and know how to distinguish between right and wrong knowledge by answering and sharing questions from professional dog trainers on a regular basis. In the subsequent exchanges with each other, better judgment can be made through self-awareness.
Communities of Practice
Motivating learning through interactive learning allows learners to be more engaged and spend more time caring for their dog
Through interactive learning, learners can have a shared focus and passion for what they do, resulting in a close bond and good communication practice with the dog.
Connectivism
Learners process useful information: Through autonomous communicative learning, learners are able to filter information to obtain useful new information.
Mind Distinguishing Reliable Sources in Learning: Through media exchanges with professional dog trainers, learners can learn more about professional dog body language and identify right and wrong information.
Communication and collaboration (Manuela, 2019): "The biggest advantage of social media is better communication. Learners can connect with anyone through discussion platforms. And exchange questions through mobile phones, computers, etc.
Social Proof
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Allow learners to see other learners, thereby motivating learners to learn about canine knowledge.
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Motivate learners to spend more time and effort caring for their dogs
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Inspire dog owners to have the right dog attitude.
Media and Technology Affordance
Photo/video
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It can make more learners get more information and knowledge in a more vivid and intuitive way.
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It also allows learners to better record the changes before and after it.
Computing
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Better communication via computer or other mobile device
Analysis
Pros
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Get more useful information through exchange and learning
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Stimulate learners' interest in learning and correct attitude through the sharing of other dog owners
References
Bates, A. W. (2015). Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning.
Dirksen, J. (2015). Design for how people learn. New Riders.
Gee, J. P. (2005). Learning by Design: Good Video Games as Learning Machines. E-Learning and Digital Media, 2(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.2304/elea.2005.2.1.5
Plass, J. L., Homer, B. D., & Kinzer, C. K. (2015). Foundations of Game-Based Learning. Educational Psychologist, 50(4), 258–283. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2015.1122533
Clark, J. M. & Paivio, A. (1991). Dual coding theory and education. Educational Psychology Review, 3(3), 149-170.
Carter Jr, R.A., Rice, M., Yang, S. and Jackson, H.A. (2020), "Self-regulated learning in online learning environments: strategies for remote learning", Information and Learning Sciences, Vol. 121 No. 5/6, pp. 321-329.
Dirksen, J. (2012). Design for how people learn. Berkeley, CA: New Riders.
Mayer, R.E. (2020). Multimedia Learning (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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Willbold, M. (2021, May 12). Social Media In Education: Can They Improve The Learning? eLearning Industry.
Reflection:
Yuhan:
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I think the analysis phase of our project provided us a clear picture and direction for thinking of potential design ideas we may be involved in.
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One of my biggest “aha” moments in the design phase was realizing the importance of logical models where it assisted us to iterate our three design ideas and therefore each idea with different functions can finally achieve our long-term goal. And our class collaborative website is really helpful for me to apply learning theories and strategies that align with our rational design decisions.
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I think everyone in our team was highly engaged and contributed valuable thoughts in the project even though the time of design thinking process may be a bit limited for us to discuss deeply. For the next phase, we may need to have a more logical and detailed learning process and content into practical design.
Yi:
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Research analysis provides us with design implications and the pain points of learners which shape and refine our design. For example, we learned through the research that to be proficient in reading dog’s body language, learners need to have the right information and attitude and practice a lot. Then we design tutorials videos, discussion forums and interactive games to respectively tackle these three pain points.
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Actually, the design phase consolidates my understanding of the “cycle of expertise”, which I learned in the class, Games and Play in Education. I realize that games would be a perfect way to engage learners to practice effectively.
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One of the problems of our team for the design phase is that everyone’s strengths are not leveraged enough. Also we haven’t performed duties well based on our title - design/presentation/research/project management lead. I think we can have big meetings - four people convene together, to discuss the big ideas to keep everyone on the same page, then have small meetings, for example, two people work together and meet on design and the other two on development, then we can convene back together on the big meeting again. Meanwhile, report the progress on slack.
Tinayu:
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In the logic module it gave me a clearer idea and a more detailed and clear order for the three main sections, so as to achieve the final goal.
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Through the use of theory and strategy, I have a clearer content analysis of each part, so that in the future design process, I will have a clearer design concept. This all contributes more powerfully to our ultimate goal.
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I think every member of our group is highly involved in this project and has contributed ideas and opinions from there. It made me realize the greater power of teamwork. In the next stage, we will integrate into the design through logical analysis and in-depth content understanding.
Kemeng:
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I think the milestone 1-3 (analysis and research) give us a lot of useful insights and understanding the task as well as lerner’s needs. We came up some interesting ideas, and each idea is served for different learning purpose.
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The logic model and learning path is very helpful for the next prototyping stage, which helps our team to decide which part is more important and which part is not.
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I think everyone on our team has something to contribute, I hope we can communicate more effectively in the next stage.