Learning Theories

There are some elements of Behaviorism in my mini-course, in which the learner's behavior is affected through operant conditioning (Bates, 2022, Brau et al., 2018). As an example, the quizzes and feedback during the branching scenario activity use pre-determined evaluation metrics and focus on learners' demonstrated behavior, i.e., choosing the correct answer, rather than on concerns about learners' cognitive processes.

Given the digital content and resources being used, Connectivism also influences my mini-course. During the courses, learners are engaging with digital content, such as the organization's website and social media, which they will continue to use as sources of information even after the mini-course. Given the ever-changing environment and organizational structure, learners will need to rely on these digital resources to continue pursuing more accurate information, continuously assess the relevance of information, and both acquire and adapt to new knowledge (Pappas, 2025b; Pappas, 2026).

Since all of my learners are adults, Andragogy has the strongest influence on this mini-course. In designing the course, key factors such as making the material relevant, facilitating a level of exploration, and considering cognitive overload (Pappas, 2025a) are essential for maintaining an effective learning experience. I also consider making sure content has direct real-world application, balances challenging the learner and learner success, and provides opportunities for self-directed autonomy (Pappas, 2025c; Pappas, 2025d).

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure
I used Grammarly as a thought partner to assist with organization, spellchecking, and editing for clarity. All final ideas, content, and analysis are my own. I used Gemini to generate graphics throughout my website.

Prev: Instructional Design Model

Click Here For References and Additional Resources That Contributed To This Content

Bates, T. (2022). Teaching in a digital age: guidelines for designing teaching and learning (3rd ed.). Tony Bates Associates Ltd. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev3m/

Brau, B., Fox, N., & Robinson, E. (2018). Behaviorism. In R. Kimmons, The Student's Guide to Learning Design and Research. EdTech Books. Retrieved October 27, 2025 from https://edtechbooks.org/studentguide/behaviorism

Pappas, C. (2025a. May 17). 18 Tips to Engage and Inspire Adult Learners. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/tips-engage-inspire-adult-learners

Pappas, C. (2025b, September 12). Everything You Need To Know About The Connectivism Learning Theory. ELearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-connectivism-learning-theory

Pappas, C. (2025c, December 23). 8 Important Characteristics of Adult Learners. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/8-important-characteristics-of-adult-learners

Pappas, C. (2025d, December 24). The Adult Learning Theory-Androgogy-of Malcolm Knowles. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/the-adult-learning-theory-andragogy-of-malcolm-knowles

Pappas, C. (2026, January 16). 5 Tips for Using Connectivism In eLearning. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/5-tips-using-connectivism-elearning