Learner Agency and Responsibility in Educational Technology

• Main Author: Matthews, Michael Thomas
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2016
• Subjects: agency; assumptions; cooperation; design practices; instructional design; learners; learning; responsibility; technology; Educational Psychology
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/6532; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7532&context=etd

Though the topic of learner agency has received relatively little discussion in the literature of educational technology, it is nevertheless a significant and actually omnipresent concern of both scholars and practitioners. Through the journal-ready articles contained herein, I show how theories of learning and certain practices of instructional designers reflect implicit positions on the agency of learners. I also discuss agency in more concrete terms as the responsibility for learning that is shared with learners in instructional design contexts. In addition, I provide practical suggestions to help designers keep the learner at the forefront of their design thinking. Through this research, I hope to make the broad philosophical concept of agency more accessible and practical, and to outline some initial directions for further inquiry and practical application in the field of educational technology.