Four words can be used in rating the quality of the learning experience generated by the design of a course or lesson. These words are: ‘effective’, ‘valued’, ‘liked’ and ‘efficient’. They have been mentioned earlier, in the foreword. A learning experience is:
- effective when the learning goal is met
- valued when the learner found her or his learning time and activity worthwhile
- liked when the learning experience has been enjoyed and has motivated the learner for more
- efficient when the time and energy spent in learning what had to be learned is minimum.
To what degree a course or lesson is rated highly by the learners will depend upon the skill of the teacher (if one is involved), the quality of the materials and, not least, the quality of the design which generates the learning experience.
In this book, Emax Vmax Lmax E’max will be used as the shorthand form of ‘maximally effective’, ‘maximally valued’, ‘maximally liked’ and ‘maximally efficient’.