Sticky Learning Playbook
Helping Executive Education Instructors Deliver Engaging Learning Experiences
2022
Research + Toolkit
About
ID Academy is the executive education division of the Institute of Design at Illinois Tech, offering learning and development services to organizations across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The instructors include faculty members from the ID graduate school, who are experienced educators, and alumni from ID, who may have limited teaching experience.
To expand services, ID Academy sought tools to provide a standardized yet flexible teaching approach and improve the overall quality of the learner experience. The Sticky Learning Playbook is a curated collection of strategies aimed at enhancing teaching practices for adult learners. As the Program Manager and Workshop Assistant at ID Academy, I contributed to developing this comprehensive guide as a researcher to make classroom experiences more engaging and effective.
Secondary Research
Knowles, M. S., Holton III, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2015). The Adult Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development. Routledge
Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C., & Norman, M. K. (2010). How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. Jossey-Bass1
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. National Academy Press1
Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2013). Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice. Jossey-Bass1
Dirksen, J. (2015). Design for How People Learn. New Riders
Primary Research
Contextual inquiry
40 hours of contextual inquiry during ID Academy (in-person and online) classes
Interviews
4 full-time faculty members from the Institute of Design
2 subject matter expertise
Five Activity Modes of Adult Learners
1. Engaging
Learners participate in discussions, ask questions, do hands-on exercises, and contribute ideas.
Engage is characterized by high-energy, dynamic interaction and a two-way flow of information between instructors and learners.
Insights:
- Safe and supportive spaces encourage risk-taking and active participation.
- Varying activity intensity, including breaks, helps maintain focus.
- Immediate applicability of content in work or personal lives grabs attention.
2. Listening
Learners are in a receptive state, attentively absorbing information.
While externally passive, listening involves significant cognition as learners interpret, organize, and store new information.
Insights:
- Encouraging documentation increases cognitive engagement.
- Varying activity intensity, including breaks, helps maintain focus.
- Outlines of content or agenda at the beginning help organize information.
3. Collaborating
Learners collaborate in groups for knowledge sharing and production.
While allowing for the application of newly learned concepts, collaboration fosters teamwork, communication, and leadership.
Insights:
- Group activities boost engagement and demand individual accountability.
- Peer collaboration provides learners opportunities to make collective meaning of new content.
- Assigning roles in group activities increases individual accountability.
4. Reflecting
Learners engage in solo thinking and production for contemplation and analysis.
Reflection allows deep processing and personal meaning-making, which are essential for internalizing learning and contemplating how to apply new knowledge in one’s professional context.
Insights:
- Prior experiences enhance engagement and relevance of new content.
- Feedback from instructors and peers motivates progress.
- Opportunities for reflection promote long-term reflection and deepen active learning.
5. Networking
Learners interact informally with peers during breaks or structured networking activities.
Networking is an important part of executive education. It facilitates organic, unstructured conversations on peer learning and career development.
Insights:
- Learners feel seen and welcomed as they build rapport.
- Expressing appreciation among peers ends sessions on a high note.
The Playbook
The result of this study is a comprehensive playbook that offers practical strategies for educators, activities to enhance learner engagement, and tips for making content impactful in a flexible framework to adapt to various teaching contexts.
