Focus Magazine - Spring 2014 - 46

MEDICAL&DIAGNOSTICDEVICES

Constructs not Curriculums
I By William Magagna

A

Never
underestimate
the complexity
and the resourcefulness of the
adult learner.

46

s a global director, change in the medical
device and diagnostic (MD&D) industry
and in particular education is always at
the forefront for me. Learning to embrace
change and plan for it is always a key imperative.
To some degree, we all see it happening. One of
my maxims as an educator is to never
underestimate the complexity and the
resourcefulness of the adult learner. That's why I
believe it's the adult learner that drives change in
education, not the expanding technology or
business needs.
From my perspective this shift in the future
of MD&D education is about constructs and not
curriculums. It's a paradigm shift that is
anything but innovative, since I see it happening
all around us; it's just now for several reasons
starting to expand in MD&D space.
Most education today - classroom, blended
and even complete online offerings - is for the
most part curriculums that are controlled by the
educator and the institution. As educators we
were taught the instructional design model,
events of instruction, pedagogy, subject matter
expertise, etc. - and in most cases we have all
had years of experience perfecting our craft as
the "teacher or instructional designer." Needs
analysis, learning objectives, delivery, media
selection, assessment criteria, and so on are
components that are controlled by the educator.
As educators we are accustomed to choosing
what, how, when and to what proficiency
something is to be learned. We call this a
curriculum, and it manifests in many ways.
Some curriculums are linear, constructivist,
personalized, blended, self-paced, competency
based, etc. Fundamentally they are similar in
that to some extent they are controlled and
defined. Those with knowledge or at least access
to it, impart that knowledge to those without. As
educators this is our trade craft. The model is
widely respected, proven and globally
implemented. However, I believe it's evolving,
and if so, it would only make sense that role and
skill set of the educator evolve as well.

What exactly do I mean by construct? I define
a construct as flexible but derived spaces where
learning - especially complex learning - is
driven by connections of people and content that
create intelligence. In this paradigm, the role of
the traditional educator is not to define the
intelligence (curriculum) but to create the space
by which it all happens (construct).
Imagine it this way, as an educator you're
holding a bag of books, and each book
represents a foundational component for the
education you are maintaining for the learner.
Assessment, task analysis, events of instruction,
delivery, selection of media, learning objective,
etc. are all books in that bag. What would
happen if as educators we decided to put that
bag down? What then? Given the opportunity to
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Focus Magazine - Spring 2014

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