Courses Versus Experiences, part 3

I've been considering some examples of places and objects that were designed with experience in mind, or more specifically, designed along the lines of the definition of experience I discussed earlier. I selected these examples based on what they promote and facilitate, as well as for their ability to speak to what a learning experience might include or look like.

1. The Wii:
 
You are probably saying to yourself, "Ya, I saw that one coming" but hear me out. Obviously video games in general are designed for experience, but the advent of motion gaming with the Wii, Kinect, and Playstation Move have opened up a new avenue for game controls.

The beauty of these systems and the reason they were selected for this list is that unlike traditional video games where you have to learn the key stroke patterns and combinations, motion controls adapt to you. The ultimate goal is to build a system smart enough to respond to your natural movements. Learning should be the same way. Learners should not have to uncover the 33-button combo to unlock skills and abilities. The experience must leverage natural movements.

2. Build-A-Bear: 

If you are a parent you are probably familiar with this franchise. The premise is simple, but brilliant: rather than buying a premade stuffed animal, your child goes into the "shop" and builds one his or herself. The brilliance of the idea stems from the recognition that customization and personalization garner ownership and inspire creativity. The child gets to select the animal of his or her choice, walk it through the process of stuffing it and giving it a heart, naming it, and finally selecting accessories. I'd love to see some data on whether or not the custom built stuffed animals are played with more often or are kept longer than their premade cousins. At any rate, there are lessons here for learning. The end product is much more valuable when the learner has to build it him or herself. Simply handing them a completed product will garner a lot less enthusiasm, ownership, engagement, and lasting value.


3. Haunted House:

As a child I always looked forward to visiting haunted houses around Halloween. I still do! Generally speaking, as humans we love the unknown and haunted houses touch on that part of our psyche. Walking through the maze, you know something is there waiting to surprise you, but you don't know what. There's a strong emotional component, in this case, fear and/or surprise. Learning should be designed the same way. Learners should feel compelled to keep going by the knowledge that something is right around that will surprise you.

 
4. Carnival Games:

Now you might be asking why I included carnival games above other games like basketball. The answer is simple: people will spend ridiculous amounts of money to win the cheapest of prizes. Of course carnivals know this and count on it. The amount of money they make from people playing the games far outweighs the cost of the prizes. This is a great example, however, of how the prize is not necessarily the point. People don't really value the cheap stuffed animal. What they value and what they crave is the challenge and the esteem that comes from accomplishment. True, the prize becomes a symbol for that experience, but only so much as it triggers the feeling and memory. Learners aren't (always) motivated by the prizes or rewards. They respond better to the challenge, which is why gamification is so effective. Yet, we need to be careful not to confuse the prizes or achievements with the experience. Handing out badges is useless if the challenges aren't engaging.

5.Ropes Courses:

Some people love them and other people dread them. Regardless, a ropes course is designed specifically to facilitate group interaction and the overcoming of one's personal fears. In a past life, I was an Adventure Education counselor for inner-city Detroit kids. The tough-guy facades immediately fell away once they got 40 feet off the ground, but more importantly, when one of the kids took a risk and did something he was afraid of, everyone else was invariably cheered him on. The esteem that came from these experience, I know, stayed with those kids for a long time. Unfortunately, learning is too often about a structured pace that must be met regardless of one's success or failure. For learning to be an experience, it must be personal and emotional, and it must be designed to help the learner find something inside him or herself that wasn't obvious.

6. Legos:

Ya, this is a no-brainer and while Legos definitely inspire creativity, consider the possible avenues open to the builder. He or she might build using the instructions provided, following the blueprint. Or, he or she might begin with a vision in his or her head and construct it by selecting each block. Or, he or she might choose not to worry about the end product and simply explore as he or she goes. All three of these possibilities have value for different people and in different contexts. We know the same is true for learning, but unfortunately, more often than not the instructor determines which of the three paths is best for a given class or student. The experience should emerge from the learner, not the instructor. In many cases, the learner knows what he or she needs and will select that path. Even in cases where that is not the case, there is value in control and self determination.

7. Coloring Books:

It's a simple thing, but consider that the coloring book is an incomplete story intended for the child (or adult) to complete. They choose the colors but work within a boundary. Now, if he or she chooses not to stay inside the lines, who cares. The OCD among us of course feel uncomfortable but the child, unlike most of us, sees the lines as permeable. Learning is no different. The experience must be bounded but those boundaries must remain permeable, allowing those of us who wish to explore outside of the lines the freedom and permission to do so.


More to come, but please let me know what you think or if you have suggestions for other experiences to add to the list!