Information and technology literacy model plus curriculum for K-12 through higher ed. Can be used as a problem solving model too. Includes 6 stages: task definition, information seeking strategies, location & access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation.
Analysis of Problem-Solving-Based Online Asynchronous Discussion Pattern (PDF)
Research on using online discussions for student problem solving. The study found that problem solving discussions were more helpful for students than typical single topic discussions, but instructors can use strategies to guide discussion and encourage more depth.
Share Best Practices - Patterns : eLearning Technology
Instead of calling them "best practices" maybe they should be "better patterns"; there isn't just one way to do things. We can try to reproduce patterns or create variations on a theme. For problem solving and critical thinking, this is probably a more accurate description of what we do than "best practices."
The Bamboo Project Blog: Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose
Interesting ideas about intrinsic motivation for both managers and instructional designers. Rather than rewards, instructional design should focus on motivating learners through autonomy, mastery, & performance.
<p>Rewards actually impede our problem-solving ability because they cause us to restrict our consideration of other ideas and to focus on only one or two ways to solve the problem. As one of the studies Dan references discovered,<strong> "once the task called for even<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> rudimentary cognitive skill</span>, <em>(my emphasis)</em> a larger reward led to poorer performance." </strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial;">In a nutshell, rewards work for tasks where you don't have to think. As soon as you have to engage in any kind of thinking, rewards STOP WORKING. </span></strong></p>
Learning in Tandem: Instructional versus experiential design: do you have what it takes?
Differentiating instructional design vs. experiential design--designing for complex environments with situation based learning
Where immersive and experiential learning succeeds is in replicating realistic environments and presenting complex problems that require deeper reflection and understanding than most content or concepts presented in traditional training. To design experientially, you have to design a mirror to reality.
Using mysteries as the basis for Problem-Based learning with cases to solve. While this is for K12 classrooms, I think you could apply some of the same story elements to creating scenarios for workplace training.
