Staring at the Blinking Cursor:

A Call for Learner-Centered, Performance-Based, Active Learning Experiences

As I complete my graduate studies at Roosevelt University, I reflect on what I have learned and on each project I have developed. The Master’s in Training and Development program has been a transformative experience; I am not the same person I was when I entered. Through this program, I have developed a deep sense of purpose and found a professional field where my talents and values align. My portfolio of work is tangible evidence of my growth.

Here, I will share my personal learning philosophy, the experiences and theories I find most relevant to its development, and how this philosophy is reflected in my portfolio samples. I hope that you come away with an understanding of who I am as a Learning and Development (L&D) Practitioner and why I am so passionate about this field.

My Philosophy of Learning and Training

On my first day as an IBM software test engineer in January 2000, fresh out of college with a bachelor’s in computer science, I was confident and excited to be there. It felt great to walk around the big empty desk – my desk – and sit down. I eagerly pressed the power button on the desktop computer, but was met with only a blank screen. No Windows Desktop with the familiar Recycle Bin and Internet Explorer icons. No File Explorer.

Just a blinking cursor at the command line.

Baffled, I didn’t even know where to begin. I stared at the cursor for probably five minutes before heading to my Team Lead’s office to ask for help. My withered confidence trailed behind me.

This humbling experience was just one of many in my first year at IBM, as I realized how poorly my education prepared me to enter the workforce. Although I had acquired deep academic knowledge, I lacked the corresponding skills and critical thinking abilities needed to apply my learning to new situations.

As an L&D Practitioner, this early experience profoundly shaped my approach to adult education and workplace training. It kindled in me a deep empathy for every workplace learner and every higher education student who trusts us to provide meaningful, relevant, and transformative learning experiences. We are responsible for ensuring that learning builds competence, not just transferring information. The instruction we design, develop, and deliver must meet the needs of higher education students entering the workforce and professionals in the workplace. For this reason, I ground my work in evidence-based practices, learner-centered design, active learner engagement, and performance-based outcomes. Constructivism, Andragogy, and Metacognitive Theory are the cornerstones of my approach to every L&D project, providing a means by which I can also address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in my work.

Review of Literature

Adult Learning Science is a fascinating, multidisciplinary field that draws on cognitive science, educational psychology, and other disciplines. From this rich field, I have chosen to discuss three theories that greatly influence my philosophy and my work.

Constructivism

The central theme of Constructivism is the learner’s active role in constructing knowledge through experience, exploration, and reflection. By emphasizing active engagement with the concepts to be learned in the context of real-world applications, this theory provides me, the instructional designer, with a high level of flexibility, creativity, and choice in selecting instructional strategies. A growing body of knowledge also suggests that classrooms employing constructivist active-learning strategies support DEI initiatives. These studies show that, while all students benefit from active learning strategies, women and students from economically or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds benefit disproportionately more than their peers (Brame, 2019, 63). This “... focus on student-centered learning may well be the most important contribution of constructivism.” (Bada, 2015, 66)

As an L&D practitioner, I have personally benefited from constructivist classrooms. Having learned from the disappointing results of my undergraduate program choice, I purposefully chose Roosevelt University’s Master’s in Training and Development program for its emphasis on developing real-world, marketable skills through scenario-based projects. Following graduation, I plan to transition my career in L&D to higher education, where I hope to contribute as an instructional designer with a constructivist approach.

Andragogy

Malcolm Knowles' study of adult learners' characteristics, behaviors, and needs, known as Andragogy, has reshaped education and training practices. In contrast to the teacher-centric, dependent-student model of pedagogy, Knowles’ model (Knowles et al., 2025, Chapter 1) highlights adult learners’ self-directed, task-oriented approach, which draws on their personal experiences and knowledge to find meaning in learning. The question of at which life stage learners would be best served by the adoption of an andragogic model by higher educational systems remains a topic of debate and great interest to me. As young adults enter colleges worldwide, they bring varying levels of psychological maturity, largely influenced by cultural factors unrelated to the K-12 educational systems they attended. Therefore, the stage at which andragogic principles are most effective is one of degree rather than a set age (Knowles et al., 2025, Chapter 1). This underscores the importance of careful learner analysis and the role of DEI programs in higher education, which has significantly influenced my work as an instructional designer.

Metacognitive Theory

Metacognitive Theory adds a powerful third layer to my philosophy by focusing on how learners think about their thinking. In the 1970s, John Flavell introduced the concept of “metacognition” to describe a learner’s awareness of their own cognitive processes and their ability to regulate those processes (Flavell, 1979). Later, Lauren Resnick added to this perspective by declaring that “good thinking is a set of teachable skills” (Resnick, 1987). More recently, Saundra McGuire’s (2015) book, Teach Students How to Learn, shares powerful metacognitive exercises and strategies that faculty at all levels can use to benefit learners. This theory complements my Constructivist and Andragogic views and resonates deeply with me. It aligns with my belief that we are responsible to those for whom we create instruction; rather than merely telling adult students and workplace learners what to think, we should assist them in learning how to think. This supports deeper learning and the development of critical thinking, ensures that knowledge and skills transfer from the learning context to the workplace, and helps even the newest college graduates become productive workforce members.

Portfolio Exhibits

Learning science is embedded in many frameworks and models used daily in instructional design. This is where science meets strategy, and learning theories shape and scaffold learning experiences. As I embark on a new project, I aim to ensure that learners are the greatest beneficiaries. When designing instruction, I reference the Dick and Carey Instructional Systems Design model and Bloom’s Taxonomy to ensure my process is grounded in evidence-based practice and that the learning outcomes are measurable. If I am writing a proposal for the evaluation of a learning program based on Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation or Phillip’s ROI Model, I remember that it is the work of the learner which will “move” the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the desired direction as a result of the improved program. When I develop a proposal for an L&D team to integrate learning technologies and transition to online learning, I keep in mind that the members of that L&D team are my learners, who need support in developing the critical lens needed to evaluate and apply learning technologies effectively.