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Measuring Learning in Informal Contexts

Learning is a process in which individuals use resources from their environment to build on their prior knowledge. The interaction with his or her environment results in a permanent change in a learner’s knowledge and behavior. Learning has traditionally taken place within formal learning environments such as the classroom. Informal learning encompasses all learning that occurs outside the confines of the classroom. Informal learning can occur at home, museums, after-school recreation programs, sporting events, historical parks, and trips to local community organizations. Learning activities of an informal nature can also be incorporated as complementary activities within a traditional learning environment such as a high school or university classroom. Informal learning activities differ from traditional learning activities in that participation is typically voluntary and not associated with an accredited program or standardized curriculum. Informal learning has also been synonymously referred to as free-choice learning and life-wide learning. Free-choice learning implies the connotation that learning is nonsequential and self-paced.

Before we can determine how or when learning is occurring in informal learning environments, measurable outcomes must be developed. Methods of assessment must consider the unique features of informal learning environments such as when learning experiences occur, the pacing of instruction, and the location. Assessments typically involve situated feedback from the learner and are associated with low consequences compared with methods of assessments used in traditional classroom environments such as high-stakes exams. This entry discusses the components of informal learning and the various ways informal learning can be measured. The entry then details some of the implications of informal learning for educational technology.

Components of Informal Learning

According to Allison Rossett and Bob Hoffman, six factors distinguish informal from formal learning: the nature of the outcomes, nature of the experience, origin, role of the learner, role of the instructor, and role of the instructional designer. Informal learning typically tends to be exciting and engaging and imposes few restrictions on learners. Because of the lack of structure, learners have the ability to spend as much time as they want on a particular topic or activity and can change to a different activity should they lose excitement. The increased flexibility is often a result of limited-to-no learning objectives. Although a lack of learning objectives may offer more freedom regarding the timing, pacing, and regulations associated with informal learning, objectivists express concerns regarding measuring outcomes.

Learners have more autonomy in informal learning environments and embrace a more participatory role. With limited structure and few extrinsic motivations tied to grades and class rankings, learners are more often intrinsically motivated to participate in informal learning activities. Learners typically self-select activities that reflect their interest in a particular topic. One example is the young man whose car needs new brakes and watches YouTube videos and explores the Internet to learn how to replace them himself. A second example is the woman who is interested in changing her exercise routine and joins an online group to learn about different exercises that she can incorporate into her fitness regimen.

The role of the instructor is very different in an informal learning environment compared with a formal learning environment. The instructor takes on more of a facilitator role to help connect learners with additional resources to further leverage their interest in the particular topic they are learning. Rather than a traditional instructor who is responsible for teaching learners and then evaluating them to measure their gain in knowledge, the instructor in informal learning is a coach who provides guidance and scaffolded support on an as-needed basis.

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