The technologically mediated context of online teaching and learning presents unique challenges that require making explicit the implicit human elements that may be taken for granted in face-to-face contexts. While empathy, the emotional (affective) and reflective (cognitive) process of relating to another's circumstance, has been effectively employed in other design fields, its application in instructional design has only recently emerged. Using a hybrid narrative literature review process, this chapter presents an investigation of empirical and conceptual applications of empathic analysis used in instructional design settings. The authors analyze various empathic tools and methods employed and offer examples and advice to instructional designers and researchers for incorporating the practices in their work as a means to humanize online learning at the earliest stages in the instructional design process.
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The fundamental nature of instructional design (ID) has been debated in the field for decades, as exemplified by the “paradigm wars” (Willis, 1998, p. 6) among scholars such as Reigeluth (1996) and Merrill (1996). Simply stated, while some maintain that ID is systematic and process-oriented, necessitating a prescriptive approach to control for uncertainty, others embrace uncertainty and advocate for a humanized approach that more fully considers the “practices of people connected to the design of instruction – that is, designers, instructors, and students” (Wilson, 2013, p. 37). When considering the design of online learning, humanization is especially pertinent as instructors and students experience unique environmental factors (e.g., reliance on technologically mediated communication). Thus, much like Wilson’s (2013) call for a practice-centered approach to ID, a humanized approach to ID for online learning calls on instructional designers (IDs)1 to incorporate perspectives, actions, and processes from other fields to design more effective instruction (Parrish, 2014). Designer empathy and tools for stimulating empathy for online learners in the design process are important elements for humanizing ID.
Empathy, the emotional (affective) response and reflective (cognitive) process of relating to another’s circumstance (Devecchi & Guerrini, 2017), has been conceptualized as critical in ID (Glynn & Tolsma, 2017; Parrish, 2014) to help IDs understand their learners beyond demographic characteristics (Stefaniak & Baaki, 2013) and incorporate an understanding of a learner’s lived, aesthetic experience (Gray, 2015). While understanding a learner’s lived experience always involves designing for a “half-known” (Parrish, 2014, p. 264) conception of a learner, understanding online learners is even more difficult, as IDs often have no direct connection with learners (Lilley et al., 2012; Rapanta & Cantoni, 2014). Thus, expanding the ID process with new strategies and tools, while supported conceptually, is practically challenging for IDs developing online learning experiences. This chapter synthesizes literature related to empathic analysis in online ID, providing IDs and educators resources and insights useful for humanizing ID at the earliest stages of the design process.