The challenge of challenges
One of the recurring themes in my studies has been the tension between structured learning and self-directed learning. The article Optional Embedded Microlearning Challenges: Promoting Self-Directed Learning and Extension in a Higher Education Course (Dennen et al., 2024) explores that tension through a series of optional "tech-flex" challenges that were embedded within a university course. Students were given opportunities to complete short learning activities, earn digital badges, and develop skills beyond the required curriculum. The researchers observed that although students viewed the challenges positively, participation rates remained low. What stood out to me was not the finding that participation was low, but rather why it was low. Students consistently cited time and competing priorities as barriers. As someone who spent decades leading teams in casino operations and now in my personal educational quest, I find that reality very familiar. Employees would often expr...