OpenSimon Techniques

Teachers and researchers can adapt our research-based approaches that improve learning outcomes.

At its core, the Simon Initiative is about finding better ways to develop conditions for robust student learning and new approaches for understanding how that learning occurs. We have instructional strategies and analytical methods that have been developed out of our research efforts over the years. The tools and technologies that are part of the toolkit were built in an effort to more deeply understand the learners, the techniques themselves and how to connect the right techniques with the learners who are going to need them. We make a conscious effort not to build technology for its own sake, but rather build technologies to help us get better at applying techniques more effectively.

Some of the techniques that we are best known for are:

• The Knowledge-Learning-Instruction (KLI) Framework
• Cognitive Task Analysis
• Educational data mining
• Learning Curve Analysis
• Learning Factors Analysis

We also have an entire approach to causal modeling that even offers a different way of investigating and understanding new scientific approaches.

We hope the community will help us test out these techniques and add to the literature. OpenSimon hopes to be your touchpoint for research and a body of knowledge for exploration and innovation.