As we discuss the holistic understanding about how learning actually works and takes place…and as we examine the wide range of variables involved… the very fuzzy idea of “happiness plays a role in learning” needs to be addressed.
Just as economists struggle with what makes for a motivated and efficient and capable worker, those who wish to promote learning through online methods, similarly need to know something about these factors… which are often called “intangibles” in the sports world.
IOW, there is a lot of focus on performance and big data and analysis in pro sports today. College too, as both are huge “industries” in US and other countries. Enormous amounts of data are collected and analyzed to find an “edge” over competitors… ways that a “player” can improve performance.
When one thinks about it, the same is true for those who would advance learning in students (players) so that the learners (players) can compete for jobs in the world economy…or as we used to say, so they can get their diplomas, degrees, and “graduate”.
Here’s a story from ESPN the magazine, which discusses how one innovative baseball team, the Oakland Athletics, approaches the problem. They were into collecting performance data since late 90s, as evidenced in the book “Money Ball”, but they are hardly the only ones to try to find out what makes “players” (learners) “tick”. (adaptive learning).