"Trilogy of the Mind" is a three fold approach to learning that is incorporates the affective, cognitive and conative domains of the brain. It makes no difference what technologies, or approaches you use to create learning. If you don't design for the way that people learn, you are lowering the probability that they will learn. The affective domain is that area of the brain that governs feeling and emotions. The affective domain is a key part of the process for a learner's interaction with content. The cognitive domain is what governs mind or intelligence and how you think. Cognitive science incorporates psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, linguistics, biology, anthropology and computer science. Understanding how the brain takes in and processes information, where and how it is stored and how it can be retrieved is paramount in designing for learning. The conative domain is the least well known and is often over looked or ignored. The reason for this is that conation is your instinct, or firmware, and can not easily be influenced or changed. Conation is our knack for doing things or how we do the things we do. It is totally separate from a person's intelligence, personality type, or learning style. So this time honored three facility concept of mind is the foundation for the approach to Learning by Design.
Trilogy of the Mind puts the affective domain first because if you can't get past that area of the brain, the emotions and feelings, you are going to have a very difficult time getting to thinking. Just a few words so that you can associate the three areas in "Trilogy of the Mind":
