Exploring Instructional Design Theories and Processes

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

Identify and describe various models of instructional design, including their theoretical and historical origins and key theorists.
Explain the difference between process-based models of ID and principle-based models of ID.
Choose from various ID models and apply them to short case scenarios.
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different types of ID models.
Discuss the real-world application of instructional design models.
Synthesize your knowledge and experiences into a personal philosophy of instructional design.

Part 1: Discuss and Collaborate on the Theories and Processes of ID in a "Team Wiki"

Masters-trained instructional designers should be conversant with a variety of instructional design approaches and models, in order to be able to choose the best methods for each and every unique instructional situation. As you may already know, every learner, organization, and learning need is different, and the same approaches in one setting may not be appropriate in another. Sometimes, finding out what works is more a matter of trial and error than anything else. However, as you develop expertise in applying instructional design models to real-world problems, you will become more adept at making diagnoses and coming up with solutions that work.

The first step in developing that expertise is to explore the available models and thoughts about instructional design that are available today in more depth. Up until this point, you may have explored just a few models, notably Morrison, Ross, and Kemp's circular model of ID. Now, you will have the chance to learn about many more, including those developed during the beginnings of ID to those developed much more recently. You will also discover that not all ID models are systematic and linear. As you read and explore, it is hoped that you will begin to develop a more refined understanding of ID as a practice, and that you will begin to develop a personal style and approach when it comes to creating instruction. The neat (and something perplexing) part about ID is that every practitioner is unique, and brings his or her own personal philosophies and personality to the practice. This allows for creativity and flexibility, turning the design of instruction into something more like art than just a series of steps.

As you explore the readings below, as well as others that you might investigate on your own through the Purdue Calumet Library or Google Scholar, take notes on anything that strikes you, or causes you to question what you have learned. These notes may come in handy as you work with your classmates to develop a database of instructional design models and theories in a wiki.

Silber, K.H. (2010). A principle-based model of instructional design. In K.H. Silber & W.R. Foshay (Eds.), Handbook of improving performance in the workplace, volume 1: Instructional design and training delivery (pp. 23-52). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Merrill, M.D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology, 50(3), 43-59.
Reiser, R. A. (2001). A history of instructional design and technology: Part II: A history of instructional design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 49(2), 57-67.
Gustafson, K.L., & Branch, R.M. (2002). Survey of instructional development models (4th ed.). Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov.
Roytek, M.A. (2010). Enhancing instructional design efficiency: Methodologies employed by instructional designers. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(2), 170-180.
Fox, E. J. (2008). Contextualistic perspectives. In J. M. Spector, M. D. Merrill, J. van Merrienboer, & M. P. Driscoll (Eds.) Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (3rd Ed.). (pp. 55-66). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Your wiki can be found in our course in BlackBoard Learn. Each member of the class will have responsibility over one page within the overall wiki site, and you may create pages at will to edit and work on as needed. You will not be asked to edit each other's work (although, if you feel the need to ask for help and collaborate together, please feel free to do so).

For an example of what a previous semester's group had done, visit http://edci672.wikispaces.com.

So, your task is relatively straightforward: Enter the BlackBoard wiki and post summaries, insights, application ideas, and questions regarding the different page categories presented in the wiki, to begin developing a comprehensive scholarly database that future students of ID may be able to learn from, and add to as well. This task will help you synthesize your readings to make sense of everything you are learning, as well as help you provide evidence that you understand these important concepts.

Each student is asked to contribute the following on the wiki in order to obtain full credit for this activity:

Choose one theory or model of instructional design to focus on (i.e., Merrill's first principles; Morrison, Ross, and Kemp's circular model; Dick and Carey's systematic design of instruction; Silber's ID principles; rapid prototyping, etc.).
Provide a summary of your chosen topic, including notable publications and theorists related to it. Be sure to describe what type of theory or model it is (instructional, learning, instructional design).
Provide at least ONE example of the application of your chosen topic to the ID practice (i.e., describe a scenario where rapid prototyping might be useful, or describe a learning problem where Merrill's first principles might lead to a good solution)
If appropriate, provide a graphical representation (either an existing image or one you have created) of the model or theory you have chosen.
Be sure to provide a list of references in APA 6th edition style.

Part 2: Present Your Findings

The second part of this module asks you to work together as a team to design a cohesive presentation of your discoveries and insights from the research performed for the wiki project. Again, each individual should focus on his or her chosen topic, and collaboration between each team member should be performed as needed.

Tell us what you learned about your topics. What conclusions have you drawn? What resources have you found that you thought were particularly valuable?

You may use any format you like to present your findings, including PowerPoint or some of the other tools listed in the next part below (you're urged to expand your horizons beyond PowerPoint if you can help it!). You could even stage a panel discussion or skit of some kind, if you liked. Be creative and remember to divvy up the responsibilities equally amongst your team members! Each individual should have equal input and equal time to speak during the presentation, and all students will receive the same grade for collaboration and presentation design (15 points out the total 50 for the assignment). Therefore, make sure that everyone has the chance to work on the design - in other words, DO NOT leave the lion's share of the work to the most "techie" person!

The presentation should not be any longer than 45 minutes in total.

Part 3: Present Your Personal Philosophy of ID

Finally, you will present to us your own personal philosophy of instructional design. How do you practice (or aspire to practice) your craft? What models are most intriguing to you, and why? Are you more of a "systems" designer or a "principles" designer, or a little bit of both? How does "technology", in all of its various forms, fit into your personal approach to ID? There is no right or wrong answer to any of these questions, as this is YOUR personal philosophy, and your chance to synthesize everything you have learned so far in this course, as well as everything you have learned and experienced previously regarding instructional design.

Therefore, for this project, come up with a 15- to 20-minute presentation that describes this philosophy, summarizing for us the scholarly foundations of your philosophy as well as how you plan to use the models and theories you have learned about in your own practice. We will present before the class, so be ready to answer questions from your colleagues as well! Don't forget to include a references section with APA 6th edition citations where appropriate.

Please be as creative as you like with this project, just like the previous one. The only stipulation as far as design is perhaps a strange one: Don't use PowerPoint! While there's nothing wrong with PowerPoint and it is a terrific application, it can be somewhat "boring." Instead, we'd still like visual aids, but try to have some fun and stretch your multimedia wings a little. Some suggestions for formatting your presentation include:

Prezi: http://www.prezi.com
280Slides: http://www.280slides.com
Glogster: http://glogster.com
HyperStudio (available on all lab computers and as a 30-day trial at http://www.hyperstudio.com)
For Windows users, Articulate Presenter (30-day trial available): http://www.articulate.com
For Mac users, Keynote (30-day trial available): http://www.apple.com/iwork
Record a video of yourself and edit and publish through iMovie or another video editing program
Record a video narration through Adobe Captivate, Jing, Camtasia, or other capture tools you might be familiar with

Resources

Consult these resources for additional help and more information:

Don Clark's Instructional Design page: http://nwlink.com/~donclark/index.html
AECT website: http://www.aect.org
ISPI website: http://www.ispi.org
ID Central: http://www.instructionaldesigncentral.com/
Kearsley's Theory into Practice Database: http://tip.psychology.org/
Ryder's Instructional Design Models database: http://carbon.ucdenver.edu/~mryder/itc/idmodels.html
PUC Library: http://www.purduecal.edu/library
Google Scholar: http://scholar.google.com