Instructional design

What is Instructional Design Theory

According to Reighluth (1999: 6-7), Instructional Design-Theory is:

1. design-oriented (focussing on means to attain given goals for learning or development) and
2. identifies methods of instruction (ways to support and facilitate learning) and the situation in which these methods should and should not be used.
3. Methos of instruction can be broken down into more detailed component methods
4. Methods are probabilistic, rather than deterministic...

Instructional Design is related to Learning Theories and Pedagogical Theories.

What is good "main-stream" Instruction Design ?

I don't think that Instructional Designers necessarily possess the "whole wisdom" needed for teaching or the design of learning environments and learning materials etc. However, Instructional Design Theory provides at least solid foundations against which you can evaluate a design.

Merril's (2002) First principles of instructions is a good example:

1. Does the courseware relate to real world problems?
   1. ... show learners the task or the problem they will be able to do/solve ?
   2. are students engaged at problem or task level not just operation or action levels?
   3. ... involve a progression of problems rather than a single problem?
2. Does the courseware activate prior knowledge or experience?
   1. do learners have to recall, relate, describe, or apply knowledge from past experience (as a foundation for new knowledge) ?
   2. does the same apply to the present courseware ?
   3. is there an opportunity to demonstrate previously acquired knowledge or skill ?
3. Does the courseware demonstrate what is to be learned ?
   1. Are examples consistent with the content being taught? E.g. examples and non-examples for concepts, demonstrations for procedures, visualizations for processes, modeling for behavior?
   2. Are learner guidance techniques employed? (1) Learners are directed to relevant information?, (2) Multiple representations are used for the demonstrations?, (3) Multiple demonstrations are explicitly compared?
   3. Is media relevant to the content and used to enhance learning?
4. Can learners practice and apply acquired knowledge or skill?
   1. Are the application (practice) and the post test consistent with the stated or implied objectives? (1) Information-about practice requires learners to recall or recognize information. (2) Parts-of practice requires the learners to locate, name, and/or describe each part. (3) Kinds-of practice requires learners to identify new examples of each kind. (4) How-to practice requires learners to do the procedure. (5) What-happens practice requires learners to predict a consequence of a process given conditions, or to find faulted conditions given an unexpected consequence.
5. Does the courseware require learners to use new knowledge or skill to solve a varied sequence of problems and do learners receive corrective feedback on their performance?
   1. In most application or practice activities, are learners able to access context sensitive help or guidance when having difficulty with the instructional materials? Is this coaching gradually diminished as the instruction progresses?
6. Are learners encouraged to integrate (transfer) the new knowledge or skill into their everyday life?
   1. Is there an opportunity to publicly demonstrate their new knowledge or skill?
   2. Is there an opportunity to reflect-on, discuss, and defend new knowledge or skill?
   3. Is there an opportunity to create, invent, or explore new and personal ways to use new knowledge or skill?

References

Reigeluth, C.M. (1999) "What is Instructional-Design Theory and How is it Changing?" in Reigeluth, C.M. (ed.) Instructional-Design Theories and Models, Vol II. A New Paradigm of Instructional Theory, Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum. ISBN 0805828591 Merrill, M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 43-59. [1]