Trends and Issues in IDT

1. For this module, I chose to focus on comparing and contrasting business & industry, military, and healthcare education.

An instructional designer in the business world must deal with fast-paced technology-driven goals and projects that may expand globally. An instructional designer very often will work on a team, which may be a physical or virtual team. Some constraints that instructional designers face are limited time and resources, “locus of control for decision-making” (Reiser, 2012, p. 181), and tools or techniques that may not have been tested for accuracy or effectiveness. In addition, an instructional designer’s own beliefs and theoretical perspectives can conflict with other members of the team or job productivity. An instructional designer must aim to complete training in less time across cultures while positively impacting company profits.

Instructional designers in the military field are immersed in rapidly growing technological advancements. They must be very knowledgeable in the instructional technology field. The future trends of the military involve international responsibilities and the evolution of technology. Instructional designers must also consider how to best utilize available money, and may have to make “trade-off decisions” in order to stay within budget (Reiser, 2012, p. 189). Instructional designers working for the military must also have knowledge of learning theories and instructional strategies. They must take into consideration cultural and learning differences among clients and trainees, which includes examining and analyzing the knowledge and skills of a target audience and offering remediation strategies. The environment in which they work can range from a classroom, to virtual, to wherever personnel are deployed. Reiser (2012) notes that an instructional designer’s job for the military differ from that of a business in a variety of ways: “management, configurations, implementation, and expertise of training instructors” (p. 190).

Health care education is varied because the field is very broad. Education transitioned from that of observation and speculation, to basic information learning, to more rigorous problem-based learning. Because erroneous healthcare education could be detrimental, educational programs are constantly being evaluated and researched. Hands-on learning and simulations are ideal because of the need to constantly solve problems and look for patterns. Some factors that affect healthcare performance and education is the rapid advancement of knowledge. The rising costs of health care also put pressure on faculty to spend more time in the office with patients and less time teaching and training. Imposed regulations and standards dictate what personnel should be learning, which could conflict with current curriculum and examinations. The instructional designer and healthcare industry are also faced with the rapid evolution of technologies.

In my field of P-12 education, I can see many similarities. In all of the above mentioned fields and P-12 education, instructional designers, teacher, and students are faced with the rapid evolution of technology. As more technology becomes available within budgets, more technology can be integrated into lesson design. Like the aforementioned fields, an instructional designer must first analyze and evaluate the different skills and knowledge of the students. Also like the fields above, especially military and healthcare, problem-based learning is seen as a relevant and effective learning technique. Preparing learners for future advances in technology is also important to P-12 learning. However, Reiser points out that a “report from the U.S. Department of Commerce revealed that education is ranked as the least technology-intensive enterprise among fifty-five U.S. industry sectors” (Reiser, 2012, p. 213). Society is challenged with educating today’s youth and teachers to use technology more effectively and universally “as our nation attempts to address global changes to ensure economic stability, international competitiveness, and the welfare of its citizens” (Reiser, 2012, p. 214). Instructional designers in this field are critically needed to help close the gap of technology integration.

 

2. In order to prepare out youth to address the problems of living in a world with 9 billion people and limited resources, I feel like we need to reiterate and reinforce the complications and detriments that will come with continued waste. I think there are many programs that already do this, whether they be television stations like KERA that play quality children’s programming that address these issues to P-12 and higher education to organizations like Greenpeace.

Instructing our students to use technology is one way to prepare them for the future. There are some good practices in Japan that I think we should be more mindful of. One of those practices is allowing teachers be creative in developing their own teaching methodologies. Teachers, according to my own observation, come into the profession because they feel like they have something to offer. Taking away their ideas and replacing them with mandated practices stifles creativity and enthusiasm. I also thought it was interesting that the wisdom of older, more experienced teachers is respected. In America, I feel like sometimes we do not respect the wisdom or advice of educators who have been teaching for a long time.

Something that is not required in Japan is renewal of the “IT Basics” certification a teacher must have in order to be licensed. In Korea, however, it is expected that educators “will continually receive training, not only in ICT skills but in e-learning development, online collaboration, IDT, and knowledge community building” (Reiser, 2012, p. 244). Korea has high expectations for ICT-based learning and teacher performance in instructional design. Something that American schools should adopt are higher expectations for teachers integrating technology in instruction, but also, like Korea, offering in-service training to help teachers continuously renew and review their knowledge and skills in IDT.

I feel that America’s current educational system is diverse. Some states have higher standards than others. However, I do think that teachers strive to foster higher-order thinking skills and problem-solving. I think administrators realize that future generations will be inheriting a fast-paced mess, and that we need to prepare them for the future.

References

Reiser, R. A. & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology, 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson.

Evaluating Programs and Human Performance

1)      For this week’s module, I researched two models of evaluations used in instructional design. One of those models (although in his article he does not refer to it as a model but rather as an approach) is Patton’s utilization-focused approach. In his article A utilization-focused approach to contribution analysis (2012), Patton asserts that “utilization-focused evaluation begins with the premise that evaluations should be judged by their utility and actual use; therefore, evaluators should facilitate the evaluation process and design any evaluation with careful consideration of how everything that is done, from beginning to end, will affect use” (2012, pp. 365- 366). Patton examines “the process of working with primary intended users in rendering judgments about the extent to which the preponderance of evidence supports a meaningful and useful conclusion about degree to which an intervention has affected observed outcomes and impacts” (pp. 365). To Patton, the primary intended users are the stake-holders in the program. The evaluator actively involving the intended users in the process is extremely important in order to meet their needs. Instead of specifically using a ready-made evaluation tool, the evaluator and the primary users work together to create a method of evaluation that works best for them. I felt that this was a constructivist approach, because the evaluator acts as more of a facilitator guiding intended users to make decisions that will best promote use of the training or program.

The second model that I researched was the ADDIE model, which is a model of instructional design with evaluation as one of its components. I feel that this model, too, is rooted in constructivism. I chose to include this model after reading an article entitled Using the ADDIE Model in Designing Library Instruction (Reinbold, 2013). There are five stages of the ADDIE model: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Reinbold informs us that “The purpose of ADDIE is not to restrain but rather act as a guide or roadmap for a designer to reach the best possible training solution” (2013, p. 246). The five stages of the model are cyclical in nature, and each phase impacts the next phase (Reinbold, 2013, p. 246). The analysis phase involves identifying the problem or learning objective. The design phase is the planning phase, determining which activities and tools are best suited to achieve the learning goal. The development stage, which usually overlaps with the design phase, “includes materials, instructor aids, scripts, student assignments, and any other product needed to deliver the course” (Reinbold, 2013, p. 250). In the implementation phase, the course, training, or lesson is delivered. Finally Reinbold tells us that “the evaluation phase takes place during every step of the process” as the entire training, course, or lesson is constantly being examined and revised as needed (2013, p. 252). The evaluation phase usually consists of both formative and summative assessments.

2)      One can measure the amount of learning and learner satisfaction was achieved in order to reflect on whether particular instructional design was successful, but other questions should also be taken into consideration as well. Some of those questions include, but are not limited to:

a)      Was this program/ training/ course cost efficient? For example, our district has put a lot of money into a program called Reasoning Minds. When it was first introduced, the district put money into training the teachers who would be using it, which included a program facilitator. After the first year, only one teacher was to be trained and receive assistance from a facilitator. In my personal opinion, I think it was a waste of money to only train one teacher. The other teachers who were not trained do not know how to most effectively teach with the program. As a result (according to my informal observations), student achievement is not where it should be and morale about the program is low. Technically, this program was intended to be the main math curriculum, not supplemental. Which brings me to my next question:

b)      Is the program best suited as the main curriculum/ project or supplemental?

c)       And finally, is this the most efficient way to effectively reach intended learning goals?

3)      As our professor, Dr. Lee said, Many times a non-instructional approach is a more appropriate solution to solving learning problems. I can think of a couple of instances and solutions.

I have taught some very eager and curious children who absolutely hate to read, and therefore struggle with literacy. It’s “boring” or intimidating. Or perhaps these students have attached a “dork” stigma to the idea of reading. In any instance, this breaks my heart. I have heard of a program in which people bring their dogs to the library. Special students get to read with their furry buddy, which can encourage a non-threatening and encouraging environment for reading. I hope to be able to implement this solution as a librarian.

One year I had a couple of students who struggled academically in almost every subject. I honestly feel that their home environment, while their mothers were extremely kind, didn’t really place much value on education. These girls, however, tended to enjoy science instruction. After visiting the Museum of Nature and Science in Fair Park, they learned a plethora of things they could do as a scientist. Becoming a scientist was something they had never thought of before going on this field trip. I believe this experience and my encouragement pushed them to work harder academically so that they could strive to one day work as an astronaut or robotics engineer.

 

 

 

References

 

Reinbold, S. (2013). Using the ADDIE Model in Designing Library Instruction. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 32(3), 244-256.

 

1. Epistemology is the philosophy and study of knowledge. It seeks to find out what knowledge is, and how it is acquired. Theories of learning seek to explain the act of learning.  A couple of examples of theories of learning are Behavioral Learning Theory and Cognitive Information Processing Theory. Behaviorism is based on the conception that the behavior can be conditioned by external stimuli. Cognitivism likens the learner to a computer, wherein information is input, and behavior is output. Whereas behaviorism sees no need to consider internal processing systems, cognitive information processing theory assumes that learning is explained by internal processing systems.

2. I would probably say that I most identify with contextualism, because I do believe that knowledge is relative to a situation or context. I feel that designing lessons that relate to real-world situations will be more engaging and will help students make connections.

I can think of a couple of instances in which my learning styles conflicted with a professor or type of teaching. In college, I took a history course. Unfortunately, I chose to take the course that was two days a week rather than three, meaning it was two hour and a half long classes rather than three (more manageable) 45 minute classes a week. This was my first mistake. (The second mistake was choosing the early morning class.)Instead of trying to make the content interesting and engaging with discussions or activities like another history professor I had, this professor literally stood in the front of the class the entire time (minus a 5 minute break) and lectured. In a monotone voice. I struggled not only to stay awake, but to actually retain any information that I had read or heard.

I also struggle with the direction modern education has taken my school district. In my opinion, part of a teacher’s job is to find what unique learning styles and interests her students possess and then design lessons that will engage those learners. Lately (at least in my current district), instruction has turned into a very “one size fits all” stance. The way we should design our lessons is laid out for us, and we can be docked for deviation. It is frowned upon to have an administrator observe the teacher teaching something different than what “Learning Objective” is posted on the board, even if that teacher realized her lesson was not reaching her students and needed to go in a different direction. Also, the lessons must all contain “rigor”, but I don’t think many people know what to look for when they look for rigor. Many administrators frown when they see activities such as kindergarteners building numbers instead of adding numbers. Well, rigor is a higher step in the learning process. For those kindergarteners who are learning about numbers, building numbers is rigorous. In younger grades, children need to be able to grasp concrete objectives before they can start delving into more difficult skills.

3. Behaviorist problem-solving consists of breaking problems into smaller chunks and providing immediate feedback. Students in a Behaviorist classroom might attempt to solve a problem, and then the teacher will provide feedback on whether the answer is correct or incorrect. Motivation is tied to a reward system. If a student receives positive feedback, the student will be motivated to learn further. Constructivist problem-solving consists of problem-based learning, in which students work together to solve a problem. Students bounce ideas off of peers and ideally take ownership of their own learning. Educators encourage learning and students are self-motivated. Both approaches can help build confidence. Providing positive feedback will help a learner become motivated to attempt to achieve more goals. However, providing negative feedback can also result in “learned helplessness” (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012, p. 88). With the Constructivist approach, educators can act as facilitators, and design a lesson and learning environment based on the students’ intrinsic motivational needs.

References

Reiser, R. A. & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology, 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson.

Defining the Field of Instructional Design and Technology

In our reading, we learned that the definition of IDT continues to evolve as technology, teaching, and research also evolves. Two of the most recent definitions encompass several different fields. In Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (2012), the authors Reiser and Dempsey provide a definition from page one of the AECT Definition and Terminology (2008). The field is defined as below:

Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological process and resources. (p. 4)

Reiser and Dempsey (2012) define IDT as:

The field of instructional design and technology (also known as instructional technology) encompasses the analysis of learning and performance problems, and the design, development, implementation, evaluation and management of instructional and non-instructional processes and resources intended to improve learning and performance in a variety of settings, particularly educational institutions and the workplace.

Professionals in the field instructional design and technology often use systematic instructional design procedures and employ instructional media to accomplish their goals. Moreover, in recent years, they have paid increasing attention to non-instructional solutions to some performance problems. Research and theory related to each of the aforementioned areas is also an important part of the field. (p. 5)

Before reading this chapter, I would have defined IDT similarly to the first definition, as a field in which an educator designs instruction and facilitates learning using technology to most efficiently help students acquire and apply knowledge. The textbook definition brings to light the research component of instructional technology, and how important it is to help improve performance not only in the classroom, but also in the workplace.

When I taught second grade a couple of years ago, I taught a unit on the water cycle. I used a variety of methods to teach the water cycle. Brainpopjr.com videos, a Youtube video of a water cycle song and dance that we learned, and a Power Point presentation were a few of the ways I used technology. My students also created a “Water Cycle in a Bag” in which they placed a small cup of water or a soaked cotton ball into a plastic baggie and then hung it in the window. The students then observed the water over time and wrote their observations, hypotheses, and conclusions in their science journals.

While I feel like after the unit was over, my students understood what happened to water when it was heated and cooled, they still had difficulty describing the cycle using the correct vocabulary terms. I am not sure if this was an English language barrier or not, since my students were ELLs (English Language Learners). I think I should have designed the unit to include more student-centered technology. Most of the songs and videos were used in a whole-group setting. However, I also think that having the students create their own water cycle system was an effective hands-on technique to illustrate the concept and allowed students to critically think about what was happening to the water in a faster, clearer setting than they could in reality.

Which leads me to my next point- I do not think that the purpose of instructional design is to always include technology such as computers and devices in instruction. I think that an effective educator will know when and how to efficiently use technology to facilitate learning. Sometimes a computer is not the answer. Sometimes a student needs to physically touch and manipulate real objects such as counters to help grasp concrete concepts. A teacher is not a form of instructional media to me, because she is the one who determines what media is appropriate to facilitating learning.


References

Reiser, R. A. & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology, 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson.

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