My Place in the Field of Instructional Technology

After reviewing the class readings on Trends and Issues in Instructional Design in Various Settings, I find that I am most interested in Instructional Design in the field of Higher Education. In this context, I am probably more drawn to the position of Instructional Designer as a part of a multi-disciplinary Distance Education design/development team. Such a position would readily align itself with my experience in Information Technology as a systems analyst/designer on a business systems development team. Yet, it would, at the same time, engage my passion for structuring an environment to facilitate learning for others, a passion I have pursued in my early days as a classroom teacher and later as I taught or coached co-workers in the business environment. Another position that runs a close second to this in the Higher Education context would be one in Faculty Development. Not that I feel a need to teach anyone how to teach, but, as a proponent of incorporating technology and media into the design/development /delivery of quality instruction, I would welcome an opportunity to assist others (in this case, faculty) in understanding and embracing Instructional Design principles and in putting them to practice in their own instructional settings.

Instructional Methods and Media That Interest Me Most

My experience as an instructor dates back to the days when lecture augmented with visual aids was the primary method of instruction. In the teaching of mathematics, demonstration also was a key method employed in instruction. Yet, I was able to augment my teaching by using computer-assisted instruction as a medium and to vary the lecture norm by incorporating group work and mathematical games (both class and individual). Since that time, however, a good portion of my career has dealt with computers. So I am naturally drawn to the computer, especially with its explosive growth in capability and portability, as a key medium for instruction. Computers and related devices allow a multimedia approach to instruction. When linked with other computers in a network or through the web, they can serve as a medium for a variety of instructional methods including those mentioned in our 6010 lesson: lecture, demonstration, group work, individualized instruction and discovery learning.

In the future, I anticipate that the computer and its related media will be a primary player in any instructional technology activities in which I am involved. Yet, I'd like to believe that I am open-minded enough to consider both new and old methods and to select whatever media best suits the context, the subject matter, the learning style(s) of the audience, and the goal of instruction before choosing the best components for use in the design, development and delivery of quality instruction.

The ISD Model . . . It Works!

I find that the Instructional Systems Design (ISD) model described by Reiser & Dempsey in the EDTC 6010 course text represents a very sound basis for facilitating the design, development and delivery of quality instruction. The model with its four phases, Analysis, Design, Development & Implementation, and Evaluation, is comprehensive in that it encompasses all of the activity required for effective instructional development. At the same time, it is also flexible enough to accommodate different learning theories and the instructional design activities arising out of them.

I find no fault with the ISD model because I believe it is based on the natural progression of activity that accompanies effective human problem-solving or innovation. In fact, the four phases, when undertaken in the order presented, have been shown to produce effective results in a variety of context: scientific research, computer software development, even home improvement projects (at least the way I do mine). In general terms we have:
> Analysis – what is the problem or issue to be addressed? What do we know about it? What do we need to know about it or what do we want to do? Who or what does it impact?
> Design: How should the issue be addressed? What is the plan of action?
> Development/Implementation: Experiment; code and test; hammer and paint. Produce and use.
> Evaluate: Does it work? How well? Does anything need to be tweaked?

I have employed all aspects of this model in my experience as a teacher, whether in planning an individual lesson or in laying out an entire semester (with the implementation and evaluation portion of the phases of the process occurring at a later point in time). As a computer systems analyst, I have used the model phases formally to execute and manage large projects; but I have also employed it informally to organize my activity on projects involving single program development or enhancement.

The ISD version of the generic model is no less effective when applied to the context of instructional activities. So, yes, you could say that I am a strong proponent of the ISD model. After all …it works!

My "Take" on How People Learn

It has been a long-standing belief of mine that there is no single answer to the question, how do people learn?. In fact, I am convinced that not only do individuals vary from one another in how they learn or acquire knowledge, but also that within a single individual there are often different learning paradigms that come into play based on the subject matter or the skills set that is being studied. In my own teaching I have incorporated a variety of techniques including traditional lecture, individualized instruction, gaming for drill and practice, guided discovery, etc. I am open to considering the methods being espoused by various learning theorists and borrowing, combining, adapting which ever techniques will best accommodate my students as well as serve my instructional objectives or goals.

When I consider the learning theories that have been presented, I am reminded of a story that has been told of three blind wise men who were charged with determining the true nature of an elephant. The first wise man, positioned at the head of the elephant, reached out and grabbed hold of its trunk. After a moment of tactile exploration, he declared that the elephant was like the trunk of a great tree. The second wise man, located behind the elephant, grabbed hold of its tail and declared that the elephant was more like a rope.
The third wise man, standing beside of the elephant explored its side and declared that it was like a great wall.

To me, the various learning theories are like the conclusions of the three blind, wise men.
Each theory focuses on some particular aspect(s) of learning, yet no one of them has the total picture. If I had to choose, I would be more comfortable with objectivism and cognitive learning theory. I believe that knowledge about the world in which we live exists independently of the learner. Mankind is uniquely equipped to pass this knowledge along to others in ways that make it unnecessary for each individual to learn everything by experiencing it. This is how we raise our young. This is how we transmit and sustain out culture. Mankind certainly would not have advanced as far as it has if each individual born into this world had to learn about that world by interpreting and constructing meaning based on individual experience.

But regardless of which theory one espouses, there is no reason that the instructional design techniques and methods based on one theory or another cannot be adopted and used by someone holding a different point of view about how learning really takes place.

Seeking IDT Professional - Senior Learning Designer

After reviewing a number of position descriptions for an Educational or Instructional Technology Professional, I found myself more drawn to the Senior Learning Designer located on www.Monster.com . (Key the position name into the search bar, Greensboro, NC and search by title only to view the details).

This position description of chock-full of duties and responsibilities as well as knowledge and skills requirements; but, I will try to distill it somewhat. This Senior Learning Designer position involves collaborating with a team of professionals in the design, development, delivery, evaluation and follow-up of training programs and materials that are focused on leadership development. The person in this position will also be involved in identifying client leadership development needs and in applying relevant design methodologies and adult learning principles to determine the goals, the strategy and sequence of instruction, and the selection of appropriate methodologies and technologies to customize the offering to the client audience.

Qualifications for Senior Learning designer include knowledge of Instructional Design methodologies and adult learning principles accompanied by the requisite knowledge of common e-Learning development software and technologies for learning. Added to these are a host of personal communication and organizational skills and evidence of a good work ethic.

Although this position description neither abounds in its use of specific Instructional Systems Design terminology nor in its reference to specific software tools used in the field, one can deduce that these techniques and whatever software/hardware tools are appropriate are expected to be employed. Instead, this description seems to focus on designing and developing effective training based on the client needs and the application of proven design methods and practices. The technology becomes a tool to be used in any of the activities from analysis and needs assessment through development and delivery of the instruction and its final evaluation. The technology is not an end in itself nor the sole vehicle for delivery of instruction. This is a perfect fit with my view of what instructional design and technology should encompass.

Furthermore, the field in which this organizations works, leadership development, is an area of keen interest and concern for me. I think it would be very difficult to do instructional design for a subject area that did not interest me or about which I knew little.

Would I apply for this job upon completing my degree in Instructional Technology?
Most definitely!

What is the so-called Instructional Technology?

The term “instructional technology” refers to a collection of tools and methodologies for developing and delivering modules of instruction. These modules often are characterized as being self-paced, i.e. the student can control the presentation of material by repeating a topic as needed or skipping topics that are not needed. Another prevalent characteristic is that the instruction may be distributed. In this scenario, all students are not required to occupy the same physical space at a single point in time. The modules also can encompass multiple media with video, audio and passive as well as interactive computer presentations being in the mix. The methodologies which allow instructors to organize the material and incorporate the various technologies in the efficient and effective presentation of that material aim to optimize the student’s learning experience.

Instructional technology has long been used in the work place (where the $$ to finance such instruction was readily available) and has grown from visually presented talking-points lectures to individually viewed computer-based training DVD’s and video-conferenced classrooms. More recently, academia has joined the action with distance education, computer labs to practice most any topic, and video-conferenced “classroom” discussions or web-based classes. The evolution of instructional technology has been amazing. But something tells me that the best is yet to come!!