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.