5368--Inst. Design Assignment 4

As I read”Why ID? The Benefits of Instructional Design Models” (Thompson, 2001), I recognized several aspects of instructional design. I always have to assess the needs of my students and set goals and objectives before I can even begin to worry with curriculum. Once I design the curriculum implementation, I then have to evaluate. I agree with Thompson when she says, “ID is a dynamic process with constant movement back and forth between the steps.” Classes that are supplemented with technology however require a more in-depth and thorough design. Instructional designers “must anticipate the needs of learners and design instruction that "builds in" clarity, resources, activities, feedback, and the like.” As a traditional teacher I can address many of these issues in my classroom on a daily basis, but as a student of on-line supplemented courses I sometimes feel helpless. I also like the idea of instructional design being a team project and not an individual one. By designing with a team, expertise from many different disciplines can be implemented.

“A Brief History of Instructional Design” (Leigh, 1999) offered a wealth of knowledge. I was familiar with many of the learning theories, but not as they applied to overall development of instructional design. I didn’t understand the connection between major events in history and the development of the many learning theories. I was surprised to read that “a variety of models for instructional system design proliferated the late 1970's and early 80's.” I suppose this is because I am only familiar with the models for school use and not for corporate America. I better understand the need for a systematic way to train the workforce after reading this article. Leigh (1999) makes a good point by saying that new media, such as the internet, “has brought about not only technological innovations, but also coupled these with new ways of approaching learning and instruction.” These new approaches are one of the reasons I am pursing this degree. Technology offers many ways to excite students and encourage students to construct their own learning using any media possible.

Leigh, D. (1999, November 18). A Brief History of Instructional Design. Retrieved March 15, 2009, from Performance Improvement Global Network: http://www.pignc-ispi.com/articles/education/brief%20history.htm

Thompson, N. (2001, February 15). Why ID? The Benefits of Instructional Design Models. Retrieved March 15, 2009, from Teaching with Technology Today: http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/articles/thompson.htm