Foundation
The foundation of the IDT field is explained through its ever evolving definitions, trends, and technology tools. The foundation of the field is also greatly impacted by its influential Instructional designers. over the years. Instructional designers also made connections to the learning theories to make efficient instructional designs for both business and education alike.
Instructional Design and Technology
Definition, My IDT Definition, History, and Trends
IDT Definition
From the book, Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology, by Robert A. Reiser and John V.Dempsey, is the following definition of Instructional Design and Technology:
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.
My IDT Definition
In my opinion, the field of Instructional Design and Technology is the study and continuous practice of a systematic approach in analyzing learning and performance problems, and the design, development, implementation, evaluation, and management of instructional practices and resources used to improve learning and performance in various settings. It is about the continuous reflection upon the process itself by identifying and analyzing these important questions; what is the need, what needs to be taught, what is the best way to teach it, and was it effective?
History of IDT
1940's: During WWII the United States military initiated the foundation of IDT by rapidly training large groups of people in various areas. During this time there was the use of audiovisual instructional. Audio visual includes the use of audio recordings, radio, motion pictures with sound.
1950's: During this time was the invention of the television. This was also the time of the programmed instruction movement. B.F. Skinner wrote, The Science of Learning and the Art of Teaching, where he states that instruction should be presented in small steps, ask frequent questions, provide immediate feedback, and allow the learner to move at their own pace.
1960's: During this time behavior objectives were tied to instructional materials, Robert Mager wrote Preparing Objectives for Programmed Instruction. The book explains how to write objectives that include a description of learner behaviors, the conditions in which objectives are to be performed, and the standards (criteria) by which the behavior will be evaluated (Reiser, 2001).
1960's: During this time Robert Gagne wrote the 9 events of learning (listed below) and the five learning outcomes (verbal information, intellectual skills, psychomotor skills, attitudes, and cognitive strategies).
1965: Benjamin Bloom published Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. These are a framework of educational levels, also known as Bloom’s Taxonomy. This framework made a huge impact in generations of teachers and instructors (Mcdaniel, 1970).
1970: The number of instructional design models were increasing. The instructional design models were being used in a variety of settings that include the military, education, and in businesses.
1980s-1990s: During this time there was a growing interest in how the principles of cognitive and constructivism psychology could be applied in the instructional design process. There was also an increasing interest in the use of microcomputers, CD-ROM, and the internet for instructional purposes. The performance technology movement broadened the scope of the instructional design field.
The field of Instructional Design has evolved over the decades. The key driving forces of the evolution of the fields of instructional design are advances in technology and also learning styles and methods. The definition keeps changing due to the resources that there was at that time and also what we know about learning theories. Both of these concepts are equally important because we have to know who we are teaching, how they learn, and also what tools do we have at the time to use as resources to aid the learning and improvement process.
IDT Trends
Virtual Learning
The most current trend in the IDT field are virtual and distance learning academies or online instruction. Distance learning has already influenced the future of education more than ever. Now as we face a pandemic much of the world is switching to having everything done virtually. Technology has become essential for the way in which we communicate, learn, and even socialize. Learners are trying to navigate the new medium, the new normal, just as the instructors are. As we move to a new medium we will need more instructional designers to create these online courses and trainings to navigate the new virtual platforms. I believe the future of education and business is heavily related to the advancement and implementation of technology. As we move forward we are going to have to adapt our traditional ways of teaching, learning, and working to this new virtual medium.
Adaptive Learning
Another IDT trend that has made an impacted is adaptive learning. Adaptive learning is when learners are given customized learning content based off their needs and level of understanding. This is technology based using specific algorithms that allow content to be made specific to each learner. It has since been implemented in the field of education with learning applications and even assessments.
For example, the learning application IXL covers math, English language arts, science, history, and even Spanish content based off the California state standards. There is a learner’s diagnostic that measures students’ current skills in a specific content area and then proceeds to give students a customized study plan so that they can improve their skills and understanding. Adaptive learning is also implemented in assessments such as Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA). This platform offers a series of assessments that measures academic progress with a focus on student growth in English and Math. Each assessment is tailored to meet the needs of each learner and identify where each learner is in meeting state standards.
Adaptive learning is useful to educators because it allows us to design and develop targeted instruction for learners. Educators can use this data to differentiate and scaffold instruction for learners. This way we can meet learners where they are and design a specific learning progression for them to be successful.
Learning Theories
Behaviorism Theory:
Behaviorism focuses on observations of stimulations and responses through repeated scenarios. This theory also relies on the important of consequences and rewards to get the desired outcome. Instructional strategies that relate to behaviorism in the classroom would include modeling and providing immediate and effective feedback.
Cognitivism Theory:
Cognitivism theory focuses on how information is stored and retained in the brain. The theory emphasizes the brain as an information processing computer. Some instructional strategies that relate to cognitivism in the classroom would include graphic organizers, visual tools, Mnemonics, and problem solving. Information should be presented sequenced and meaningful to learners.
Constructivism Theory:
Constructivism theory focuses on learners using their prior knowledge and life experiences to build their own knowledge of a new concept. Social interaction and collaboration is important and learners have to be actively involved in learning. Some instructional strategies would include group work, explaining reasoning, and reflecting on learning.
Key Contributors to IDT Field
Robert Gagne
Gagne has made a significant impact on the IDT field because his work focuses on how people learn, retain, and transfer new information. The foundation of his work focuses on the different types of learners and that each learner needs different types of instruction. He founded the 9 events of learning and the five learning outcomes.
Robert Glaser
Glaser has influenced the IDT field by bringing forth criterion-referenced measures. His ideas focused on setting up ways to measure the effectiveness of the goals of instruction. He looked at individual’s behavior in relation to an objective or standard, what level of information did the learner start with and how to get them to mastery of the standard.
David Merrill
Merrill has researched and identified the most common principles that can be found in most ID theories and models. Merrill’s First Principles of Instructional design outline the key features that enables and prompts learning to take place. This is essential to the IDT field because these principles should guide the instructional design for any program so that learning can take place and therefore meet the needs of the learners.
Robert Gagne's 9 Events of Instruction
These are the nine events that Robert Gagne states have to occur for learning to take place. These nine conditions of learning are mentioned in his book, The Conditions of Learning.
1. Gain attention: This is to grab the students attention so that they remain focused and engaged. This can include using strategies such as starting the lesson with pictures, videos, ice breaker, or current news, so that student can get engaged.
2. Inform learners of objectives: This allows the students to have clear view of what they will be learning and doing throughout the lesson.
3. Stimulate recall of prior learning: Review prior knowledge so that students can relate new material to something that they already know. This way students can construct their own knowledge of the new content.
4. Present the content: Teach and explain the content that is important to for students to know.
5. Provide “learning guidance”: Give students clear explanation of the instructions and directions for the assignment.
6. Elicit performance (practice): Allow students time to incorporate their knowledge and skills that they learned from the lesson.
7. Provide feedback: Give students feedback that is specific and guides them to correct any errors or misconceptions.
8. Assess performance: Give students feedback on how they can improve to the next level in mastering the content.
9. Enhance retention and transfer to the job: Prepare students to transfer their knowledge of the content to real life scenarios.
Application/Reflection
Educational Philosophy
My educational philosophy is that all students are capable of learning and growing with the help and motivation from a support system. I believe that people learn different and at different rates. There are some learners that prefer visuals, auditory, and learn by moving and doing. The teacher’s role is to guide and facilitate learning for all students to be successful. Teacher must also build trust and transparency so that the students feel comfortable and confident in their attempts to learn and even make mistakes. The teacher is not there to just simply deliver information by giving the answers; the teacher is there to engage students to discover the answer or solution themselves. The student’s role is to listen, be open-minded, be attentive, always ask questions, and use their prior knowledge and experiences to formulate new ideas. Students must always try to make an attempt in learning and the teacher must always try to encourage and support the students in learning.
IDT Key Terminology
This document contains some of the key terminologies of the IDT field that will aid in better understanding the field.
Reflection
The IDT courses has helped me gain a better understanding of the field and it evolution over the years. Starting the masters program I did not know much about the Instructional design field. Studying the history I have become aware of its trends and issues from past until present. After reading the many different versions of the IDT definitions, I was able to form my own definition of the field. I learned that IDT is both the study of theory and practice, both these parts together encompass the systematic approach to designing effective instructional material. I learned some of the key terminologies of the field that helped guide me in my practice and also my research. The language of the field is important to understand and also the events that have happened that has shaped the field to what it is today. I learned about how the different learning theories and key contributors have impacted the field. It is also important to note that the field is still evolving and changing as technology advances, especially with the use of virtual and augmented reality.
Everything I learned in the IDT M.A. Program thus far is essential and can be implemented in my career as an educator. I appreciate how all the assignments were used to guide us into understanding more about the program and preparing us to be successful. The program has offered me the opportunity to interview someone in the IT field or in a position in which I like to obtain in the future. The courses are relevant and incorporated real-life opportunities of us. The program has gave me the opportunity to revisit my teaching pedagogy and the reason why I joined the field of education. I was able to connect my educational philosophy with what I have learned from this course such as the learning theories and the events of instruction.
Resources:
Behaviorism learning theory - youtube. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=aGpp-QRLtvg.
Conditions of Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21, 2020, from https://www.netnet.org/for-faculty/instructional-design-models/conditions-of-learning/
Edelman, L. (2020, October 21). 10 difficulties with fall distance learning. Embolden Psychology. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://embolden.world/10-difficulties-with-fall-distance-learning/.
Gagne's 9 Events of Instruction. https://citt.ufl.edu/resources/the-learning-process/designing-the-learning-experience/gagnes-9-events-of-instruction/.
Jean Piaget's theory of Constructivism - YouTube. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ameCd5tYbtA.
Kurt, S. (2017, March 26). Instructional design. Educational Technology. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://educationaltechnology.net/instructional-design/.
Mcdaniel, R. (1970, June 10). Bloom's taxonomy. Vanderbilt University. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/.
Merrill's first principles of instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2020, from http://instructionaldesign.io/toolkit/merrill/
Piaget's theory of cognitive development - youtube. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhcgYgx7aAA.
Reiser, R.A. A history of instructional design and technology: Part II: A history of instructional design.ETR&D 49, 57–67 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02504928
Reiser Robert A.; Dempsey John V.. Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (2-downloads) (What's New in Ed Psych / Tests & Measurements) (p. 4). Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.