An Architectural Approach To Instructional Design

Winner of the 2014 AECT Design & Development Outstanding Book Award An Architectural Approach to Instructional Design is organized around a groundbreaking new way of conceptualizing instructional design practice. Both practical and theoretically sound, this approach is drawn from current international trends in architectural, digital, and industrial design, and focuses on the structural and functional properties of the artifact being designed rather than the processes used to design it. Harmonious with existing systematic design models, the architectural approach expands the scope of design discourse by introducing new depth into the conversation and merging current knowledge with proven systematic techniques. An architectural approach is the natural result of increasing technological complexity and escalating user expectations. As the complexity of design problems increases, specialties evolve their own design languages, theories, processes, tools, literature, organizations, and standards. An Architectural Approach to Instructional Design describes the implications for theory and practice, providing a powerful and commercially relevant introduction for all students of instructional design.

This book examines the theoretical basis of one of the functional layers—the message layer—of an architectural theory of instructional design. The architectural theory (Gibbons, 2003; Gibbons & Rogers, 2009; Gibbons, 2014) identifies seven functions carried out during instruction that correspond with designable strata, or layers. The architectural theory proposes that for each layer there exists a specialized body of design languages, constructs, questions, tools, practices, processes, a professional community, and most especially, bodies of design theory. It also proposes that design knowledge from other design fields, many of which approach design from the same functional perspective, can be appropriated for the further development of knowledge within the instructional technology field. A robust literature from disparate fields supplies relevant theory for message layer design. This book builds the case for validation of the message layer by bringing together work from instructional theory, conversation theory, research in the learning sciences, intelligent tutoring system research, and K-12 education. Within this literature, the authors demonstrate the existence of the message as a structural abstraction: an independently designable entity. They trace the development of the message construct historically, showing that it has remained remarkably stable over time, independent of changing psychological, educational, and technological conventions.

There are two distinct professional communities that share an interest in using innovative approaches and emerging technologies to design and implement effective support for learning. This edited collection addresses the growing divide between the learning sciences community and the instructional design and technology community, bringing leading scholars from both fields together in one volume in an attempt to find productive middle ground. Chapters discuss the implications of not bridging this divide, propose possible resolutions, and go on to lay a foundation for continued discourse in this important area.

This book guides students through the Instructional Design process using a systematic approach to developing instruction through a cycle of teaching questions familiar to teachers. This text is meant for pre-service and in-service teachers and presents Instructional Design as a systematic tool to help teachers make clear teaching decisions, in terms of learning outcomes, assessment, teaching, and technology, and to reflect on these decisions. Teachers using this text will actively design units of instruction in an organized fashion aided by structured tasks (Design Activities), numerous examples and sample lesson plans. This text includes coverage of key topics such as designing instruction for classes that include exceptional students, diverse populations and increased use of technology. Specific discussion of Needs Assessment and Program Evaluation, in a way that makes sense for teachers, is also included.

In Issues in Technology, Learning, and Instructional Design, some of the best-known scholars in those fields produce powerful, original dialogues that clarify current issues, provide context and theoretical grounding, and illuminate a framework for future thought. Position statements are introduced and then responded to, covering a remarkably broad series of topics across educational technology, learning, and instructional design, from tool use to design education to how people learn. Reminiscent of the well-known Clark/Kozma debates of the 1990s, this book is a must-have for professionals in the field and can also be used as a textbook for graduate or advanced undergraduate courses.

Systems Thinking for Instructional Designers offers real-world cases that highlight how designers foster continuous improvement and manage change efforts across organizational contexts. Using a systems thinking approach, each case describes a holistic process that examines how a set of interdependent elements can be analyzed and coordinated to influence change. Instructional designers, faculty, program directors, digital learning leaders, and other development specialists will learn how systems thinking can solve authentic, real-world challenges. The book’s rich narratives cover both successes and failures of meaningful growth, paradigm shifts, and large-scale problem-solving in a variety of settings, including education and industry.

The Multi-Disciplinary Instructional Designer explores how the instructional design and development process can be energized and deepened through principles gleaned from other fields of academic study. Despite their shared academic preparation and theoretical foundations, many instructional designers come to the profession also bearing formative knowledge from a diverse range of other subject areas, career tracks, creative practices, or intellectual pursuits. Their training, however, typically does not prepare them to leverage these specializations into the creation of more effective educational experiences and materials. This first-of-its-kind book guides instructional designers to apply key concepts, strategies, and lessons learned from a variety of disciplines – spanning the social sciences, arts and humanities, and STEM – to their practice. Chapters replete with example scenarios, reflection activities, and field-tested strategies provide an expansive yet actionable reframing of the profession’s potential. By seeking inspiration across disciplines and from the world at large, instructional designers will emerge with robust and revitalized toolkits, ready to enrich their approach to teaching and learning.

Historical Instructional Design Cases presents a collection of design cases which are historical precedents for the field with utility for practicing designers and implications for contemporary design and delivery. Featuring concrete and detailed views of instructional design materials, programs, and environments, this book’s unique curatorial approach situates these cases in the field’s broader timeline while facilitating readings from a variety of perspectives and stages of design work. Students, faculty, and researchers will be prepared to build their lexicon of observed designs, understand the real-world outcomes of theory application, and develop cases that are fully accessible to future generations and contexts.