Saturday 14 January 2012

Week 3 - Online Threaded Discussions

1.  (i) Definition of Instructional Design(ID).(ii) What does an ID do?Include an annotation if any.


(i)    Instructional Design (ID) is the process by which instruction is improved through the analysis of learning needs and systematic development of learning materials. Instructional designers often use technology and multimedia as tools to enhance instruction.

(ii)  An ID is one who applies a systematic methodology based on instructional theory to create, develop and present course content for learning events.

Annotations: It is important for an instructional designer to fully understand what instructional design is. This is because, there are many aspects to consider at the early stage before actually creating, developing and let the users use the learning content. instructional design focuses on the learner’s needs, thus, instructional designers need to analyze their user’s needs carefully. Instructional designers are also highly sought after for their expertise.

2. (i) Principles or elements of Instructional Design. Include an annotation if   any.
(i) Principles or elements of Instructional Design includes
-       The Learner
-       Objectives
-       Methods
-       Evaluation
Elements of Instruction
The above mentioned principles or elements will be explained below.
Some of the factors/questions to take note of are the target audience, as the instructions will be developed for them, what will the learner be able to do after completing the instructions, how will these objectives be acquired in the best possible way, what teaching/learning methods, activities resources will be used, how will it be known that the objectives had been mastered or if learning had even taken place.





The Learner
Before designing instructions, consider the following important characteristics of the learner. They are:
1) academic background; which refers to things like previous academic experience, exposure to the topic, school level.
2) Personal or social characteristics like age, attitude, work experience, how will the learning content be applicable to the learner.
3) Characteristics of the non-conventional learner, for example: culturally diverse learners, primary language, learners with disabilities.
4) Learning styles which refer to the existing conditions necessary for an individual to learn.
5) Motivation of the learner. These can come in the form of the student seeking grades, credit, self-improvement, salary or status advancement. Motivation is one of the most important factors to success.
Objectives
As instructional designers, one has to be clear about the objectives of the instruction. Objectives are important as it enables a better facilitation for the learners to have effective learning, acts as a framework for evaluating learning, preparing and guiding the learner, addressing domains such as cognitive, psychomotor and affective, and lastly the evaluation for the instruction.
Methods
There are 3 ways to address the methods of instruction.
1) Defining the content needed to address the instructional problem or need is important to instructional design principles.
2) Sequence the content to help the learner achieve the objectives.
3) Deliver the instruction in one of three patterns: Whole group presentations, Small group interactions, Individualized learning.

Steps in the Instructional Design Process
  1. Assess the Situation: Needs assessment, Normative needs (test scores, grades and prerequisites), Comparative needs (learning styles) and - Expressed needs, feedback of students and other peers).
    Performance Assessment (Feedback from previous students regarding previous instruction. Answers the question: Are the goals of teaching being met?) Choose a design model to follow or design your own using established instructional principles.

  2. State the Goal: Explain why do the learners have to discuss certain topics, assigned certain tasks etc. Demonstrate the above points.

  3. Select Appropriate Delivery Medium: Research on the various tools available to deliver the learning content. Is it appropriate? How will he tool enhance the e-learning experience and thus meeting the learning outcome/objectives?

  4. Implementation: what kind of support will be needed? How much help/support do I need? What type of implementation: Interface design Programming Scanning and Digitization.

    5. Evaluation and Revision: Evaluation of students, course, lesson, unit or module.

     Annotations: So basically there are 4 main points that make up Principles or elements of Instructional Design. They are: The Learner, Objectives, Methods, Evaluation. It is extremely important to take into account of each step so as not to miss out on any detail.
 
3. Give 2 Models of Instructional Design. Include an annotation and a graphic if you find one.
1st Instructional Design Model: Bloom's Learning Taxonomy

1.    Knowledge: arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, recognize, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce state.
2.    Comprehension: classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, restate, review, select, translate,
3.    Application: apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write.
4.    Analysis: analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test.
5.    Synthesis: arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, set up, write.
6.    Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose compare, defend estimate, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate.
This is the revised version of the Bloom’s Taxonomy Model
2nd Instructional Design Model: Gagne's 9 Events of Instruction
Gagne's 9 Events of Instruction
See the nine events of instruction below:
  1. Gain attention
  2. Inform learner of objectives
  3. Stimulate recall of prior learning
  4. Present stimulus material
  5. Provide learner guidance
  6. Elicit performance
  7. Provide feedback
  8. Assess performance
  9. Enhance retention transfer

Annotations: focus on mental learning. This learning is broken down into nine components that require some kind of mastery to move from one step to another. Each of these components addresses a specific cognitive process.
4.  What is the difference between Curriculum vs. Instruction?
Curriculum refers to the content of an school's programs and their course structure. Curriculum developers planned out and design the content by meeting specific standards for example, to accomplish a specific degree. They ensure that the mathematic student learn about algebra because that particular topic in the mathematic subject is part of that subject's core curriculum. In general, the curriculum designers often work in academic institutions. 
 
On the other hand, Instruction refers to “how" and the "way" that the lesson is being taught. A teacher or an educator can deliver instruction in ways which will make it approachable by all students, including those which need extra guidance or help like the disabilities, by making it accessible, called differentiated instruction.
 
 
  So what are the relationship and the difference between them again? Well basically, Curriculum is essentially a design, or roadmap for learning, which focuses on knowledge and skills that are essential in the learning process. While instruction simply means by which that learning will be achieved.




As you can see from the image above, both instruction and curriculum also share common aspects like the sequence objectives and determine the students’ needs and interests. However, they have their own individual aspects that standalone from one another. For example, instruction is basically about writing a lesson plan while curriculum is developing curriculum goals. In short, curriculum is a general design.
5. Difference between theories of instructional design VS
 theories of learning
Instructional Design is a systematic process which develops educational programs. In addition, Instructional Design theories can be considered as frameworks for developing lessons which enhance the possibility of learning and encourage the engagement of learners so that they will learn faster and gain deeper levels of understanding.
Instructional Design models mostly focus on analysis and design, thus they normally go into much more detail, especially design. In other words, Instructional Design Theory is the study of how to best design instruction so that learning will take place. 


Learning theories on the other hand describe how people learn. Learning theory includes behaviorism, cognitive theory, cognitive-behavioral theory and constructivism.

There are three main categories (philosophical frameworks) under which learning theories fall: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism.



To sum things up, we can say that ID theory, in that it guides the practice of designers, is necessary and plays an important role. In general, ID theory needs to move in the direction of flexibility and learner-empowerment while learning theory is more on how one learns in a classroom condition.


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