Design
What is instructional design?
As an educator, instructional design is a process by which concepts and materials can be organized for the learner (my students) to access independently using technological tools. According to Robert Branch and M. David Merrill, instructional design is "a system of procedures for developing education and training curricula in a consistent and reliable fashion" (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012).
Analyze:
In the analysis phase, the target learners and the learning environment are analyzed and evaluated which will help provide more information to the designer through learner and context analysis. Instructional goals are decided upon after analyzing the learners to determine the best approach to define the goals of instruction and determine the sub-steps in designing the course. Instructional analysis is when the designer creates the steps and sub-steps to carry out instructional goals. A learner analysis includes determining the learners prior knowledge about the topic. The learning objectives explain what the learners should be able to do when the instruction is completed.
Design:
The design phase is a learning solution that aligns the objectives and strategies with the instructional goals. It includes a systematic and specific structure for gathering information which addresses the issues such as with learning objectives and assessment tools. The objectives define specific, measurable actions that enable the learners to meet the goals. The designer determines the appropriate instructional strategies to help students work independently to effectively achieve tasks and accomplish goals. The strategy should link content and objectives and sequences the content and activities to help the learner construct knowledge and skills. Additionally, the type of media is chosen that will deliver the content to the learner in the most effective method. Formative strategies are also determined in order to gauge learner satisfaction and progress throughout the learning experience.
Development:
In the development phase, the designers use the information collected in the design phase to create the next steps and put together the model or storyboard by which learners will follow to reach the objectives. A sample of the course is created including gathering course materials and conducting a run-through. The course materials that will support the instructional goals are then organized in an effective approach to delivery.
Implementation:
The implementation phase is when the instructor moves forward with putting into practice the new curriculum or instruction and introduces the learner to the process and tools involved. If a trainer is to deliver the course to learners, the trainer needs to be prepared to support students in their learning. The learners should also be prepared for the course by teaching them the tools needed to complete the course. The learning space should also be prepared and tested to eliminate potential issues. Formative assessments can be conducted throughout the course implementation to ensure that the learners are working towards achieving the learning goals.
Evaluation:
The evaluation phase is when a usability or BETA test is conducted to ensure the course correctly met the learning objectives. This is to identify that the product met what it was intended to teach. Feedback is taken into consideration for future design. To assess the learners, both formative and summative evaluations are vital to determine mastery of concepts. Formative evaluation, such as short quizzes or surveys after each module in the course, can be included throughout each stage and help provide information to the trainer or educator about the learner's progress through the course. This helps the instructional designer in revising the instruction to help meet the needs of the learners. Summative evaluations are conducted upon completion of the course to determine if the learners met the originally identified learning goals and the objectives designed in the course. (2015) It also measures the perception or satisfaction of the learner after completing the instructional experience, and also determines if the learner developed transferability of knowledge to the world in application.
Artifacts:
ETEC 544: Design and Development of Instructional Materials I
In an introduction to designing instructional materials, I worked collaboratively as a team with other colleagues at CSUSB to create a meaningful unit of figurative language instruction for my third grade class. Serving as the team's Subject Matter Expert, I provided support and information pertaining to the content needed to meet the learning objectives. We encountered some challenges working as a team, but communication was a key component in ensuring the delivery of a worthy product. The video below is one part that was created to help students learn about non-literal/figurative language. The course was delivered to students using Google Classroom as the Learning Management System. Future design improvements would include creation of a website that can be used year to year, and more detailed videos on each of the figurative language concepts so that students can deepen their understanding of each in a more narrowed-focused way. Here is the video titled Go Figure! An introduction to Figurative Language:
ETEC 674: E-Learning Technology and Media
In this course, I built on my understanding of the ADDIE instructional design model with creating videos and a course for students to help them create a cartoon comic strip that demonstrates their understanding of the figurative language concept of onomatopoeia. In conjunction with the design process in ETEC544, students were able to narrow their focus to one concept and build on the theories in Blooms Taxonomy that students who produce new or original work are at the highest level of thinking. They can take what they learned about the figurative language concepts and use it to create their own comic strip. This additional practice of following the ADDIE model helped me better understand the systematic process of instructional design. This was used in a classroom of third grade students and feedback provided additional plans for expansion of the topic. Below is the video on creating a Powtoon comic strip online, but after field testing, the students were unable to use Powtoons, but instead created their comic strips using a demo of the website: storyboardthat.com.
Below are two student samples of a group work assignment where students created comic strips created after an e-learning unit on figurative language:
ETEC 644: Design and Development of Instructional Materials II
In this course, I worked on designing a website for educators at an elementary school site in creating their own yearbook page. I honed my skills of following the systems approach model to instructional design created by Dick, Carey & Carey in 1978 (2015). This process follows a sequence of identifying a need, designing learning objectives after understanding more about the learners and their entry behaviors. Following those steps, performance objectives are determined and assessments to measure whether or not the objectives are met. Once the strategies are developed, so are the materials needed to help the learners meet the goal(s). To find out if the learner met them, formative assessments are interpreted as feedback and instruction can be revised to fix any gaps. The summative evaluation can be the final step in larger projects, and in this particular one, the learners will eventually create their own page as the summative assessment.
The following website is the product created to help meet the learning objectives:
Reflection:
Instructional design is the vehicle by which I can reach my learners on a higher level. Following design principles and instructional theories together, I was better able to create products for my students to help them achieve goals in their learning. As an educator, it is pertinent to collect materials that are relevant to their styles of learning, so that they are more engaged, active participants in their education. Teachers everywhere work to build a repertoire of content that might connect to the students, and by analyzing the learners, my students, more intently, I can find the appropriate content and method of instruction. The ADDIE model serves as a systematic guide that I am able to use to build upon each level of design and consider more than just the materials but the learners themselves and how best to reach them through ID.
Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (Third Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc., as Allyn & Bacon.