INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

This section looks at the background to instructional design under four headings

• Instructional design: what it is and why it is important in ODL

• How adults learn

• What is special about ODL materials?

• Types of ODL instructional design

This part looks at how instructional design is used to create learning materials that will replicate what the teacher does in the classroom. Definitions of instructional design are provided and the main steps in the process of creating materials are described. The three main theoretical approaches to instructional design used in the history of ODL are then presented. The point is also made, however, that despite theories and the systematic approaches, ‘the field of instructional design is more like a craft while it claims to be a technology’ (Elen and Clarebout, 2001).

This part discusses how adults learn and, in particular, how their approach to learning differs from that of school-age learners. Six key characteristics of adult learners that we need to take into account in planning ODL courses are identified, as are five key principles of learning that are of great importance in designing learning materials.

This part introduces the core ideas detailed in this handbook. It is not effective to send textbooks to ODL students. Rather, materials must be specially designed to suit the ODL situation. The differences between ODL materials and conventional classroom materials are discussed.