Instructional Design & Online Learning Greg Kearsley
What is Instructional Design? Emerged in 1950s as an engineering approach to the design of instruction Goal is to develop reliable and effective instruction Encompasses a set of design principles and methods Involves a team approach to course design
Some Instructional Design Principles Clearly stated learning objectives that focus on competencies Learning activities and evaluation tied to objectives Material to be learned should be broken down into small chunks Learner must be suitably motivated
Some Instructional Design Methods Needs/learner assessment Task analysis Media selection Formative evaluation (including pilot testing)
Instructional Design Roles Editor/Reviewer/Tester Surrogate student Project Manager Designer
Visual Design Tasks Document/page layout Typography Tables/Charts Graphics/Images Color Multimedia (audio/video/animations)
User Interface Design Control Options Navigation options Organization/sequencing of documents Error avoidance
Other Design Considerations Accessibility Standards Maintenance Time/Budget Available Bandwidth
Formative Evalution Pilot course logs Course evaluations Discussion board postings Program follow-up surveys
Elements of A Course Objectives Reading assignments Study Notes/Lectures Exercises Evaluation/Grading
Online Course Tools Announcements Discussion Board Chat/Conferencing (realtime) Calendar File Uploading/Downloading Quiz/Survey
How to Design an Effective Online Course? Follow basic ID principles Build as much interactivity into activities as possible Create visually interesting screens/pages Ensure that instructions are very clear
Typical Problems with Online Courses Time management Learning to use course tools Ambiguous directions Lack of timely/adequate feedback
Factors Beyond ID Control Enthusiastic, Responsive Instructor Reliable, Fast System Good Learner Support Motivated Learners
Summary ID tries to ensure that learning will be effective Main contributions are to organization and presentation of material Part of an overall Quality Control process
A Few References Turning Traditional Courses into Distance Education” (Chronicle of Higher Ed, Aug 2000) [ “Big Dogs ISD page” [ “Design Principles for Online Instruction” (FGCU) [ WW. Lee & D. Owens (2000). “Multimedia-Based Instructional Design” Jossey-Bass.