Current Reearch in Instructional Design - A Creative Trend

I have been reflecting lately on why I am enjoying the classes that I am taking in online learning and instructional design so much. What I realized is that to do them well requires a certain amount of creativity. I am by nature a creative person, so this career is a good fit for me. Perhaps it is this recent reflection that made the concept of creativity jump out at me when I was analyzing our class's meta-analyis spreadsheet of current research literature.

The purpose of the meta-analysis spreadsheet was to have the students analyze current research literature on instructional design models and share what they learned with their classmates. After doing my own research and reading the analysis of my classmates one thing that stood out for me was that while instructional design models are intended to be a framework, to use them effectively requires a certain amount of creativity.

I think that creativity is becoming more important in the world of instructional design because education is no longer considered to be a "one-size-fits-all" proposition. Following a basic formula for the design of a class just isn't good enough. Things that need to be taken into consideration include: different learning styles and abilities of students, different methods for delivering content, and different technology that is available.

One area of research discussed in the meta-analysis looked at a very traditional model: ADDIE. In one study researchers looked at ways to adapt ADDIE for use in creating blended learning classrooms, another looked at how it could be used to help teachers to design and implement an engaging online course. A third study suggested reassigning roles for the designers to make it a more creative job. Instead of Instructional Engineer and Instructional Manufacturer (both non-creative "jobs" that are very descriptive of the current approach) they recommend having the roles be Instructional Artist, Instructional Architect, Instructional Engineer, and Instructional Craftsperson. These titles imply and encourage a more innovative approach to designing a course. Yet another study looked at applying ADDIE to an interactive multimedia learning module. Again, this is applying an older model to a new approach to teaching. There was even a study that looked directly at how to add more creativity to the ADDIE process, giving tips and tricks for being more creative in every step of the process.

Universal Design for Learning is already a model that lends itself to creative course design. Because of its focus on the "How," "What," and "Why" of learning it already takes into consideration the fact that different students learn in different ways. The UDL studies tended to encourage planning, and multiple assignment options in particular. Another area that was addressed was the fact that students are now accessing online content through mobile devices, so consideration should be taken when designing an online course for the way that the content will be viewed. This allows for new and creative approaches to course creation.

An interesting study applied Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction to a video game to see if instructional design principles applied. Their analysis showed that all 9 events (Gain Attention, Inform Objectives, Stimulate Recall, Present Stimulus/Lesson, Provide Learner Guidance, Elicit Performance, Provide Feedback, Assess Performance, Retention and Transfer) were present in the game. The fact that people will keep playing and working at the game until they have mastered it led them to wonder if courses could be designed more like games. It would take a very creative and time intensive effort to succeed at this endeavor, but the fact that the video game apparently used the instructional design model at some level makes it an interesting prospect. If the amount of time, talent and money was invested in Instructional Design that is currently invested in game design, the education system would be completely different. Imagine what it would be like for students to be as excited to come to school as they are to play on the computer.

I am personally very excited to see this trend toward creativity in the instructional design process. I think that it is something that all learners will benefit from. School will be a more interesting place for students who don't know what to expect each day when they come to class - will it be a game? a video? role playing? discussion? The educational environment will be truly learner friendly when they break away from the same old way of doing things to embrace new and innovative ways of teaching and learning. 

Clearer than MUD – a Mashup of Merrill’s First Principles and Understanding by Design

When I first started reading about different instructional design models, I was instantly attracted to Understanding by Design. The “begin with the end in mind” philosophy makes a lot sense. If you have a strong sense of what you want your students to know at the end of the course, it is a lot easier to figure out what you need to teach them in order to make sure that they know it. I also found Merrill’s First Principles to be very helpful in figuring out the best way to get students to learn regardless of what is being taught. Combining these two approaches to instructional design has the potential to make an even stronger and more effective way of planning courses that will teach and engage students.

Below is a piktochart I created that illustrates what a blend of these to ID models would look like:

What and Why?

As you can see, the first step in the process is to figure out what you want the students to learn and help them to understand how it relates – to the rest of the course and to life in general, if possible. Students learn better if they can connect what they are learning to “real life” and can see how it is relevant. Giving them ownership of the big picture, not just the pieces of the puzzle can be very motivating. If the instructional designer has a list of what the students should know and what they should be able to do as the starting point for their planning, they are much more likely to design a course that is engaging and successful.

How Will We Know?

Once you have figured out the “what and why,” the next step is to figure how to know if the students have learned what they were supposed. Having a solid grasp of how you will determine if understanding happened can help you to figure out how to teach the material. It is important that the students be able to apply what they have learned to solve problems – not just regurgitate facts.  You want them to be able to take what they learn to the next level. Some of the ways that you can do this is to ensure that the problems that you give for practice and assessment match the desired outcome. If you are wanting students to be able to recall specific material, then you should make sure that the assignments include practicing recall. This is true regardless of what you want the outcome to be. In addition to recall, it could be locating parts, identifying examples, or solving problems. Another way that you can know that your students are progressing is that they should require less coaching from you. When you first introduce a new problem, the students may need a lot of help to solve the problems that you give them, as they begin to grasp the material, they will be able to solve more complex problems with less input. Finally, students should be able to transfer the knowledge so that they can solve different kinds of problems using the material that they learn. This is the difference between “knowing” and “understanding” that Understanding by Design strives to achieve.

How Will We Get There?

Finally, when you know what you want the students to learn, and how you will know if they have learned it, it is time to start figuring out the best way to help the students learn. Combining the concepts of UbD and Merrill’s can lead to an effective and efficient way of planning lessons.  Here is a list of things that can help the students learn:

1.     Give them an understanding the big picture – teaching the students how the content fits together will help motivate them to learn all of the parts.

2.     Build on what they already know – by gaining a feel for what the students already know, the teacher can use that as a foundation and organizational tool for future learning.

3.     Show the students – don’t tell them – use examples and non-examples, demonstrations, and visualizations in your teaching to help the students make connections. Use alternative methods of demonstrating concepts to make sure that you can connect with all learners.

4.     Give the students time to reflect on, revise, and critique what they have done – evaluating and review their own work can help the students to see what they might have missed or to realize that they have expanded their understanding. Taking time to ponder and revisit  can also help reinforce learning.

5.     Help them to organize what they are learning – a disorganized student is a distracted student, learning how to organize materials can be as important as learning the materials. It makes it easier to find information when you are reviewing or solving problems.

6.     Let them get creative – everyone is different, therefore letting the student apply what they have learned in a way that makes sense to them is going to be more effective and reinforcing that learning for the student.

Conclusion

As you can see, these two Instructional Design models are very complementary. By combining the strengths of both, you can use them to come up with lesson plans that have a high likelihood of engaging your students, and of having students who don’t just know the material, but actually understand it and can apply it. Use this process and your lessons will be clearer than MUD. J

References

Hawker Brownlow Education. (2013, July 17). What is Understanding by Design? Author Jay McTighe explains [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8F1SnWaIfE

Merrill, M. (2002). First Principles Of Instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 43-59.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2003). Overview of UbD & the design template. In Understanding by Design. ASCD.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Chapters 1 and 3. In Understanding by design (Expanded 2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Using UDL to Develop an Online Course

I have been busy the past few weeks redesigning the course that I teach (Information Technology) to incorporate a lot of what I have been learning in my Online Teaching and Instructional Design program. A lot of what I did ties very nicely into the UDL instructional design model. Below are a few of the ways that UDL has come into play in my course design, and some areas that I need to work on:

I.                 Provide Multiple Means of Representation

a.      Because my content is so timely, I decided to go textbook free this semester and rely completely on Internet resources. Content is supplied to the student using Blendspace (click for example), and is a mix of text, videos, graphics, and Prezis. I tried very hard to match the content to the style of presentation. They “read” the textbook by working through the different parts of the Blendspace.

b.     I have had a lot to do to put this course together and not a lot of time to do it in. For this reason, much of the content (within Canvas, the LMS) is given in text format. I hope that by the next time I am teaching the course I will be able to have audio or video content as well.

c.      When I am teaching how to use the application software (Excel and Access), explanations are given in text format, with video demonstrations, so that the students receive the material two different ways.

II.               Provide Multiple Means of Expression and Action

a.      For most of the assignments in the class, students are given several options for what format they will use to complete the assignment. Depending on the nature of the assignment, these options include screen casts, word documents, presentations, podcasts, or infographics. The choice is up to the student, although they are encouraged to “mix it up” and make different choices for different assignments.

b.     Each unit of the course begins with the students being given a (link to) a sheet explaining the desired outcomes for the unit. This includes skills and  knowledge outcomes.

III.             Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

a.      Students are treated as IT interns for the company of their own choosing, all assignments are given from me their boss and serve a purpose for the company.

b.     Once the foundational units are completed, students are allowed to work through the course in whatever order and pace they choose (Note: a sample schedule was provided to help the students with pacing). They also have control over the grade that they receive

c.      The class employs mastery based learning. There are no 0’s allowed. All assignments must be completed at an appropriate level to receive credit. The student’s grade begins at a 0 and builds. There is a list of assignments that must be mastered to earn a C. There are additional assignments required to earn a B, and even more for an A.

One area where I haven’t really had any success is with fostering collaboration and community. I believe that in part this is due to the mindset of many students who take online courses, and in part due to the content that I am covering. The self paced way that I have set up this class also makes collaboration difficult. It is an area that I am looking to do better with in the future. One thing that I have tried with this course is to have 2 pinned discussion boards where the students can discuss what is happening in the class and ask questions and current events related to course content. Participation is completely optional, but they were told that participation in these forums could help to bump up a grade that is on the bubble.

I also looked at the syllabus evaluation rubric and realized that while my syllabus makes the grade in some areas, there are others where it could stand to be improved upon. I basically used the syllabus template provided by the University to create the content in my syllabus. I had hoped to improve upon that to make it more inclusive and interactive, but since it had to be complete before the class started last Wednesday, I ran out of time. I am keeping a copy of the rubric to help make my syllabus a better tool for my students in the future.

I really feel like the course that I am teaching this summer could be a case study for the use of UDL in the classroom, based on all of the positive things that I read when I was investigating UDL for this blog post, I am optimistic that it will have a good outcome for my students.

When I was looking at information for this blog post, I got most of it from the links that were provided as part of the assignment, however, I found an interesting blog that looks at UDL and the flipped classroom. It doesn’t directly apply, since you can’t truly “flip” and online course, but I am looking to use the same content when I teach my course face-to-face in the fall and am wanting to flip it when I get there. Below is a great graphic that illustrates how the two can work together from the blog post UDL and the Flipped Classroom: The Full Picture (link).