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.