Education Commons^™

Identifying Support Structures Associated With Informal Formative Evaluation In Instructional Design, Suzanne Smith, Tian Luo

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Instructional designers perform informal formative evaluation in design practice. An evaluation may be used to locate errors in alignment of instructional objectives or to increase the quality or effectiveness of a design. An instructional design review is similar to peer reviews in higher education which are often structured, and tools are provided to contribute to the review. A study was performed to identify the support structures and tools that contribute to building a community of feedback within the practice of instructional design reviews. Six instructional designers and design managers were interviewed to gather the processes they use in design reviews …

Instructional Designers' Perceptions Of The Practice Of Instructional Design In A Post-Pandemic Workplace, Donna Petherbridge, Michelle Bartlett, Jessica White, Diane Chapman

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

This article explores instructional designers’ perceptions of changes to instructional design practice in a post-pandemic workplace. A thematic analysis of interviews conducted with 33 instructional designers revealed that instructional designers believe that the profession is profoundly altered post-pandemic. Findings around post-pandemic instructional design practice include adopting agile instructional design practices, increasing collaborations with others within a context of empathy, recognizing the importance of accessibility, and increasing reliance on technology to deliver both instruction and training within the context of an expanded portfolio of how instruction will be delivered in the future.

Building Belonging Into The System, Kristin Herman, Michelle Gill

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This design case documents how a K-12 district took steps to systemically support virtual student wellness and belonging. Plans for course design to support social-emotional-academic learning (SEAL) competencies, increase perception of belonging, and create safe, predictable learning environments characteristic of a trauma-informed approach to teaching and learning are shared. The assumption virtual learners are not looking to experience belonging and cannot be successful unless they already have strong SEAL skills is challenged. Rather, the positioning of SEAL competencies as learning objectives rather than necessary prerequisites to access online learning proved to contribute to more equitable learning opportunities.

A Nexus Of Literate Activity: The Design Of Writing Assignments In The Disciplines, Lauriellen Stankavich

English Theses & Dissertations

Writing plays a critical role in higher education as students are inducted into disciplinary practices through different genres, methodological repertoires and argumentation strategies. In Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) initiatives, the instructor serves as an embodied reservoir of disciplinary knowledge and an arbiter of literate practices but most crucially employs the mediating capacities of the writing assignment as a potent pedagogical nexus. In this practice space, the instructor acts as designer of the pedagogical experience—the course as a whole and writing assignments in particular. This study used interviews, survey, and the collection of syllabi and other instructional artifacts to examine …

Leadership Competencies For Instructional Designers: Identifying Critical Incidents Used To Lead Design Projects That Improve Performance, Heidi Elaine Kirby

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Even though an instructional designer may not have formal authority or direct reports, to be successful, they need leadership skills. Although the literature calls for instructional designers to possess several critical leadership skills, it does not consistently present the same important skills and often defines them very broadly. Further, authors who have argued that leadership skills are not taught to instructional designers in a sufficient way often call for more education on leadership competencies in graduate school, but the literature does not state where these skills are currently being learned and fostered.

This qualitative research study used methods of grounded …

The Message Design Of Raiders Of The Lost Ark On The Atari 2600 & A Fan’S Map, Quick Start, And Strategy Guide, Miguel Ramlatchan, William I. Ramlatchan

Distance Learning Faculty & Staff Books

The message design and human performance technology in video games, especially early video games have always been fascinating to me. From an instructional design perspective, the capabilities of the technology of the classic game consoles required a careful balance of achievable objectives, cognitive task analysis, guided problem solving, and message design. Raiders on the Atari is an excellent example of this balance. It is an epic adventure game, spanning 13+ distinct areas, with an inventory of items, where those hard to find items had to be used by the player to solve problems during their quest (and who would have …

Towards Failure-Based Instructional Design: A Phenomenological Study Of The Perceptions Of Drone Pilots About The Use Of Simulations To Promote Failure-Based Learning, Nikisha Watson

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Simulations have become increasingly popular in many contexts, particularly for performance optimization, testing, and safety (Aldrich, 2003). By nature, simulations immerse the learner in an environment that is an approximate imitation of the situation or process to be learned (Baek, 2009). In the literature, there is a lack of qualitative research on the perceptions of learners regarding the use of failure-based learning in simulations. The idea of learning through failure experiences is not a new concept, yet, to date, no instructional design models have discussed how to employ failure strategically within education (Tawfik, Rong, & Choi, 2015).

This study utilized …

Exploring Faculty Perceptions Of Professional Development Support For Transitioning To Emergency Remote Teaching, Ana Redstone, Tian Luo

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Professional development (PD) for instructors at higher education institutions offering online courses is important for assuring the quality of online programs. However, PD opportunities for faculty members have often been piecemeal and inadequate. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic that forced instructors around the world to teach online, PD has become even more critical to the success of the instructors, students, and institutions themselves. This paper describes research conducted at a large university in the United States that used a survey developed to operationalize Baran and Correia’s (2014) holistic Professional Development Framework for Online Teaching (PDFOT). The survey identified strengths …

Designing For The One-Shot: Building Consensus On Design Processes For Academic Librarians, Kirsten Hostetler

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Academic librarians have long been responsible for teaching information literacy competencies on college campuses, even as many are hesitant to accept the title of teacher. With inadequate instructional design preparation and one-shot sessions serving as a popular, if limited, instructional medium, librarians’ design processes are often developed on the job and infrequently explored in the literature. Previous research has examined specific design models and instructional strategies, but no studies were found that determined how academic librarians select and implement these design decisions within the unique context of a one-shot.

The purpose of this study was to describe academic librarians’ design …

Chapter 1: Message Design For Instructional Designers - An Introduction, Miguel Ramlatchan

Instructional Message Design, Volume 1

Instructional message design is the use of learning theories to effectively communicate information using technology. Theories involving gestalt, cognitive load, multimedia learning, media selection, media attributes, and general communication systems help us guide design. Our communication designs can be based on a wide variety of technologies or a combination of technologies. Technology in the form of tools and techniques includes the study and the use of typography, color, illustrations, photographs, modeled graphics, augmented reality, animation, video, video games, simulations, and virtual reality. This introduction serves as a brief overview of these theories, tools, and techniques while subsequent chapters will dive …

An Examination Of The Decision-Making Process Instructional Designers Use To Complete Projects With The Constraints Of Limited Time And Tools, Denesha Kaye Rabel

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Based on a phenomenological theoretical perspective, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how instructional designers make decisions related to determining which layers and related instructional design activities to address based on time and tool resource constraints. To explore the topic, this study was guided by five research questions which included: (a) what type of time and tool constraints do instructional design practitioners experience, (b) how do instructional design practitioners make decisions based on time constraints when completing work projects, (c) how do instructional design practitioners make decisions based on tool constraints when completing work projects, (d) how …

Examining Effective Collaboration In Instructional Design, Melissa Sue Ferguson

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine the application of teamwork in instructional design to determine the frequency by which coordination, decision making, leadership, interpersonal skills, adaptability, and communication are applied in real-world instructional design teams. Instructional designers found on the social media network, LinkedIn, were asked to voluntarily complete the 36-item Teamwork Skills Questionnaire, which was distributed and returned electronically. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were calculated using Microsoft Excel.

The most frequently applied teamwork skills in instructional design teams were interpersonal skills (M = 3.57) and communication (M = 3.26). Each of the six skills …

Instructional Designer Awareness And Application Of Strategies To Manage Cognitive Load, Justin A. Sentz

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study examined how practicing instructional designers manage cognitive load in a standardized scenario as they select and implement instructional strategies, message design, content sequencing, and delivery media within various domains with learners at different levels of expertise. The study employed a quasi-experimental, mixed methods design to gain insight into how practicing instructional designers perceive their awareness of strategies to manage cognitive load and implement those strategies within a standardized design scenario. The research design involved the collection of quantitative data from the participants during an initial web-based questionnaire and a second collection of both quantitative and qualitative data as …

An Exploration Of Career Decision-Making Among Domestic And International Instructional Design Students, Erin L. Mills

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Graduate students encounter specific career difficulties in making career decisions, and turn to various sources of assistance, help-seeking resources and guidance (Gati, Gadasi & Shemesh, 2005). Previous research into graduate student career needs have not sought to better understand the specific differences between international and domestic graduate students in instructional design. As a result, the factors that influence and impact graduate students in the context of their career decision making within an instructional design graduate program remain unexplored.

This mixed methods study captured actual career related difficulties of graduate instructional design students through a conceptual framework based on Bandura (1986) …

The Influence Of Multimedia Production Knowledge On The Design Decisions Of The Instructional Designer, Stephen Brent Hoard

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the interaction of multimedia production competencies of expert and novice instructional designers on the design decisions made during the instructional design process / workflow. This multiple measures study used qualitative survey instruments to access and measure the production competencies of participants, then a design aloud protocol to capture and measure the instructional design decision-making process for those same participants. A follow-on interview after the initial design aloud session was conducted in order to triangulate and confirm any trends or findings uncovered during the earlier design aloud session. Ultimately, the objective of this study was to provide some …

Use Of Mobile Phones For Interaction In Distance Education, Tayyaba Batool, Ginger Watson, Saul Carliner (Ed.), Catherine Fulford (Ed.), Nathaniel Ostashewski (Ed.)

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Distance education is a widely adopted technology in many developed parts of the world where educational agencies are constantly considering new technologies that can serve as a medium for instructional delivery and interaction. Mobile phones are one of the most recent technologies to gain much consideration and use. This brief paper outlines the current state of distance education, delivery mediums, and instructional approaches that foster interaction to promote effective learning. Particular emphasis is given to the potential for mobile devices to be used as effective instructional tools in distance education in Pakistan and other underdeveloped countries. The proposed study will …

Documenting Current Instructional Design Practices: Towards A Typology Of Instructional Designer Activities, Roles, And Collaboration, William Sugar, Robert L. Moore

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The overall goal of this study was to conduct a yearlong inquiry into an instructional designer’s activities and interactions with his clients. Exclusive focus of this study was on an instructional designer who worked at a large public university in the southeastern region of the United States. Documented in an instructional design activities log, this study analyzed 115 distinct activities. Using an emergent theme analysis approach, specific instructional design activities and roles emerged. In addition, the instructional designer’s collaboration with his clients was analyzed. Results of this study augment the knowledge base of existing studies of instructional design practices.

Analyzing Commercial Video Game Instruction Through The Lens Of Instructional Design, Susan E. Copp, Rebecca L. Fischer, Tian Luo, David R. Moore, Seann Dikkers

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This paper will examine how Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction (1992) may appear, perhaps inadvertently, within commercial games that guide the user from novice to expert player. By employing a qualitative artifact analysis methodology, we examine a popular action adventure video game to determine if game designers encourage players to build game expertise by employing similar events to Gagne’s instructional design model. We demonstrate that our artifact of analysis does consistently employ Gagne’s events, though often in a manner unique to a digitally mediated space. We conclude that an experiential game setting has the potential to be a platform for …

Working Together: The Public Records Webinar Series, Robert L. Moore

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Key Takeways:

* Faculty and instructional designers working together can create more effective online courses that leverage technology efficiently to reach the target audience.

* The instructional support team was part of the initial conversations planning the webinar series at the UNC School of Government, which led to the formulation of a webinar theme that reflected the content as opposed to imposing a design theme afterwards.

* Advanced planning and coordination among faculty and staff, and the thematic marketing plan provided at the outset, enabled the production of a uniform package of information in a high-quality format.

Analysis Of Attitude And Achievement Using The 5e Instructional Model In An Interactive Television Environment, Gamaliel R. Cherry

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine attitude and achievement among fifth grade students participating in inquiry and lecture-based forms of instruction through interactive television. Participants (N = 260) were drawn from registered users of NASA's Digital Learning Network™. The first three levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy were used to measure levels of achievement while the Science Attitude Inventory II was used to measure science attitudes.

Results indicated a significant interaction between inquiry and topic area, as well as achievement for remember, understand, and apply levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy. Differences between mean scores were in favor of …

Technology-Mediated Instruction In Distance Education And Teacher Preparation In Special Education, Lyndal M. Bullock, Robert A. Gable, J. Darrell Mohr

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

In this article, the authors examine the literature on distance education and offer a brief chronology of its past-to-present development, with special attention to the evolution of technology-mediated instruction. They document some of the major trends related to both theoretical and practical aspects of distance education. In particular, they look at the significance of the design of instruction and the importance of preserving faculty-student communication. Next, they look at the challenges as well as opportunities that distance education affords students, faculty, and institutions of higher education. Finally, the authors summarize what they believe to be major issues to be resolved …