Education Commons^™

Define “Learning Engineering” With The Trap Framework, Ke Zhang, Meina Zhu

Administrative and Organizational Studies

While the term “learning engineering” was first coined by Herbert [1]; it is becoming more salient recently. But there is not a commonly shared understanding of learning engineering as a professional or an academic field. Thus, we explored a range of resources, including scholarly publications and discussions, websites and initiatives of selected professional organizations, resources from related USA government and agencies, recent job posts and learning engineering degree programs to find relevant rhetoric, descriptions, curricula, task forces and other resources on learning engineering. Based on a critical synthesis of the above-mentioned materials, we argue that learning engineering is an emerging …

Effective Instructional Strategies And Technology Use In Blended Learning: A Case Study, Meina Zhu, Sarah Berri, Ke Zhang

Administrative and Organizational Studies

This case study explored effective instructional strategies and technology use in blended learning (BL) in a graduate course in the USA. Varied forms of data were collected, including (1) semi-structured interviews with students, (2) mid-term and final course evaluations, (3) two rounds of online debates, (4) four weeks of online reflection journals, and (5) the instructor's reflections. Thematical analysis and descriptive statistics were conducted to analyze qualitative and quantitative data respectively. Multiple methods were employed to establish trustworthiness of the study. Effective and ineffective instructional strategies and technology uses were identified in BL. The findings indicated that students valued real-time …

Reflection And Professional Identity Development In Design Education, Monica W. Tracey, Alisa Hutchinson

Administrative and Organizational Studies

Design thinking locates the designer as the arbiter of the design space, personally responsible for managing uncertainty, leveraging failures, and gaining insight through reflection to maintain momentum and deliver meaningful design outcomes. As design education becomes more closely aligned with design thinking, the field will need to shift its understanding of the role of the designer and support students in developing professional identities that reflect this understanding. This study investigated the use of reflective writing in an introductory design course to help students explore and interpret their design beliefs, experiences, and self-awareness. The results indicate that authorial presence, analysis, and …

Uncertainty, Reflection, And Designer Identity Development, Monica W. Tracey, Alisa Hutchinson

Administrative and Organizational Studies

Uncertainty is a defining quality of the design space and it stands to reason that designers’ personal attitudes toward uncertainty may influence design processes and outcomes via cognitive, affective, and/or behavioral channels. Individual attitudes and behavior patterns related to uncertainty may constitute a critical element of designer identity, which represents the synthesis of knowledge, action, and being. This qualitative study examined how graduate students in an instructional design course reflected on their experiences and beliefs regarding uncertainty. Participants were more reflective when discussing a general experience with uncertainty than their current attitudes toward uncertainty in design. Findings support the use …

An Exploration Of Student Experiences With Learner-Centered Instructional Strategies, Jill E. Stefaniak, Monica W. Tracey

Administrative and Organizational Studies

In this exploratory study, we examined how undergraduate students experience learning in a learner-centered teaching environment and their perceptions of motivation towards learning material in an introductory public speaking communications course. Six faculty members participated in a semester-long study where their teaching strategies were observed. Three faculty members participated in a cognitive apprenticeship where they were taught how to implement learner-centered instructional strategies into their coursework. Participants were 109 students who were enrolled in an introductory public speaking course. Data was collected by means of classroom observations, interviews, and the administration of a survey. Our findings indicated that students who …

Design Ideas, Reflection, And Professional Identity: How Graduate Students Explore The Idea Generation Process, Alisa Hutchinson, Monica W. Tracey

Administrative and Organizational Studies

Within design thinking, designers are responsible for generating, testing, and refining design ideas as a means to refine the design problem and arrive at an effective solution. Thus, understanding one’s individual idea generation experiences and processes can be seen as a component of professional identity for designers, which involves the integration of knowledge, action, and being in support of the professional self. Using written journal responses from graduate students in an introductory course in instructional design, this study explored how students used reflection to reconstruct experiences relating to the emergence of design ideas. Findings indicate that students were able to …

Instructional Designers As Reflective Practitioners: Developing Professional Identity Through Reflection, Monica W. Tracey, Alisa Hutchinson, Tamme Quinn Grzebyk

Administrative and Organizational Studies

As the design thinking approach becomes more established in the instructional design (ID) discourse, the field will have to reconsider the professional identity of instructional designers. Rather than passively following models or processes, a professional identity rooted in design thinking calls for instructional designers to be dynamic agents of change who use reflective thinking to navigate the design space and develop solutions to ill-structured problems. Graduate programs in ID will also need to prepare students to manage the complexities they will encounter in their professional practice, including the establishment of design precedents, reflective thinking skills, and the foundations of professional …

Graduate Students In A Service Learning Design Case: The Development Of A Parenting Program, Monica W. Tracey, Sara Elizabeth Kacin

Administrative and Organizational Studies

The following design case illustrates the approach a group of advanced graduate onlinedesign students, two design coaches, and an instructor used to design an online instructional intervention as a service-learning project for parents interested in improving their parenting skills with their pre-teens. This design case is distinctive in that it explores the online collaboration for this service-learning project using email, instant messaging, Google Hangout, Google Documents within Google applications and Skype.

Mpati: The Midwest Program On Airborne Television Instruction (1959-1971), Monica W. Tracey, Jill E. Stefaniak

Administrative and Organizational Studies

It is 1964 and high in the sky, flying in a figure-eight formation over a 200-mile radius and six Midwestern states, is a plane with a large 24-foot antennae hanging from its belly. Transmitting 24 separate courses recorded ahead of time then played back to member schools in six states, the Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction (MPATI) was designed to meet the need of providing educational television to a wider audience. In the late 1950s, the FCC decided that certain channels would be allocated for non-commercial educational use. Schools were bursting with students; teachers were in high demand and …

A Multidisciplinary Examination Of The Decision-Making Process Used By Designers, Jill E. Stefaniak, Monica W. Tracey

Administrative and Organizational Studies

Design-thinking is an abductive and participatory process in which designers are required to manage constraints, generate solutions, and follow project timelines in order to complete project goals. This exploration study sought to look at how designers in various disciplinary fields approach design projects. Designers were asked to describe a project and a decision that they had to make. Decisions were analyzed to determine whether they were ready-made versus custommade solutions and the process by which the designers arrived at the decisions was categorized as idea-imposition or discovery. Results indicated that designers work with multiple constraints while designing and the majority …

Engaging Multiple Teams To Design A Blended Learning Course, Monica W. Tracey, Tamme Quinn Grzebyk

Administrative and Organizational Studies

In the following design case, a blended learning program was designed and developed for parents interested in improving their parenting skills with their children. Numerous design teams developed the program, consisting of both synchronous live events and asynchronous web-based instruction. Teams were comprised of novice students, professors, and expert designers. This design case explores the design space and design decisions made in light of varied and unique stakeholder involvement. It also illustrates the products developed.

Developing Designer Identity Through Reflection, Monica W. Tracey, Alisa Hutchinson

Administrative and Organizational Studies

As designers utilize design thinking while moving through a design space between problem and solution, they must rely on design intelligence, precedents, and intuition in order to arrive at meaningful and inventive outcomes. Thus, instructional designers must constantly re-conceptualize their own identities and what it means to be a designer. Within instructional design, professional identity development is intimately linked to the concept of design precedents. Reflective practice appears to be a natural avenue for supporting identity development in student designers, as it challenges them to think deeply about concepts and experiences through interpretation, evaluation, and revision. The authors conducted a …

Examining The Factors Of A Technology Professional Development Intervention, Kelly L. Unger, Monica W. Tracey

Administrative and Organizational Studies

This article discusses technology integration literature used to guide the design and implementation of a technology professional development intervention (TPDI) for secondary education teachers. Qualitative multiple-case research methods were used to examine teachers’ perceptions of the TPDI factors to provide a deeper understanding of which factors teachers’ perceived to be beneficial to the quality of the TPDI. A content analysis methodology was used to compare teachers’ perceptions at two different phases throughout the study:

• Phase 1: while participating in the TPDI and,

• Phase 2: after transferring the knowledge and skills taught in the TPDI to teaching practice.

The …

A Design-Based Research Case Study Documenting A Constructivist Id Process And Instructional Solution For A Cross-Cultural Workforce, Monica W. Tracey, Kelly L. Unger

Administrative and Organizational Studies

As the need for instructing a globalized workforce increases, instructional designers must embrace the constraints and the opportunities these projects provide in order to move the field of cross-cultural instructional design (ID) forward. Cross-cultural projects offer multiple avenues for growth in ID practice, overcoming cultural barriers, and a venue to apply and test contemporary models, methodologies, and theories in ID. This design-based research case study employed a rapid prototyping methodology and the constructivist ID model, Layers of Negotiation, to collect critical cultural information for the design of this cross-cultural instruction. Instructional strategies deemed effective for instructing an unskilled workforce in …

A Review And New Framework For Instructional Design Practice Variation Research, Hillary Leigh, Monica W. Tracey

Administrative and Organizational Studies

This article reviews practice variation in the field of instructional design. First, it compares instructional designer practice as reported or observed in several classic research studies. This analysis is framed by the standards established by the IBSTPI competencies for planning and analysis, design and development, implementation and management. Although no certain causal linkages exist, we briefly review some of the reasons posited in the literature to explain ID practice variation (i.e. lack of time and resources, control in decision-making, the designer’s perception of a task, underlying philosophical beliefs, and designer expertise). Limitations of the literature-base are explored, followed by a …

Moodling Around: A Tool For Interactive Technologies, Stacey Deloose, Kelly L. Unger, Lin Zhang, James L. Moseley

Administrative and Organizational Studies

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are becoming a widespread means of facilitating learning. The Moodle VLE is one of many technology tools that enable and support online learning. It is a user-friendly, free, opensource tool used to deliver instruction online and to supplement face-to-face learning.

Design And Development Research: A Model Validation Case, Monica W. Tracey

Administrative and Organizational Studies

This is a report of one case of a design and development research study that aimed to validate an overlay instructional design model incorporating the theory of multiple intelligences into instructional systems design. After design and expert review model validation, The Multiple Intelligence (MI) Design Model, used with an Instructional Systems Design (ISD) Model, was tested for use by four practicing instructional designers. Instruction developed for learners using this model was then evaluated measuring post-test and attitudinal scores with 102 participants. This report also provides a reflection on the lessons learned in conducting design and development research on model validation. …

Wikis, Ke Zhang, Stacey Deloose

Administrative and Organizational Studies

As a widely applied Web2.0 technology, wikis are open, dynamic websites with collaboratively constructed knowledge, information, and resources, which are freely available to any Internet user. This book chapter serves as an overview to wikis, discussing thei benefits and practical educational applications towards K-12, higher education, corporations, government, and non-profits, providing examples and references to further materials.

Using The Definition As A Compass To Teach Backgrounds, Issues And Trends, Monica W. Tracey

Administrative and Organizational Studies

The “issues and trends” graduate course at Wayne State University endeavors to prepare professionals who have a historical and philosophical grounding in addition to technical skills. In this course the definitions of educational and instructional technology that have emerged over the years are viewed as compasses, pointing to concepts and issues predominant in each historical period. AECT’s current definition book, Educational technology: A definition with commentary (Januszewski & Molenda, 2008) provides the core readings for this course. Specific issues and the class activities associated with each are discussed.

Real World Projects In An Advanced Instructional Design Course, Monica W. Tracey, Christina Chatervert, Kristy Lake, Robert Wilson

Administrative and Organizational Studies

No abstract provided.

Id Model Construction And Validation: A Multiple Intelligences Case, Monica W. Tracey, Rita C. Richey

Administrative and Organizational Studies

This is a report of a developmental research study that aimed to construct and validate an instructional design model that incorporates the theory and practice of multiple intelligences. The study consisted of three phases. In phase one, the theoretical foundations of multiple intelligences and instructional design were examined to guide the development of such model. In phase two the model components were determined and an initial model was constructed. In phase three, the model was reviewed and validated by experts in the field of instructional design through a three-round Delphi study. The result was a revised and validated Multiple Intelligences …

Developing And Implementing A Higher Education Quality Initiative, Monica W. Tracey

Administrative and Organizational Studies

The Oakland University School of Education and Human Services' Quality Initiative is discussed in the context of the history of higher education and quality management, with comparison to initiatives at Fordham University, Lienhard School of Nursing, the College of Nursing at Rush University, the University of Alabama, Oregon State University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Confirmative Evaluation Of Training Outcomes: Using Self-Report Measures To Track Change At The Individual And Organizational Level, Tomas R. Giberson, Monica W. Tracey, Marguerite T. Harris

Administrative and Organizational Studies

This article explores the use of an evaluation model of learning and development utilizing formative, summative, and confirmative steps, along with a framework for developing evaluation tools aligned with organizational change goals. A case study is presented in which formative, summative, and confirmative evaluations were used to assess materials and learners following implementation of a new performance management process, tools, and supporting training. A specific model for developing evaluation tools and techniques is introduced as a way to integrate the evaluation process with the specific content of a learning and development intervention, as well as link to higher-order cultural change …

Does Media Affect Learning: Where Are We Now?, Nancy B. Hastings, Monica W. Tracey

Administrative and Organizational Studies

It is time to extinguish the argument as to whether or not the media of 1983 could, should or would affect learning outcomes. The technological advances that have occurred in the 20 years since Clark sparked the debate and Kozma fanned the flames have made the question irrelevant. High-speed, portable, reasonably priced computers, the Internet, and the World Wide Web have changed the face of how, when, and where learning occurs. The media of 2004 does affect learning. The question is no longer if; the question is how.

Introducing Dialogue To Graduate Students, Monica W. Tracey, David L. Solomon, James L. Moseley

Administrative and Organizational Studies

Scholars and practitioners in adult education commonly agree on the importance of communication and interaction in the adult classroom. Frequently, however, learners are not provided with guidelines on how to interact and communicate with others in such settings. This paper reports on an experiential orientation to the practice of dialogue for adults in a graduate program