Individual Project 1 EDU 620 - Essay Example

Instructional design is a complex process involving a range of skills and competencies. Partially, it is a scientific process that follows a set of principles emerging out of an immense body of instructional research. However, instructional design is not a natural science adhering some certain natural laws. It is a more holistic process having a dynamic perspective. considering the nature of its overlapping boundaries into many other disciplines, , it requires knowledge not only in the field of instructional research but many other related fields including education, child development, psychology, management, and sociology.

Thus, it demands a more dynamic personality having skills in analysis, planning, management, and implementation. Most importantly, it requires a learning attitude that leads toward continuous personal and professional development. Discipline of Instructional Design Wills(2009) states that instructional design is a discipline based on scientific principals and a specific set of assumptions verified by empirical data. Upon the base of this data, the professionals design their instructions to meet the specific learning needs of the particular audience.

Hence, instruction is a science and instructional design is a technology based upon the science. (Merrill, Drake, Lacy, Pratt, & the ID2 Research Group, 1996).Further, it is a process that includes planning, management, implementation and assessment. Thus instructional design is a process to improve how instructions gets designed and delivered better. However, some scholars consider it not just a science but an art as well. Instructional Design as a Science The scholars who claim instructional design as aligned with science say that instruction is based upon some scientific principals—a huge body of research.

Supporting this view point Rowland (1993) establishes that the principles that can explain cause and effect relationship are to be said scientific. Since, a specific design of instruction, following a specific set of principles, will yield a predictable result, is a systematic technology. In simple words, the technology of instructional design is based upon the science of instructions. Instructional design as a technology Instructional Design considered a technology as it is based upon the scientific research about instruction.

It covers design, planning, implementation, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning. It differs from the natural phenomenon as it has always been develop keeping in mind a specific context. However, it is scientific in terms that it always follows a set of rules rooted in scientific research into instruction. Yet those who claim it to be a science accept that it need more creativity to implement then just scientific principles(Merrill, Drake, Lacy, Pratt, & the ID2 Research Group, 1996).

Instructional Design as a Craft Some other scholars consider it a more holistic process that includes not only the scientific principle but a craft based upon aesthetic and values shared by a community of professionals(Wilson, 2004). They emphasize that historical development of instruction is not liner and instruction design has been influenced by a range of disciplines including psychology, sociology, management, and other social sciences. In fact, all the development of the discipline is contextual and an effort to improve the instructions.

These developments are largely based upon theories introduced in different fields including cognition and behavioral theories. Instructional theory differs from learning theory Learning theories describe how one learns. It focuses upon the cognitive, psychological and social aspects of learning. However, instructional theories explain how specific procedure can be used in order to optimize the effectiveness, and efficiency in achieving certain learning objectives. Thus learning theories talk about how learning happens, instruction theories describes a rule set which links conditions, instructional methods, and learning outcomes.

Such theories see instruction as a system. Critical components of the instructional design process The most popular model of instructional design is system thinking. This model starts by identifying instructional objectives and ends with evaluating learning outcomes. Other critical components of the model are learners, teachers, content and environment. The model states that these components must act towards achieving the instructional objective through well defined facilitative process. Thus the instructional designer must perform a range of tasks while designing the system.

Tasks of Instructional designers Keeping in view the dynamic nature of Instructional design, ID Roles and Responsibilities.(2011) web summarize the designer’s task as following: Analysis The Who, What, Where, When, Why and By Whom of the design process Design Creating a structure for the training Develop Applying the blueprint and creating the training product Implement Deliver the training Evaluation An end of the project phase, but also a part of each ADDIE model phase The conclusion: Skills required for successful instructional designers Instructional design is a complex process demanding a variety of skills, knowledge and attitude Comp.

Its root in scientific research demands the tendency to follow a set of principles. However, keeping in view the task an instructional designer has to perform, it demands a more dynamic personality having skills in analysis, planning, management, and implementation. Considering the nature of the discipline, it requires knowledge not only in the field of instructional research but many other related fields including education, child development, psychology, management, and sociology. Thus, most importantly, it requires a learning attitude that leads toward continuous personal and professional development.

References ID Roles and Responsibilities. (2011) Instructional Design Roles and Responsibilities. Retrieved March 26, 2011, from: http://instructionaldesign.gordoncomputer.com/IDRoles.html Merrill, M. D., Drake, L., Lacy, M. J., Pratt, J. A., & the ID2 Research Group at Utah State University (1996). Reclaiming instructional design. Educational Technology, 36(5), 5-7. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from: http://www.ittheory.com/reclaim.htm Rowland, G. (1993). Designing and instructional design. EducationalTechnology Research and Development, 41(1), 79-91 Willis ,Jerry W.(2009). Constructivist instructional design (C-ID): Foundations, models, and examples Research in the epistemologies of practice, IAP, 2009