INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN THEORY

MEANING OF THE THEORY

An instructional-design theory is a theory that offers explicit guidance on how to better help people learn and develop. The kinds of learning and development may include cognitive, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual. For example, in Smart Schools, Perkins describes an instructional-design theory, called. ‘Theory One,” which offers the following guidance for what the instruction should include to foster cognitive learning. The instruction should provide:

• Clear information. Descriptions and examples of the goals, knowledge needed, and the performances expected.

• Thoughtful practice. Opportunity for learners to engage actively and reflectively whatever is to be learned-adding numbers, solving word problems, writing essays.

• Informative feedback. clear, thorough counsel to learners about their performance, helping them to proceed more effectively.

• Strong intrinsic or extrinsic motivation. Activity that are amply rewarded. either because they are very interesting and engaging in themselves or because they feed into other achievements that concern the learner (Perkins, 1992, p. 45).

HISTORY OF THE THEORY

During world war II a considerable amount of training material for the military were developed based on the principles of instruction design theory; learning, and human behavior, tests for assessing the learner’s abilities were used to screen candidates for the training program. Due to this psychologists began to view training as a system, and developed various analysis, design and evaluation procedures. In 1946 Edga Dale outline his hiearachy of instructional methods, organized intuitively by their concreteness.1950s B.F skinner’s article” The science learning and the art of teaching suggested that effective instructional materials called programmed instructional materials should include small steps frequent questions and immediate feedback. Other scholars are Benjamin Bloom in 1956, he published an influential taxonomy with three domains of learning cognitive (what one knows or think); psychomotor (what one does physically), and affective (what one feels or what attitudes one has) also Robert Glaser introduced criterian referenced measures in 1962 and other scholar like Robert Gagne describe nine events of instructional design in The condition of learning.

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ORIGINATOR(S) OF THE THEORY

Edgar Dale (April 27, 1900 in Benson, Minnesota,-Ohio) was an American educator who developed the cone of Experience. He made several contribution to audio and visual instruction, including a methodology for analyzing the content of motion pictures. Born and raised in North Dakota he received a B.A from the university of North Dakota and PhD from university of Chicago.

PRINCIPLES OF INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN THEORY

In his 1965 book the conditions of learning, educational psychologist Robert M. Gagne argued that nine important instructional design principles can provide a framework for developing a powerful learning process. But how might we translate those principles when developing content for a morden-day elearning environment? This set of practical examples illustrates how Gagne’s nine instructional design principles can help you to design principles can help to design an outstanding elearning course today.

• Grab attention

The best books and movies start with a strong opening that keeps readers enganged. To keep learners interested in a course, you can similarly apply Gagne’s instructional design principles by starting with a powerful opening. You could begin by using a short video to introduce your topic or tell a story that resonates with learners. The principle could be also be applied by starting a course with a statistic or a fact that provokes curiosity.

• Set objectives

  Framing objectives in a context that learners understand helps to promote more effective learning. You could set out your objectives by using questionsthat encouraged learners to think about the topic. For example, if you were creating a course about identity theft you could open your first module with a question like:” what would you do if your identity was stolen”.

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• Stimulate prior knowledge

  Another effective technique is to stimulate learners pre existing knowledge and design activities that build on their current skills levels. For istance if you teach salespeople, you could create module content that focuses on customer data loss, a subject they should be familiar with. But how might you stimulate a prior knowledge? One option could be to create a quiz to test the levels of skills learners currently possess.

• Present information

  Gagne’s instructional design principles also advice us to be creative about how information is presented within a course. Consider the following three ways to apply this principle .

  Storytelling; creating a narrative that your audience can relate to enhances learning especially if the story includes compeling characters. Example medieval Swansea .

  Gamification; rewards, challenges, and other gaming elements can help us to motivate and engage leaners while presenting information in an interesting way. If you want to use gamification to inform and entertain learners consider the examples of Mc Donalds till training game.

  Interactive video; video content can help to convey abstruct ideas to learners and is also useful for setting challenges. Lost lop, lifesaver and utility ware house are three courses that effectively use interactive videos to keep users engaged with information presented.

• Guide learners

  this principle recommends providing support for learners us they grapple with complicated concept. If a difficult topic requires explanation, use clickable on screen elements to provide instant guidance. Progress indicators elements that show how far a learner has advanced through a course are also useful for providing immediate guidance.

• Elicit performance

  This instructional design principles suggest that instead of setting an exam at the end of a course you can encourage learners to apply the knowledge they have gained throughout.

  Simulation eLearning is one technique that allows learners to practice skills us they progress through modules.

• Provide feedback

  Providing feedback at regular interval is a great way to break up eLearning content and retain learners interest. It is also useful ascertaining how well learners are doing before a course is complete.

  Branching navigation; This technique gives learners control over the outcomes. Us learners choose from multiple solution to give scenarios, different outcomes are presented for the challenges they encounter along the way.

  Second attempt; This feedback techinique gives learners a hint when they answer a question incorrectly, followed by a second chance to respond.

  Provide the correct answer with feedback; When learners a question incorrect, consider providing them with feedback, followed by the correct answer. This technique can help learners to rectify mistakes as they progress through course content.

• Assess performance

  Think about using an online or offline assignment to measure the performance of learners. To apply this instructional design principle correctly, we should not include topics that have not been covered in your course.

• Enhance retention and transfer

  Recent research suggests that eLearning can help to bust retention rates by as much as sixty percent. But we should also brainstorm new and innovative ways to keep learners engaged. Cohort forums, where learners can discuss elements of your course with peers, and job aids, check list that outline key insights from our course, are two effective methods for enhancing retention.

   

   

   

  IMPLICATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN THEORY IN EDUCATION

Instructional design theory have the great contribution in education, that enable meaningful learning through different ways that can make learning and teaching process to be achieved easily. The following are the implications of instructional design theory in education:

• Learning is promoted when learners are engaged in solving real-world problems.
• Learning is promoted when new knowledge is demonstrated to the learner.
• Learning is promoted when existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge
• Learning is promoted when new knowledge is integrated into the learner.

   

HOW CAN THE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN THEORY HAVE BEEN AFFECTED IN THE CLASSROOM BY INTEGRATING IT WITH ICT

• ICT enhancing teaching and learning process
  

  The field of education has been affected by ICTs ,which have undoubtedly affected teaching, learning and research . ICTs have the potential to accelerate, enrich and deepen skills, to motivate and engage students, to help relate school experience to work practices, create economic viability for tomorrow’s workers, as well as strengthening teaching and helping schools change . In a rapidly changing world, basic education is essential for an individual be able to access and apply information. Such ability must find include ICTs in the global village.

  Integration of ICT can help revitalize teachers and students, so as to improve and develop the quality of education by providing curricular support in difficulty subject areas .

• ICT enhancing the quality and accessibility of education
  

  ICT increase the flexibility of delivery of education so that learners can access knowledge anytime and from anywhere. It can influence the way students are taught and how they learn as now the processes are learner driven and not by teachers. This in turn would better prepare the learners for lifelong learning as well as to improve the quality of learning. In concert with geographical flexibility, technology-facilitated educational programs also remote many of the temporal constraints that face learners with special needs. Students are starting to appreciate the capability to undertake education anywhere, anytime and anyplace.

  One of the most vital contributions of ICT in the field of education is –Easy Access to Learning. With the help of ICT, students can now browse through e-books, sample examination papers, previous year papers.

• ICT enhancing learning Environment
  

  ICT presents an entirely new learning environment for students, thus requiring a different skill set to be successful. Critical thinking, search, and evaluating skills are growing in importance as students have increasing volumes of information from a variety of sources to sort through .ICT is changing processes of teaching and learning by adding elements of vitality to learning environments including virtual environments for the purpose. ICT is a potentially powerful tool for offering educational opportunities. It is difficult and maybe even impossible to image future learning environments that are not supported, in one way or another, by information and Communication technologies (ICT)

  ICT provides opportunities to access an abundance of information using multiple information resources and viewing information from multiple perspectives, thus fostering the authenticity of learning environments. ICT may also make complex processes easier to understand through simulations that, again, contribute to authentic learning environments.

   

  • ICT enhancing learning motivation
    

    ICTs can enhance the quality of education in several ways, by increasing learner motivation and engagement, by facilitating the acquisition of basic skills, and by enhancing teacher training.

    ICTs are also transformational tools which, when used appropriately , can promote the shift to a learner centered environment. ICTs , especially computers and internet technologies, enable new ways of teaching and learning rather than simply allow teachers and students to do what they have done before in the better way . ICT has an impact not only on what students should learn, but it also prays a major role on how the students should learn. ICT provides motivation to learn . ICTs such as videos, television and multimedia computer software that combine text, sound, and colorful moving images can be used to provide challenging and authentic content that will engage the student in the learning process.

     

  • ICT enhancing the scholastic performance
    

    
    Based on the extensive usage of ICTs in education the need appeared to unravel the myth that surrounds the use of information and communication technology( ICT) as an aid to teaching and learning , and the impact it has on students academic performance. ICTs are said to help expand access to education , strengthen the relevance of education to the increasingly digital workplace , and raise educational quality. However , the experience of introducing different ICTs in the classroom and other educational settings all over the past several decades suggests that the full realization of the potential educational benefits of ICT.