Blog Response Week 2

This week I read and responded to the blog titled, Reflecting on Your Instructional Design Practices. The main idea of the post was to challenge instructional designers to reflect and consider ID best practices.
My Response:

It is critical to evaluate your organization, and set goals for improvements in weak areas. LSA: Learning Solutions Global provides four principles that all instructional designers should strive for when involved in eLearning or training programs.

Here are the four principles of best instructional design:

1.      Continuous design that uses multiple resources and modalities

2.      Concurrent design that simultaneously conducts analysis, design, implementation, evaluation, and revision

3.      Creative design that requires and rewards learners to think innovatively based on a “performance test” which participants master

4.      Co-design that requires learners to take on the roles of subject matter experts, trainers, teachers, and evaluators

These four principles are proven effective in the Information Processing Theory and the Constructivist Learning Theory.

By instructing with a continuous design, the instruction will involve the learner in more than one way. By doing so, information will be encoded and elaborated on in the brain through the use of multiple resources, and will be easier to retrieve for later use (Omrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009). Concurrent design allows for the learning experience to be adjusted to the learners needs through the designer's use of evaluation and revision strategies.

Creative and co-design are techniques that challenge the learner to transfer declarative knowledge to procedural knowledge (Omrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009). Creative design also challenges the learner to develop problem- solving abilities that can later be automated in other generalized settings (Omrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009). Ultimately, the learner is able to see the practical use of their learning in their roles as trainers, teachers, and evaluators.

While these four principles outlined by LSA are important, there are other factors that instructional designers should consider. Students will be much more engaged to learn information when a purpose for learning has been established, and  motivational goals have been set.  Other factors that influence student engagement are:

1. Feedback                               

2. Collaboration

3. Self- efficacy

4. Connections to prior knowledge 

5. Student reflection

References

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.

LSA Global (2009). Learning solutions. Retrieved from: http://www.lsaglobal.com/learning-solutions/Instructional-Design-Consulting.asp

Maiers, A. (2008) 26 keys to students engagement. Retrieved from: http://www.angelamaiers.com/2008/04/engagement-alph.html

Hein, G. ( 1991). Constructivist learning theory. Retrieved from: http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/constructivistlearning.html

Thadani, R. (2010). Information processing theory. Retrieved from: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/information-processing-theory.html