Week 4: Trends & Issues in IDT
Various Contexts in Instructional Design
Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) is in demand more than ever these days due to technology and how it is shrinking national borders and creating a competitive global economy. IDT is being used across commercial, education, government, and health care sectors around the world. In order to see just how different and similar IDT is across these contexts, three areas will be compared and contrasted to see the trends and issues in IDT. The three contexts to be analyzed are business/industry, P-12 education, and military.
Instructional Designers in these three fields have very similar issues they encounter during the instructional design (ID) process. The ID field for the business sector is a vastly growing area for businesses with a need train and employ competitively qualified employees. The instructional designer for business and industry is not only concerned with providing training for processes and problems they are responsible for developing a stronger work force through analyzing worker performance. Causes of problems must be identified and then solutions must be prescribed through training and instruction. The instructional designer may be an internal employee or contracted externally.
Within the military sector of ID, the instructional designer has demanding responsibilities to meet the goals of the US military and its allies. The pressures and challenges for instructional designers working for the military are magnified when military personnel lives are at stake with improper training and instruction. The training and instruction occurs in the classroom, on military bases, and on deployments. Being informed and knowledgable when working for the military can be beneficial. The military’s desire is to provide an Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) environment, joint operations and training with its allies, and lifelong learning for service members.
For the P-12 Education sector, teachers were once believed to be replaceable by technology. This myth is quickly being debunked and the value of teachers in the classroom are difficult to replace. Technology and its use in the classroom is being reevaluated and used as a supplement to the learning process. Students perception and value of learning is needing to be enriched and engaging. Technology is a valuable tool to assist learners during learning; however, educators are learning text on a screen with someone speaking is no different from traditional classroom lectures and disengaging for the learner. Instructional designers are needed to assist students with advancing into the 21st Century with appropriate and relevant ID development.
Contextual Comparison and Contrast of Instructional Design
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Business & Industry
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Military
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P-12 Education
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Location
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Training and instruction occurs outside of the work place and normal business operations
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Conducts on the job training and instruction in the classroom, military bases, and on deployments
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Instruction occurs in the class room, computer-based instruction, and system wide
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Purpose
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Must use technology to make a profit and remain competitive
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Technology must be able to adapt and evolve for long term goals and objectives
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Technology integration is the primary focus
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Goals
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Analyzing performance problems to meet organizational objective
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Lifelong learning for service members and the ability to address multinational needs
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Method to influence and motivate students in the 21st century and the digital age
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Business & Industry
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Military
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P-12 Education
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Trends
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Cross-cultural training and societal cultural factors
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Multinational military clients and new technology uses
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Multicultural factors and transform students ready for a global society
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Demands
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Increased efficiency and lower training budgets
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Limited budgets and time sensitive project deadlines
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Decreased budgets
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Gaps
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Contextual issues, designer-related issues, and project management
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SME’s may not directly support project as their mission is their primary objective
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Support from administrators, tech help, and peers
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Increased Role
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Ability to communicate with client and provide unbiased solutions for the client
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Communication skills necessary to provide input and how to organize information
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Skills to inform administrators and teachers on the advantages with new technologies
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Similar IDT Trends and Issues with Teaching
The IDT trends and issues presented for business and industry, the military, and P-12 educators are similar to trends and issues I encounter at my school. One trend experience is the demand related to budget constraints and deadlines. Garland ISD is trying to do more with less money and this doesn’t always work. The district is very creative in allocating funds for technology with decreased state funding, but sometimes there is not enough funding and training to properly roll-out new computer-base software and computer-assisted instruction. I myself, like the instructional design, must wear many hats as a teacher. In reference to the “New and Improved Instructional Designer” image above, teaching is a tough job but someone has to do. Teaching is like an instructional designer, the job is very difficult and time consuming but it is so rewarding when you see those “ah-ha” moments from after instruction.
Global Trends and Issues in IDT
The current education system will need to be evaluated to determine if current curriculum and instructional practices will be sufficient to motivate and drive students to be enriched with the current system. Today’s youth are so intertwined with technology and the advancement of the Web 2.0 revolution in being so interconnected. “Onlignment” is a new term which is aligning the current Web 2.0 environment to develop a flexible curriculum which will cultivate the needs for higher cognitive thinking skills. Flexibility is the key for instructional design with the changing landscape of technology and Web 2.0 trends. Educators need to be confident in their skills and practices with technology in order to guide Digital Natives. IDT should be relevant in the development of curriculum to create a society which nurtures the “have nots” of under developed countries.
Resources:
The New and Improved Instructional Designer. 2013. Graphic. The Learning Rush. Web. 27 Jun 2013. http://learningrush.com/story/elearning_v1/9-essential-instructional-designer-skill/4b6f7a673342746e4c535374524a4164476d334f79673d3d.
Clark, D. R. (2004).The Art and Science of Leadership. Retrieved June 27, 2013 from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/learning/development.html.
Whittaker, Zack. “Defining the ‘iGeneration’: Not Just a Geeky Bunch of Kids.” ZDNet. N.p., 20 June 2010. Web. 28 June 2013 from http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/defining-the-igeneration-not-just-a-geeky-bunch-of-kids/5336.
About Author
For the P-12 Education sector, teachers were once believed to be replaceable by technology. This myth is quickly being debunked and the value of teachers in the classroom are difficult to replace. Technology and its use in the classroom is being reevaluated and used as a supplement to the learning process.- I found this interesting, because I have heard this over the years and even last year I was told by someone who works for an online public high school that this is the new trend and in a couple of years all students will be at home instead of at school. Teachers are a valuable resource and would be hard to replace. However, technology is a great resource that enhances our teaching and the students learning. I really liked your charts and visuals. Great job!
Krista, thanks for the feedback! Myself along with other teachers in the Technology Applications department of Garland ISD were concerned when the district wanted all of our curriculum to be online. We were under the assumption the district would want to offer our courses online and we wouldn’t be needed. Well, 4 years later that is just the opposite. I see how online content is a supplement and a resource to assist with instruction.