Liana Gavrilova
LT7100
Dr. Valora Richardson
19 February 2020
Reflection 1: Looking Back and Looking Forward
In the following narrative, I will describe what I have found informative and enlightening in the very complex world of instructional design. Throughout this course, I have learned new concepts of instructional design theories and gained much knowledge of instructional design and how it is applied to practice in real-world situations.
After I read Lloyd Rieber’s article (1998), titled The Proper Way to Become an Instructional Technologist, I was very impressed to learn that “there is not one way to become an instructional designer,” and that this profession attracts many people with “an amazing diversity of backgrounds, goals, and education.” Certainly, I can state that I consider myself to be one of them since I have come to this profession after a long career as an educator and a curriculum designer.
I wanted to emphasize what I have learned about the ADDIE model, perhaps the most common design model that includes five phases, Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. It represents a dynamic and flexible guideline for instructional designers for them to build effective training and performance support tools. It was a revelation for me to find out that most of the current instructional design models are simply variations of the ADDIE model; some other models included the Dick & Carey and Kemp ISD models (Cennamo, K., & Kalk, D. 2019). For my next project, I will consider using the ADDIE model for designing a curriculum for online Spanish classes. I certainly believe that the knowledge I have gained in my current class will guide me through and provide me the right direction in designing a successful online language program.
Through the analysis of Jackie Moore’s case, I have begun to understand the patterns of design behaviors and how important it is to become comfortable with the ambiguities of professional practice. I have learned that one cannot make a judgment until all facts are considered. There is often more than one “right” way to solve a design problem, and that it is essential to identify generalities that apply across multiple settings (Moore). In addition, I have understood that I should be careful not to generalize beyond the data provided and that I have to stick close to the facts when describing issues, drawing conclusions, and making recommendations. I intend to apply the knowledge that I have gained by participating in this study to my own design practices.
I had expectations for this course to learn more about the process of instructional design and deepen my knowledge of the main elements of The Essential Triangle of Instructional Design even further. What I have found out from this analysis is that “learners are the first element we consider because the outcomes, activities, and assessments are designed for them.” I have also learned that evaluation doesn’t directly impact the learner, but it examines the success of the instruction and, ultimately affects future learners. In addition, I have learned about different types of assessments that can be conducted and how to use them at each phase (Cennamo, K., & Kalk, D. 2019). I found this information very useful for my current and future projects.
As we move forward in this course, I expect to learn more about various design principles, models, and theories that are essential in designing the most effective instruction that will make learning accessible, meaningful, and relevant to the learner.
Works Cited
Cennamo, Katherine, and Debby Kalk. Real World Instructional Design: an Iterative Approach to Designing Learning Experiences. Routledge, 2019.
Rieber, Lloyd. The Proper Way to Become an Instructional Technologist. 1998, lrieber.coe.uga.edu/pdean/pdean.html.