Instructional Design Philosophy
I strive to create learning experiences and materials that focus on learner needs through thoughtful instructional design.
Learner Focused
Learning goals should be informed by learners’ needs, and a learning needs assessment is critical for determining knowledge or skill gaps. Needs assessments can be conducted through various methods, and self-assessments can be paired with performance reviews for additional needs assessment analysis (Al-Ismail et al., 2023).
Learning happens when someone creates meaning by connecting new information to their prior experiences or knowledge. Instructors' role in learning is to act as facilitators, assisting and guiding learners through the zone of proximal development, just past the learner's current knowledge or skill level (Chuang, 2021; Eun, 2019; Shabani et al., 2010).
Thoughtful Design
Learning objectives should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely). Use data from needs assessments to help inform SMART goals and assist with determining appropriate achievable and timely aspects of the goal (Bjerke & Renger, 2017).
Instructional choices should be made deliberately. Gange’s Nine Events of Instruction allow for deliberate and systematic planning that creates effective and engaging learning experiences (Lin et al., 2024). Keep learning activities and goals aligned by utilizing backwards design: first identify and define the learning goal, then determine how the learners will be assessed, and then design the instructional activities (Davis et al., 2021)
Instructional materials can always be improved upon, making reflection and design evaluation important. ADDIE provides a framework for continual evaluating, refining, and redesigning of learning experiences (Allen, 2006). Learning experiences can be evaluated using the Kirkpatrick Method, which allows trainings to be evaluated at four levels: how learners react to the training, what the learners actually learned in relation to learning objectives, if the learners apply what they learned in life or work, and how the training outcomes impact the organization (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016).
References
Al-Ismail, M. S., Naseralallah, L. M., Hussain, T. A., Stewart, D., Alkhiyami, D., Abu Rasheed, H. M., Daud, A., Pallivalapila, A., & Nazar, Z. (2023). Learning needs assessments in continuing professional development: A scoping review. Medical Teacher, 45(2), 203–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159x.2022.2126756
Allen, W. C. (2006). Overview and evolution of the ADDIE training system. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 8(4), 430–441. https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422306292942
Bjerke, M. B., & Renger, R. (2017). Being smart about writing SMART objectives. Evaluation and Program Planning, 61, 125–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2016.12.009
Chuang, S. (2021). The applications of constructivist learning theory and social learning theory on adult continuous development. Performance Improvement, 60(3), 6–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.21963
Davis, N. L., Gough, M., & Taylor, L. L. (2021). Enhancing online courses by utilizing “Backward Design.” Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 21(4), 437–446. https://doi-org.ezproxy.bgsu.edu/10.1080/15313220.2021.1924922
Eun, B. (2019). The zone of proximal development as an overarching concept: A framework for synthesizing Vygotsky's theories. Educational Philosophy & Theory, 51(1), 18–30. https://doi-org.ezproxy.bgsu.edu/10.1080/00131857.2017.1421941
Kirkpatrick, J. D., & Kirkpatrick, W. K. (2016). Kirkpatrick's four levels of training evaluation. Association for Talent Development.
Lin, G. S. S., Foong, C. C., & Abdul Aziz, Y. F. (2024). Interactive online modules for dental education: A practical example of Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction. Education in Medicine Journal, 16(3), 173–184. https://doi.org/10.21315/eimj2024.16.3.13
Shabani, K., Khatib, M., & Ebadi, S. (2010). Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development: Instructional implications and teachers’ professional development. English Language Teaching, 3(4), 237 - 248. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v3n4p237