An important element of good design, instructional or otherwise, is awareness of and being empathetic to the needs, wants, interests, values, and opinions of the intended audience. Typical approaches to learning about the subjective viewpoints of a particular audience have included survey instruments based on Likert-type items and open-ended…

The development of any assessment should be an iterative and careful process. Ideally, this process is guided by a well-defined framework (see for example Downing in: Downing and Haladyna (eds) "Handbook of test development," Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, 2006; Mislevy et al. in "On the roles of task model variables in…

Meaningful learning requires deep engagement with ideas. Deep engagement is supported by the critical thinking skill of argumentation. Learning to argue represents an important way of thinking that facilitates conceptual change and is essential for problem solving. In order to appropriately apply argumentation practices to learning, we first…

Discusses Donald Kirkpatrick's framework for evaluation that has been used as a basic model for the identification and targeting of training-specific interventions in business, government, military, and industry. Identifies tools and concepts for being responsive to new organizational realities of value-added requirements. (Author/LRW)

The field of instructional design has traditionally treated concepts as discrete learning outcomes. Theoretically, learning concepts requires correctly isolating and applying attributes of specific objects into their correct categories. Similarity views of concept learning are unable to account for all of the rules governing concept formation,…

Describes a set of computerized tools that support the instructional design and evaluation of competency-based training programs. Discusses authentic whole-task practice situations; the 4C/ID* methodology; an evaluation tool that supports the subsequent revision of the competency-based training design; and future plans. (Author/LRW)

Discusses methods that software evaluation organizations use to evaluate instructional software. Topics addressed include who does the evaluating, including the role of students as well as teachers, subject matter experts, media specialists, and school administrators; reliability of evaluations; and possible improvements in the evaluation process.…

Describes an integrated authoring environment, AIDA ("Ambiente Integrado de Desenvolvimento de Aplicacoes educacionais"), that was developed at the University of Coimbra (Portugal) for educational software. Highlights include the design module, a prototyping tool that allows for multimedia, simulations, and modularity; execution module;…

Reports on a curriculum development project in which principles of instructional design were integrated with real-world experiences in a corporate environment to provide a connection between graduate education and practice. Evaluations by learners, the client, student teams, and the instructor are discussed, and guidelines for similar projects are…

Describes the development and use of electronic classrooms at the University of Maryland College Park. Highlights include active individual learning; small group collaborative learning; class collaborative learning; classroom infrastructure; audio-visual support; courseware; empirical assessments; results of faculty surveys; and student feedback.…