Despite the central role that well organized and structured course content plays in engaging online learners with content, the authors point to the absence of guidelines for organizing content in ways that meet course learning goals. Recognizing the need for a design solution and, perhaps, the need for a new design model, "design…

In this article, the CLICK ("C"omputer Games and "L"iteracy "I"ntegrated with "C"ontent "K"nowledge) design model for high school education is proposed and developed as an instructional response to concerns about content coverage versus deeper content knowledge, learners' inability to grasp the meanings embedded in complex text, and disregard for…

The transformative experiences afforded by technology are wide and varied. Among them is the extended reach these technologies give us in connecting with others around the world, or even in our own communities, who may be from very different backgrounds than ourselves. Emerging technologies are providing new opportunities in education, and this…

Describes a five-step set of procedures for designing and developing instruction that promotes student-teacher interaction and teacher responsiveness. The steps described address instructional content, objectives, questions, boundaries, and entry behavior. (MBR)

A discussion of how the interaction of design and content of curricular materials determine their possible applications. A review of functions and models is presented for interactive curriculum development for computer based instructional systems. (HB)

Defines a distributed course as one in which instructional events that have traditionally occurred in the classroom are made available to either distant or local learners. Discusses the challenges for distributed course designers and presents a taxonomy for distributed course design. Addresses design, development, and evaluation processes and…

Instructional syntax analysis is one approach to evaluating how a technology-based training course will interact with the learner. By plotting fluctuations in engagement and feedback levels over time, general level of interactivity in a course can be analyzed. Basic principles of instructional syntax analysis are described, with an example of how…

Describes a performance support system that was developed at Indiana University to assist in the delivery of a distance education inservice teacher training program through course presentations, monitoring practicum activities, and promoting collaboration among teachers. Difficulties are discussed, future enhancements are described, and an…

Discusses the possibilities of using situated learning theory in distance education and describes the instructional design of a course on soil and the environment offered at the Open University of the Netherlands that incorporates situated learning. The use of interactive videodisk is described. (Contains 49 references.) (LRW)

Each designer contributing to this special issue was asked to prepare an introductory lesson on the physics of motion aimed at eighth to eleventh graders. This article presents a brief description of how a detailed physics content was researched, edited, and refined by subject-matter experts, and then ultimately presented to the instructional…

Discusses the relationship between Piaget's theory of cognitive development and Perry's theory of intellectual and ethical development, and recommends a framework for their application in course design. Involving students in examining not only course content, but also their beliefs and reasoning patterns, is recommended as a route for improving…

Defines digital storytelling, the application of multimedia techniques to the telling of stories. Describes how digital-storytelling assignments, designed to use an online conferencing facility, were developed for a college class. Provides examples of students' approaches to the personal narrative assignment. Discusses how to evaluate the…

Reviews research related to content organization and learning and identifies some strategies for designing meaningful content organization that research has suggested might be useful to instructional designers. Forty references are listed. (Author/CHC)

Collaborative online course development brings together a group of staff with experience in course content, instructional design, multimedia, graphic arts, and HTML formatting to create a course. The process is illustrated through by a collaborative design initiative at Grant MacEwan College to convert existing print-based distance courses to a…

Examines issues related to the way a teacher acting as instructional designer deals with the content or knowledge base of the instructional materials being developed, including the nature of knowledge, learners' schemata, organization of content, facilitating abstract thinking, and standards of accuracy for knowledge representation. (24…