Appointment of a national Commission on Instructional Technology under the Public Broadcasting Act points up the need for broad participation in defining agreeable boundaries of the field of instructional technology. The assignment is complicated by a posture of pessimism in a new power structure of instructional technology, or "learning systems,"…

Argues for more emphasis on the fabric which holds curriculum detail together and describes those conceptual tools which may help in redirecting thinking toward holistic approaches to instruction and teaching. Linkages between educational technology and learning theory help guide this quest. (Author/RAO)

Discusses limitations of current instructional design theory and suggests new approaches that should be emphasized. Constructivist theories of learning in cognitive psychology are described, research into student learning is reviewed, and the systems approach is discussed in conjunction with the use of objectives. (47 references) (LRW)

Author advocates greater use of television and other media within validated educational technology systems called open learning systems.'' (Author/HB)

Discusses situated learning in the workplace and in the classroom. Topics addressed include operationalization versus legitimization of educational theories; instruction versus learning; explicit versus implicit instruction and knowledge; individual versus social context; systems narrowly construed versus systems broadly construed; and legitimate…

Examines elements of the traditional teaching-learning model in relation to changing objectives in education and discusses the application of a technology of education as an alternative model, recommending a shift of focus from systematic to a systems approach in building comprehensive models responsive to social issues and requirements. (RAO)

Provides an overview of this issue focusing on relationships between instructional design (ID) and classroom teachers. Topics addressed include ID in teacher planning, including the systems approach; teachers' understanding of learning theory; instructional planning; a comparison of experiences of educators who were trained in ID; and distance…