In this theoretical paper, we advocate for educational researchers to embrace co-design as a means of fostering sustainable solutions in educational settings. While co-design has been increasingly recognized for its collaborative potential, we suggest that its effectiveness can be further enhanced by drawing from three complementary perspectives:…

Various theories and models discuss how instructional designers can develop systems that allow learners to engage in problem-solving. To date, many of these theories and models that guide design often describe how learners engage in meaning-making within a situated context; however, they do not address strategies instructional designers can use to…

This study explores instructional designers' perspectives on the prioritization of competencies relevant to their professional practices. The competencies examined in this study are derived from the 2012 International Board of Standards for Training, Performance, and Instruction (IBSTPI). Using Q methodology, a unique approach that combines…

In organizational anarchies (i.e., public institutions) decisions are typically made by oversight or flight. Decision makers and choice opportunities exist simultaneously but on separate tracks resulting in few problems being solved. This paper presents the findings of a study surveying current literature on organizational anarchy as well as…

By considering the interconnectedness of various elements, such as curriculum, instruction, assessment, and school organization, systems thinking provides a framework to understand the underlying patterns, feedback loops, and leverage points that shape educational outcomes. Frick's (1993) systems view of restructuring education supports the notion…

Early hype cycles surrounding new technologies may promote simplistic binary options of either adoption or rejection, but socio-historical analyses of technologies illuminate how they are worked into shape by human actors. Humans enact agency through many choices that result in adaptations and contextual variations. In this piece, we argue that…

Instructional design problems are one of the most complicated and ill-structured types of problems due to the dynamic nature of design problems and decision-making processes. Formulating instructional design solutions thereby requires teachers to possess adequate decision-making knowledge and skills and apply them to instructional design. This…

Teachers' decisions for instructional design and technology integration influence their teaching practices and student learning performances. Technology-integrated learning environments have been widely leveraged due to the recent global health crisis and student learning needs (Polly et al., "TechTrends," 65(3), 240-242 2021). Teachers…

Despite the call for instructional designers to employ design thinking as a means to foster creativity in problem-solving, many students struggle with enacting creative risk. While several studies have been conducted studying how instructional designers engage in problem-solving to contend with project constraints, few have addressed whether this…

This research study delves into the dynamics of instructional designers' decision-making practices concerning the integration of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in online learning environments within higher education. The study emphasizes the influence of contextual factors on instructional designers' decision-making, recognizing…

While several studies have been conducted exploring teachers' pedagogical reasoning practices, few studies have explored the influence of learning audiences' impact on teacher's decisions related to technology integration in early childhood classrooms. The purpose of this study was to provide a systematic review of empirical studies that have…

Research focusing on the complexities faced by instructional designers have called for pedagogical strategies to equip instructional designers with the ability to problem solve and make decisions. One of the most widely studied strategies for managing cognitive load is the use of worked examples, which provides an alternative to traditional…

The factors that influence and impact graduate students in the context of their career decision-making within an instructional design graduate program remain unexplored. This mixed methods study captured actual career-related difficulties of graduate instructional design students through a conceptual framework based on Bandura (1986) and Lent et…

This study presents an ethnographic account of the learning design experiences of six Namibian teachers during school closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study explores the emotions, perspectives and actions of these teachers and also reveals the influence of personal, institutional and national culture on their learning design…

Design-thinking is an inductive and participatory process in which designers are required to manage constraints, generate solutions, and follow project timelines in order to complete project goals. The researchers used this exploration study to look at how designers in various disciplinary fields approach design projects. Designers were asked to…