The authors present insights from the creation of an "Industry Liaison" (IL) role in a graduate program in Instructional Technology. An analysis of learner questions posed to practicing designers showed masters candidates' concerns fell into four areas: rejections and acceptance in the workplace, career logistics, technological skills,…

Similar to previous iterations, this action research study examined student perceptions of K-12 online learning as part of an action research project working to improve a graduate course on using internet-based instruction in the classroom. Additionally, since the data were collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, additional analysis of the…

In this study, the use of the mobile instant messaging (MIM) tool "GroupMe" was explored in the higher education context. The tool was used to facilitate online course discussions, small group work, and other course communications in face-to-face and online sections of two graduate educational technology courses. Over 900 postings were…

In this article, we analyze the production of learner-generated playgrids. Playgrids are produced when learners knit together social media tools to participate across settings and scales, accomplish their goals, pursue interests, and make their learning more enjoyable and personally meaningful. Through case study methodology we examine how two…

Forming technology partnerships between universities and public schools in an era of competition and economic difficulty is a challenge. However, when these partnerships are formed and sustained, the benefits for both are extremely valuable. For a university instructional technology graduate program and school partnership to be successful, the…

The Educational Technology Certificate (ETC.) courses at Michigan State University are a set of three courses that can be taken as a standalone qualification or as the first three courses in the Master's of Educational Technology degree. Together, the courses emphasize the development of technology skills and advanced mindsets for technology…

In this paper we explore the philosophy, pedagogy and implementation of the third year course sequence in the M.A. in Educational Technology program at Michigan State University. We discuss how "little-r" revolutions in teaching and learning, i.e., technology facilitated revolutions specific to individual classrooms and contexts, are…

Cloud computing technologies, such as Google Docs and Microsoft Office Live, have the potential to enhance instructional methods predicated on constructivism and cooperative learning. Cloud-based application features like file sharing and online publishing are prompting departments of education across the nation to adopt these technologies.…

The present study reports on action research conducted using a resource wiki. Participants included 48 certified teachers and pre-service teachers enrolled in a face-to-face graduate course supplemented with online activities. Data collected include student reflections that indicate the use of a wiki at the university level is a feasible means of…

This article focuses on the experiences of seven Ph.D. students implementing a wiki to collaboratively prepare for qualifying examinations in the educational technology program at a large southeastern university. Concomitant study for such a rigorous examination is rare, and the trials and tribulations of the group are described in detail.…

Like many rapidly growing industries, advances in video game technology are far outpacing research on its design and effectiveness. Relatively little is understood about how to apply what we know about teaching and learning to optimize game-based learning. For the most part, instructional designers know little about game development and video game…

This article explores the apparent overlap between the fields of instructional technology (IT) and human resource development (HRD) and offers a preliminary conceptualization of how to capitalize on the overlap through graduate academic curricula, where IT and HRD practitioners and scholars are developed. This conceptualization was formed by first…

This article presents an interview with Jeremy Koester, an eighth grade math teacher and football coach at Alamo Heights Junior School in San Antonio, Texas. In this interview, Koester describes his use of technology in his classes and describes his dream of advancing Second Life (SL) as a distance education environment. SL is a "3-D virtual…

In the emerging era of the "read-write" web, students can not only research and collect information from existing web resources, but also collaborate and create new information on the web in a surprising number of ways. Web 2.0 is an umbrella term for many individual tools that have been created with web collaboration, sharing, and/or new…

The IDT (Instructional Design and Technology) Program Information Tool is an online information sharing system which has been created to allow programs in the field of instructional design and technology to share their program policies and procedures with one another easily so as to help each program review those practices and perhaps adapt (or…