ERIC Number: EJ1267236
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Sep
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-8756-3894
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Available Date: N/A
Using Soft Systems Thinking to Craft Instructional Design and Technology Interventions
TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, v64 n5 p720-729 Sep 2020
Underutilized in higher education, soft systems thinking can mitigate common challenges in implementing instructional design and technology initiatives. A valuable approach is soft systems methodology (SSM), which captures multiple stakeholder perspectives in rich pictures and activity models to support structured conversations about how to improve a problematical situation. To demonstrate SSM's utility for instructional design and technology professionals, this article provides an overview of macrolevel processes that often influence interactions with stakeholders. It explains how to capture stakeholders' perspectives in rich pictures and models spanning multiple system layers through collaboration. From a wide range of interventions that can then be discussed, the article explores two interventions focused on redesigning employment processes and elaborates their importance for common instructional design and technology initiatives. By relating key SSM concepts and techniques to these initiatives, this article demonstrates the practical value of systems thinking for those leading and transforming university learning.
Descriptors: Higher Education, Systems Approach, Instructional Design, Information Technology, Intervention, Educational Change
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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