A name for the field of instructional technology has long been debated. Terms such as learning design, educational technology, instructional systems design and learning systems have been used to describe the field over the past 100 years. With an exploration of the history of the field, this article rebrands the field as Knowledge Systems Design…

Author discusses why educational priorities must be redefined in terms of today's realities and the perceived needs and demands of tomorrow. (Author)

A look at the two dimensions of the structure of content for instructional purposes: 1) psychological; and, 2) logical. (HB)

Discussion of situated cognition and legitimate peripheral participation focuses on responses to criticism of an earlier article. Highlights include postmodernism; modern rationalism; educational technology; the distinction between information and judgment; feminist and critical theories; knowledge creation; constructivism; and instructional…

Author explains his model of instructional development for initiating and continuing change in education. (HB)

The ideas for innovations in learning systems in this report are based on a scenario being developed for the Minnesota Experimental City. The primary function of the new system being developed in Minnesota is to assist the individual learner to discover his interests, assess his needs, set his learning objectives, and pursue these objectives. The…

Instructor diagnosis of pilot trainee errors was studied in the context of instrument flying using a computer simulation system called ORLY. ORLY was used to record student pilot runs on a number of instrument flying tasks. These runs were subsequently replayed to instructor pilots who diagnosed student errors and hypothesized the underlying…

Discusses changes needed in the field of educational technology and recommends future directions. Topics discussed include instructional theories; descriptive versus prescriptive theories; analysis versus synthesis; a formative evaluation approach to research; the relationship of research and development; organizational methods for instruction;…

The elements of an instructional system are discussed and some literature bearing on these is reviewed. The discussion is intended to stimulate thought about an instructional system as a computer-assisted instructional (CAI) test-bed and to point out some noteworthy laboratory research results, particularly in cognitive psychology. Following this,…

Seven speeches presented during a Maryland inservice program for educators in charge of school media programs deal with public relations and instructional technology. The first presentation emphasizes the need for public awareness of media programs and materials. This is followed by two related articles: a review of basics for an effective public…

A learning station, as defined in this document, has six components: 1) it is located somewhere in space; 2) it is designed to enable the student to reach a specific objective(s); 3) logical directions are provided for the student; 4) multilevel activities are available; 5) assessment procedures are clearly defined; and 6) a means of recording…

This book of readings in educational psychology for teachers contains selections which are both historical and technological. More emphasis is placed on general information and direct educational applications than on theoretical and experimental education psychology, and some of the articles have been abridged. Topics covered include teacher…