This paper focuses on unpacking the United States Air Force's (USAF) instructional system development (ISD) model as it evolved over time to its present form. In post-World War II training, the USAF was a leader in the study and use of systematic instructional design procedures, with its early efforts often coinciding with the work of the…

The purpose of this follow-up study was to investigate further the expressed needs of Instructional Designers (IDers) from a large public Facebook group. Our previous original research (Abramenka-Lachheb et al., 2021a) reported that IDers expressed needs during the pandemic in several categories, including: (1) educational technology, (2)…

For years, researchers and practitioners alike have searched for meaningful ways to describe or evaluate how technology was being integrated into teaching or to what level. This article will briefly summarize some of the predominant lenses through which to view technology integration and propose a new model for designing meaningfully…

This article explores the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools on Instructional Design (ID) workflows and organizations from a systems thinking perspective (Meadows, 2008). We provide an in-depth analysis of how three AI tools, ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Descript, can enhance efficiency in instructional design content creation…

The history of the learning design and technology field for the length of the twentieth century is well documented, however, events after the year 2000, even our lived histories, are missing from important timelines and discussions. This article is an attempt to describe the history of events in the educational technology and research field from…

Virtual reality is a rapidly growing technological innovation that continues to garner attention for use in education. This self-study of two teacher educators spans immersive head-mounted virtual reality implementation from 2014-2023 with middle-grades students, preservice teachers, and adult learners. Empirical data sources include learner…

In the rapidly evolving landscape of higher education, we are witnessing an unprecedented surge in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This rapid surge necessitates a thorough exploration of how faculty members, instructional designers, and researchers adopt AI, especially GenAI, using learning design practices. The present research study…

Increasing interest in user experience design (UXD) in the field of learning design and technology (LDT) signals a growing recognition of the importance of the individual experience of using learning technologies to learning--the learner experience (LX). However, a need exists to better define and conceptualize the phenomenon of learning…

Lifelong learning is an important but often implicit part of the job for instructional designers and educational technologists (ID/ETs). While literature discusses improving on-the-job learning experiences of others, relatively little has been written on the lifelong learning practices of ID/ETs. We interviewed 31 professionals to explore ID/ETs'…

The Professors of Instructional Design and Technology (PIDT) recently celebrated its 35th year. The meeting of this organization, typically referred to as an "unconference," offers intimate and informal conversations among faculty on matters that are impacting the field of instructional design and technology. This article discusses the…

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,…

This article investigates an artificial intelligence language model, ChatGPT, and its ability to complete graduate-level instructional design assignments. The approach subjected ChatGPT to a needs, task, and learner analysis for a 12th-grade media literacy module and benchmarked its performance by expert evaluation and measurements via grading…

The purpose of this paper was to explore the experiences of doctoral students in an Ed.D. program in Learning Design and Technologies at the University of South Carolina. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 35 students after their degree completion. Overall, the students were satisfied with the quality and the value of the…

The integration of design thinking with extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI) offers transformative potential for second language (L2) learning by providing immersive, interactive, and personalized experiences. Despite significant advancements in XR and AI technologies, their practical integration within formal language education…

This paper explores the role and history of systems theory and thinking in the fields of instructional/educational technology and design. The foundations of ID/ET as fields are rich in behavioral, systematic, and positivist notions of process, but we assert that it is weaker in the reflective, thoughtful, deep and meaningful orientations. Woven…