Discusses community of practice, situated cognition, learning as demand driven, learning as a social act, and learning via ways of seeing. Expands these ideas through Vygotsky's writings, including zone of proximal development and the general genetic law of cultural development; and considers implications for the design of Web-based learning…

This case study examines the application of problem-based learning to the teaching of introductory instructional design (ISD). Suggests that ISD is a dynamic process of problem understanding and problem solution and that ISD instruction should therefore focus more on the problem attributes and not on the generality of the systems approach model.…

Electronic learning and traditional learning not only can coexist, but can merge to create something far better. A blended solution has the following characteristics: integrated instructional design, consistent framework and nomenclature, each method delivering its best, flexibility, and variety. (JOW)

Describes steps in creating computer-assisted instruction and interactive video for nursing education, including preliminary planning, user-friendly design concepts, and evaluation strategies. (SK)

Describes a model of instructional simulation design where designers create models in a system dynamics package and then transfer them into a general instructional authoring system for the addition of instructional support features. Topics include building versus using simulations; procedural versus conceptual simulations; and discovery versus…

Discusses the need for instructional design students to be involved in real-world situations, and describes a program at San Diego State University that allows advanced graduate students to practice their consulting and instructional design skills with real clients. Considers the client-consultant relationship and describes a model of…

Adult students (n=12) participated in a computer-based instructional (CBI) design course that integrated adult learning characteristics and preferences. Embedding these aspects empowered students to attain competence in producing CBI projects. They expressed a need for peer feedback and more planning time. (SK)

Describes electronic performance support systems (EPSSs) that can enhance performance and reduce training times and costs. Provides examples of EPSSs; explains why instructional designers and trainers should be interested in EPSSs; and discusses design considerations, including part task/whole task support, embedded versus linked, and user…

The Korean government's Cyber Teacher Training Center developed a software platform for managing online inservice teacher training and 11 training courses. Formative evaluation by 680 participants identified areas for improvement: integrate instructional design considerations into course development and implementation; provide training in…

Background: Recent research on the influence of presentation format on the effectiveness of multimedia instructions has yielded some interesting results. According to cognitive load theory (Sweller, Van Merri?nboer, & Paas, 1998) and Mayer's theory of multimedia learning (Mayer, 2001), replacing visual text with spoken text (the modality…

This paper offers an account of, and findings from, an approach to designing and evaluating an instructional sequence set in the context of Newton's third law. The design of the sequence draws upon conceptual change theory and the concept of the "bridging analog" is extended to introduce the notion of a "bridging representation" Attention is also…

Faculty and administrators from each of Wisconsin's 16 technical colleges recently implemented a collaborative curriculum development project focused on alleviating the state's nursing shortage. Beginning last fall, learners could enroll in a statewide, "one-plus-one" nursing program at any one of Wisconsin's 16 technical colleges.…

Most teachers send work home with their students, expecting it to be done the next day. Parents, or other adults in the household, often dread this activity because they may hot understand the goal, directions, or how to help the student. No one--whether family member, teacher, or student--will benefit from such a situation. Homework can turn into…

Evolution by natural selection may be characterized as a system in which a large store of genetic information will persist indefinitely while it remains coordinated with its environment but will continuously produce small random variations that are tested for environmental effectiveness. In any environment, effective variations will persist while…

Over the years, many authors have tried to describe, conceptualize, and visualize the instructional design or development processes via a variety of process models. Most descriptions imply a rather homogeneous view of design, depicting it as an overall problem-solving process following general phases such as analysis, design and development,…