Educational theories offer teachers useful conceptual tools for developing teaching. However, such theoretical concepts are often hard to learn, and to teach. Phenomenography and Variation Theory (PVT), and especially the concept critical aspect, is an example of a powerful tool for teachers when designing teaching. When teaching this concept,…

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated new pressures for students and exacerbated their pre-pandemic stressors. One example is the impact of increased technology use upon students' mental health. Interest in contemplative pedagogy has recently grown as instructors seek methods to alleviate the worries that students carry. This piece describes a…

Background: During the past decade, the increasingly heterogeneous field of learning analytics has been critiqued for an over-emphasis on data-driven approaches at the expense of paying attention to learning designs. Method and objective: In response to this critique, we investigated the role of learning design in learning analytics through a…

This article focuses on the practical implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in an online computer science course, articulating the collaborative efforts between the instructional designer (the first author) and the faculty member to redesign the course using UDL principles. Specific instances of redesigned learning modules and…

Recently, generative AI has been at the center of disruptive innovation in various settings, including educational sectors. This article investigates ChatGPT, which is one of the most prominent generative AI in the market, to explore its usefulness and potential for instructional design. Four researchers used a set of prompts to generate a course…

This article puts forth a multilingual perspective on reading to counter the prevailing monolingualism that dominates reading instruction. First, it brings theories together to develop a cohesive understanding of teaching reading with emergent bilinguals at the center. Second, it illuminates ways educators can design reading instruction, which is…

Learning design has become increasingly important in the context of expanding and dynamic digital learning environments. More traditional teaching approaches are no longer sufficient to engage learners in these changing learning environments. Teachers and aspiring learning designers therefore increasingly need learning design expertise, which…

In Blended Learning, students receive a combination of traditional face to face instruction in class and are also required to complete activities outside of the classroom. BL increases opportunities for faculty members to design more effective teaching and learning environments. In order to do so, Instructional Design might be used to support…

The rubric, a canonical matrix of criteria presented to students as the road map to academic success. An "Ah-ha" moment, "that is what I'm looking for" utopia for the instructor. While rubrics provide the possibility for solving the complexity of some teaching problems, we have come to know them as a tool that is as useful as…

The four-component instructional design model (4C/ID) has been increasingly used in face-to-face and online learning environments. We present a meta-analysis on the use and effect on performance of educational programs developed with the 4C/ID model after more than 20 years of its application and research in different academic areas and technical…

When instructional designers talk about what they do, they often discuss their outcomes rather than their process. Conjecturing during decision-making requires the instructional designer to build upon their prior knowledge of the situation and experiences and make assumptions based on available information to design an appropriate solution. This…

Intelligent tutoring systems are effective for improving students' learning outcomes (Pane et al. 2013; Koedinger and Anderson, "International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education," 8, 1-14, 1997; Bowen et al. "Journal of Policy Analysis and Management," 1, 94-111 2013). However, constructing tutoring systems that…

Even though an instructional designer may not have formal authority or direct reports, to be successful, they need leadership skills. Although the literature calls for instructional designers to possess several critical leadership skills, it does not consistently present the same important skills and often defines them very broadly. Further,…

If the challenges of teaching and learning do not amount to simple empirical questions about effective pedagogical strategies but are instead complex "wicked problems" that may be impossible to solve, where does that leave the practice of backward design? Drawing on the intellectual history of instructional design, I argue that the use…

Though the number of instructional design models has increased, the usefulness of an instructional design process (linear or iterative) when making design decisions for e-learning solutions remains uncertain. This basic qualitative study was used to explore the perspectives of corporate instructional designers who were mandated to move from a…