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The Concept of Instructional Design

By

Ndindiriyimana Damien, Nizeyimana Placide, Umuhiri Vestine, and Mukashyaka Dariah
University of Technology and Arts of Byumba (UTAB)
Faculty of Education. Post Graduate Department
April 9, 2024

Supervised by
Prof. Dr. Vicente Sinining, PhD, PDCILM
Full Professor


Click here to download the Handbook on Writing Academic Papers for Postgraduate Students at UTAB prepared by Prof. Vicente Sinining.


Introduction

The methodical process of creating educational resources and activities to satisfy particular learning objectives is known as instructional design. It includes identifying the requirements of the students, creating effective lesson plans, and assessing how well the learning process is working. In this project work, we are going to talk about literature review, to give methods we used, to discuss and lastly give the conclusion.


Literature Review

The CPD Certification Service (2022) revealed that “the main goal of instructional design is that it ensures that learners receive instructions in a form that is effective and meaningful to them, helping them to better understand the topics and concepts being taught.” (The Importance of Instructional Design, para. 5)

According to Branch & Merrill (2011, as cited in Bajracharya, 2019), instructional design (ID) is defined as the process of creating a curriculum, courses, or instructional or training program in a step-by-step, authentic manner (ID). Smith & Ragan (2005 as cited in Bajracharya, 2019) argued that “this procedure enables instructors to create instructions, which involves the systematic planning of instruction and ranging from instructional analysis to evaluation (p.1) Thus, ID can be referred to as a “systematic and reflective process of translating principles of learning and instruction into plans for instructional materials, activities, information resources, and evaluation” (Smith & Ragan, 2005, p. 4). As such, taken as a framework, ID provides the process to create instructions based on the necessity of a teaching and learning environment. Thus, ID can be defined as a process to develop directions and specifications using learning and instructional theory to ensure the quality of instruction.

Piskurich (2006, as cited in Bajracharya, 2019) said that “the necessary steps in most of the ID models contain five key phases: Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate, which are also known as the ADDIE model.” Bajracharya (2019) added that “ADDIE is a systematic ID model that follows the generic process to create instruction. Cost-effectiveness, time usage, active learning, and classroom-orientedness are some of the merits of the ADDIE model” (p.3).

Bajracharya (2019) confirmed that among the five phases of ADDIE, the first step in dealing with the learning environment is analysis, which includes gathering data about students and educational institutions. Lesson plans, learning objectives, and instrument assessment are all included in the second phase, design. In order to meet the learning objectives, it must be methodical and focused.

Thirdly, in the Develop phase, the required materials and contents are created based on the Design phase. The fourth phase is Implement where created materials are utilised during classroom instruction.

Finally, evaluate consists of tests for obtaining feedback and reviewing developed lesson plans and materials. ADDIE was originally considered to be a linear ID model, but each phase was found to be highly interrelated and was cyclic in nature. Among numerous ID models, ASSURE and Kemp are widely used to create effective teaching and learning material that explains the process used to design and develop instruction (p.3).

Boogaard (2024) has given 9 principles which are the following: gain attention, set learning objectives, recall prior knowledge, present the content, provide guidance, elicit performance, give feedback, evaluate performance and improve retention (9 Instructional design principles? para.3).


Research Methodology

In doing research on a given topics there is a need of research methods. The research method we used in this paper writing is documentation.

This technique for data collection is mainly based on using different documents. Tight (2019) said that the documents are written texts such as books, papers, scripts, diaries, committee minutes, etc.-things which have or can have (when they are printed) a physical form (p.8). This methodology is oriented towards a systematic consultation of all what is written with a connection to the research field. This method uses the written sources. During this work, we checked different reports, websites, newspapers, books, articles, theses and dissertations available in University of Technology and Arts of Byumba.


Discussion

The capacity of instructional design to accommodate a variety of learning styles is a crucial feature. Through the integration of several. The capacity of instructional design to accommodate a variety of learning styles is one of its main features. An inclusive learning environment can be created by instructional designers through the use of adaptive technologies, interactive exercises, and a variety of multimedia features. This guarantees that the content is accessible to all learners, regardless of their unique learning preferences, and it also effectively engages students.

Moreover, knowledge application and retention are directly impacted by instructional design. Effective instructional materials can improve retention of information by utilizing tactics including visual aids, spaced repetition, and real-world applications. The efficacy of instructional design in promoting practical understanding is demonstrated by learners' ability to apply the knowledge they have learned from instructional materials to real-world situations.

Not to mention, instructional design is remarkably flexible when it comes to various disciplines and educational levels. Adapted instructional design can meet the specific needs of any domain, be it business training, higher education. This flexibility guarantees that the educational resources are pertinent, interesting, and in line with the particular learning objectives of the intended audience.


Conclusion

In summary, to ensure that learners receive instructions in a form that is effective and meaningful to them, assisting them in better understanding the topics and concepts being taught, is the primary objective of instructional design. The necessary steps in most of the Instructional Design models have the following phases: Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. Learning experiences' efficacy is greatly impacted by instructional design. Its crucial importance in education is highlighted by its capacity to support a variety of learning styles, improve knowledge retention, and adjust to different educational environments. As long as we adopt new and creative methods of instruction, the influence of instructional design on successful learning will never go away.


References

  • Bajracharya, J. R. (2019). Instructional Design and Models: ASSURE and Kemp. Journal of Education and Research, 9(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.3126/jer.v9i2.30459
  • Boogaard, K. (2024). 9 Instructional Design Principles to Optimize Your Learning Initiatives. Retrieved on 3 April 2024 from https://www.goskills.com/Resources/Instructional-design-principles
  • Tight, M. (2019). Documentary Research in the Social Sciences. London: Sage



IMPORTANT GUIDELINES TO STUDENTS

  • Students must follow the standard format of APA Style References
  • APA style uses two main parts for citations: in-text citations and the reference list.
  • In-text citations briefly acknowledge the source you're using within your writing. They include the author's last name and the year of publication, enclosed in parentheses (Author, Year). For example:
  • A study found that exercise improves memory (Smith, 2023).
  • If you're directly quoting something, you'll also include the page number after the year (Author, Year, p. #). Here's an example:
  • "Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining cognitive health," (Smith, 2023, p. 12).
  • The reference list, at the end of your paper, provides complete details about the sources you cited. The format for the reference list varies depending on the source type (book, journal article, website, etc.). Here are some general guidelines:
  • Start the reference list on a new page.
  • List references alphabetically by the author's last name.
  • Double-space the entire reference list.
  • Indent the second and subsequent lines of each reference.
  • For specific formatting instructions on different source types, you can refer to Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) APA Style Guide


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