Overview of Instructional Design
Introduction
There may be as many definitions of what instructional design (ID) is as there are books about the topic.
In this post, I will provide an overview of what ID is based on the literature I have read on this topic and my understanding of it.
Definition of ID
The term ID comprises the words ‘instruction’ and ‘design.’
Instruction can be considered a synonym of education, or the process of transferring knowledge to or developing the skill in another person. Design can be defined as the process of deliberately creating something to meet a certain purpose or objectives within the boundaries of various constraints.
Putting the two concepts together, ID can then be defined as the deliberate process of transferring knowledge or developing a skill, to meet certain objectives, within various constraints.
Let us now break down this definition into its composite parts.
ID as a deliberate process
ID is not something that happens by accident. ID is intentional, which means that there is a conscious effort from another party to transfer knowledge to or develop a skill in another party.
A person who accidentally gains knowledge (e.g. realizing after several successful sales that sharing personal stories to clients about the product increases the chances of closing the sale) or accidentally acquires a skill (e.g. discovering by chance that double-clicking the bottom right of a cell automatically copies the formula to the rest of the cells in a column in Excel) is not ID.
ID as facilitation of education
ID is meant for the transfer of knowledge or the development of a skill. If either is not the intention of the process, then it can be argued that the process is not considered as ID. For example, a training seminar that is focused on engaging and entertaining attendees using games, unrelated contests, and speeches from various guests is not considered ID since the audience didn’t learn significant knowledge or skills during the process.
Setting and attainment of objectives
One of the purposes of an ID process is the attainment of at least an objective related to instruction. This, of course, suggests that at least one objective needs to be set at the beginning of the process. This objective then informs and influences all the activities within the instruction.
An example of this is an instructional designer may set an objective like “by the end of the lecture series, the trainee will be able to correctly identify safety standards violations with 100% accuracy.” The whole instruction will then be impacted by this educational objective, from the choice of materials, learning activities, assessment, and evaluation.
The degree of attainment of the objective is then monitored usually by the end of the ID process.
Planning and implementation within constraints
The ID process involves the consideration of constraints during the planning and implementation of the instruction. Such constraints may include the budget of the party implementing the instruction, logistical considerations, availability of resources, level of learners, educational objectives, time, and many more. The instructional designer has to consider all the constraints during the planning and implementation of the instruction.
Conclusion
ID is a process that has the following elements: it is planned, it involves knowledge transfer or skill development, it is guided by at least one objective, and it operates within constraints.
The definition I have presented in this article is meant to be a general overview of what ID is. A much more detailed description of ID can be formulated by considering each of the elements of ID that I have identified.
By considering the other elements of ID, we will be able to get a much deeper and complete picture of the definition of ID and what the ID process entails, which I will be doing in future blog posts.