Trends & Issues Various Settings

Chapters in Section V identify trends and issues in IDT in various contexts: business & industry; military; health care education; P-12 education; and post-secondary education. Select at least 3 of these 5 contexts and compare/contrast the IDT trends and issues. Then explain how they are similar or different from the IDT trends and issues in the context in which you work.

I selected business and industry, P-12 education and post-secondary education for this assignment. All three of these are similar in that each one requires constant evaluation of the IDT process in an ever-changing environment.

Trends in business and industry include cross cultural training, technology based training delivery, understanding human performance and project management versus instructional design. The key similarity of this industry to my field is the increase in technology based training delivery. In secondary education field there is an increased focus on providing, managing and supporting training for teachers through technology. This will only increase as cost-effective approaches are sought and the abilities of technology expands.

The focus in higher education as it relates to instructional design is working with faculty to improved instruction. In higher education the instructional designer is most often working with professors that are content experts but often not strong in best practices for instruction. In this setting there is an inherent need to develop relationships with those professors and the ability to explain what you know in common terms. This is very similar to my experiences in secondary education. Relationships are the foundation for learning regardless if you are teaching middle school or adults. It was mentioned in this chapter that often the hardest part of working with faculty is getting them to attend training or workshops. I have also found this to be true as I work to help teachers better integrate technology in the classroom. The attendance for my training sessions is minimal and something I need to improve.

For P-12 education there are three types of instructional design development: system ID, product ID and classroom development. Since classroom development is most similar to my field, I will focus my discussion on that aspect.  The key component of classroom development is using tools to construct knowledge in an authentic context. In simple terms this is getting the teachers to actually use the tools while encouraging use in a way that promotes higher level thinking or creativity (vs drill and practice.) As CTE coordinator, this is exactly what my goal has been the last three years in supporting teachers with technology integration. Although the goal is moving towards the “best practices” in integrating technology, I feel it is important to recognize and support the basics as teachers begin the process of using technology to enhance instruction. This is a balancing act and requires a good understanding of the technology tools, the design process and quality relationships with the people involved.

Section 4: Human Performance Technology

1. Identify a performance problem in your area of work and identify non-instructional solutions that may help solve the problem.

Last year each teacher at the Dubiski Career High School was provided a techer iPad to use in the classroom for instruction. After several months we are not using the devices to their full capacity to enhance learning. As with any problem, it is important to understand the root cause: Why are the iPads not being used to their fullest. I would focus on two potential reasons for under-utilization: (1) lack of time and (2) emotional barriers to device use. Since iPads were not standard technology in our district, teachers have had little instruction on how to implement them. The most effective solution for this situation would be to provide teachers with dedicated time to play and explore the devices and their capabilities. It is important for teachers to become familiar with the devices. This extra time will help the teacher better understand what questions or concerns they might have so that we can decide what training or support might be needed. Teachers may have various barriers to using an iPad – from a fear of breaking the device to a prejudice against more screen time. It is important to understand the barriers and motivate teachers to move past them. I believe an easy way to motivate teachers is to focus on the value the devices provide in instruction. Focusing on the value (or potential learning growth) allows teachers to look past the barrier keeping them from trying the tool. As a CTE educator, another way to increase motivation is by giving real world examples of the tools being used in their grade level. Specific examples showing that the tool has been successful in a classroom setting is very comforting (and motivating) to classroom teachers.

2. Define performance support systems and explain how a performance support system might (or might not) help solve the problem you identified above.

A performance support system is a system that is designed to organize and integrate tools (or resources) to help with difficult or new tasks. Originally these systems were all technology based, but now have been expanded to include “physical and spatial processes and procedures.” This type of system could be very helpful for the problem discussed above. For example, providing teachers with resources on how to integrate iPads into their instruction would alleviate part of under-utilization problem. Additionally, a resource showing teachers the basics of how to use an app may help overcome any hesitations for getting started. Providing the motivation to get started with a new tool or app is often the biggest hurdle. To help with this, the schools IMS (instructional media specialist) person could be creating short 5-7 min introduction videos of the apps available to the teachers. These videos could walk them through the basics of getting started with those apps.  Along with the intro video, they could include a few resources of samples lesson that teachers have shared on integrating the app into their instruction. I think this resource will be a valuable tool for teachers to use and lead to increased integration of iPads into the classroom. I have two concerns with teachers using this resource. First, it will be important to set up a way for teachers to notify me if the video becomes outdated, such as when new updates are released. The second concern is that teachers will come to rely completely on these videos and not take the next step of starting to investigate and explore new apps on their own.

3. Chapter 16 explains knowledge management: the way we manage information, share that information, and use it to solve organization problems. What knowledge would help solve the problem you identified above and how would that knowledge need to be collected and managed to help facilitate problem solving?

The two biggest issues preventing teachers in our district from better utilizing the iPads is a lack of understanding of the device itself and a lack of knowledge of the available apps. A knowledge management system organizing the videos described above would be very beneficial. This could be done with a blog, wiki or learning management system. It would be important to code or tag the videos in a way that made finding them easy. This system would need to be organized to divide the basic “how to” videos from the videos that would outline lessons examples. Beyond basic knowledge organization, this system would also need to allow for and promote collaboration between teachers and the leadership. The need for collaboration as part of the knowledge management is why I feel a learning management system such as Edmodo would be the best option. Edmodo would help foster a community of learners by giving teachers a way to easily discuss, question and comment in real-time with each other. Another benefit of using a learning management system to organize the knowledge is the ability to interact with other teachers around the district or even the world. To make the system successful, teachers would need to be an active part of the community. To do this, incentives could be used for their participation and it would be important that the teachers felt their voice was appreciated and valued. My main concern for this type of system is that teachers also would need to learn how to use Edmodo (or any tool used) for the knowledge management system to be effective.

4. What informal learning experiences have you participated in at your organization? Could those informal learning experiences be shared with others? Could the knowledge gained in those settings be codified and managed? And should it be managed or should the informal experiences be replicated or broadened for others?

The most valuable informal learning experience for me has been Twitter. Over the last few years, I have worked to build an amazing network of educators that I learn from and share with on an almost daily basis. ITwitter is a constant stream of informal learning where I find ideas, ask questions, get support and find inspiration. It is a wonderful example of a technology facilitated informal learning experience that includes a global community of experts. The experiences and learning taking place on Twitter can (and should) be shared with others. My district also is trying to manage the learning and resources found through twitter by creating their own twitter account, hashtag, and website. There is a big push in education to give teachers autonomy over their learning. Helping teachers build their own personal learning networks (PLN) is a powerful way to broaden the informal learning process for others. These PLN’s provide a continuous informal learning process for teachers that is autonomous, social and ever-changing to meet the needs of the instructor and in turn the needs of their students.

Section 3 : Evaluating, Implementing & Managing Instructional Programs & Projects

Search for at least two other models used for evaluation and summarize these models. Describe how you would use them to evaluate your instruction. Reflect on what other questions that instructional design evaluation should address besides whether the instructional design leads to comparable amounts of learning and learner satisfaction as traditional methods. What else would be useful to know?

Rossi’s Five-Domain Evaluation model states that “each evaluation should be tailored to fit local needs, resources, and type of program.” In this model the evaluation questions are a key part of the process. These questions “constitute the core, from which the rest of the evaluation evolves.” There are five primary evaluation domains in this theory: 1) needs assessment, 2) theory assessment, 3) implementation assessment, 4) impact assessment, and 5) efficiency assessment. With my instruction, the important part of this model for me is determining the evaluation questions prior to the design or while the design is in progress. In most cases I would say I tend to think of evaluation as something that happens at the end of the process rather than the beginning.  Rethinking the timing of evaluation will have an impact on my instruction. The needs assessment is something that I felt I did very well within my classroom. My focus for using technology had changed to always been on the learning from not being the tool. Placing the needs assessment first in this theory lends itself to that goal. The second part focuses on the design of the instruction. Is the instruction age appropriate? Does it meet the needs of my population? Is the instruction engaging? In my classroom, I tend to do well in this area of the evaluation and design process. The next three parts of the process are all areas I can improve on in my evaluation process. Implementation assessment is something important for me to focus on because of my teaching style. I tend to veer off the scheduled academic plan at times and often let my students guide my instruction. The implementation portion of the process will help me evaluate whether my instruction was successful or not.  Collecting data and using the data to make decisions are what I think of for impact assessment. I know this is my weakest area of the process and my instruction could improve by focusing more on this step. The last part, efficiency assessment, has never been a focus for me as a classroom teacher. As an instructional designer, I know it will be a big factor and I see the importance of making sure choices are cost-effective.

Brinkerhoff’s Success Case Method uses the “commonsense idea” that an effective way to determine “what works” is to examine successful cases and compare them to unsuccessful cases. I picked this method to discuss because I liked how it highlighted storytelling as part of the evaluation process. I agree that evaluating a design is similar to telling a story. Communicating this story can lead to better instructional design. I felt this method was reflective of training.  In my current role, I do lots of training with the CTE department.  Most importantly I work with practicum teachers because most are lost due to lack of curriculum resources.  I think certain aspects could be beneficial. When It comes to practicum courses, they are very board in teaching students best practices in the workplace with the career pathway they’ve chosen.  This is generally when students leave campus to go out to unpaid internships.  However, many teachers don’t realize there are process and procedures in place. Because I was a practicum teacher in previous years and started the internship program in my district, I felt it was necessary to meet with the practicum teachers once a month for support. Brinkerhoff’s model includes creating a visual impact model listing all the impact/outcomes expected from the program. This visual should include capabilities, behaviors/environmental conditions needed to achieve the goals of the program. This visual is something that I think that would really help me organize and keep track of the CTE practicum teacher meetings. Another aspect of the Brinkerhoff’s model is to conduct surveys to identify the best and worse cases. This is a technique I think I will start doing at the beginning and end of the year to monitor CTE teacher progress. Knowing which teachers are having success and which are not, would help greatly in deciding what we need to talk about at each meeting. It would also allow me to have those teachers share what they are doing/not doing that contributes to their success or failure. The last part of the model is to write-up the evaluation findings. Going through this process of “telling the story” would be beneficial for the teachers, the district and me.  

You have been assigned to develop a series of professional development sessions focusing on technology use in the classroom for teachers during a time of economic decline. How will you use Situational Leadership to facilitate this project and manage scarce resources?

Situational leadership requires the manager or leader to adjust their style of leadership to best match the needs of the people he or she is trying to influence. The key to success as a leader is building relationships with the trainers and helping them to facilitate relationships with the classroom teachers. As a leader of this project, I would first start with the end in mind.  I would start with a goal for the trainings and then make sure everyone involved with executing the training was in agreement with those goals.  With limited resources as an issue, my next step would be to ensure the scope of the project was in line with the resources available. This might mean making tough decisions about how the training is facilitated or even re-evaluating the goals of the project. It is important that the scope matches the resources. Once the project was underway, my focus would shift to communication with those involved and continual evaluation of the program. Using the positive relationships as a foundation, I would then support, motivate or challenge the individuals involved as needed to meet the goals of the project.

Section 2: Theories/Models

1. Epistemology (the study of what and how we come to know) is discussed in multiple chapters in this section. Distinguish epistemology from instructional methods or theories. What are the differences between theories, methods, or models of learning and epistemologies or underlying beliefs about ways of knowing?

Epistemology is a core area of philosophy concerning the nature, sources and limits of knowledge.  Epistemology explores basic questions with very complex answers; such as How can knowledge be acquired? And what is knowledge? and How we think about knowledge has a direct connection to how we expect students to learn. Epistemological understanding forms the basis or is the guide for learning theories and instructional methods. The foundation of knowledge and how we build on that knowledge are key factors in deciding which theory and model will work best when designing instruction. Learning theories, such as behaviorism, congnitivism, and constructivism, are researched based ideas of how knowledge changes or grows. The learning models are roadmaps that take epistemology and learning theory and provide the guide for instruction in the classroom.

2. Chapters in this section discuss three contrasting epistemic stances: positivist, relativist, and contextualist (or hermeneutical). Positivists believe that the only truth or knowledge is objective truth. Relativists don’t believe that objective truth is possible and that all knowledge is subjective to perception or relative to a particular frame of reference. Contextualists believe that truth or knowledge is relative to context rather than individual, subjective understanding. While designers and educators with a positivist stance generally apply behaviorist principles to the design and development of instruction, those with either a contextualist or relativist epistemological framework employ constructivist theories and methods. Reflect on whether your stance is primarily positivist, relativist, or contextualist. Then, identify an instance when your perspective or stance as a learner conflicted with that of your instructor. Describe the conflict that you experienced and analyze whether opposing epistemic stances may have been at the heart of the conflict.

I believe my stance is more contextualist. This is allows for more student centered learning where the student in control of how the content relates.   When learning, I always feel it should be goal oriented. This will create an interest to gain new knowledge. According to Jonassen, all good problems share two characteristics.  They have some kind of goal, or unknown.  The goal or unknown requires the generation of new knowledge.  All problems should have some value to the learner in solving them.  Like problems, games have a goal or unknown, which requires the learner to generate new knowledge.

I do remember a biology teacher I had in high school who always had to be correct.  She was very much in control. The environment was very much teacher centered.  She was very much a “micromanager” in the sense.  She lectured for the majority of the class while we took notes.  Our assignments were very much straight forward.  I felt as though I didn’t gain much from this class.  I started to loose interest very quickly.  I believe she was a positivist.  There was no opportunity for the class to have a voice.  She dominated the learning for us in her classroom.

3. Differing epistemic stances lead to differing approaches to learning and instruction, and ultimately to problem-solving. Explain differences in problem-solving when approached from behaviorist and constructivist perspectives. How do the approaches differ in both the nature of the problem to be solved and in facilitating the problem solving process? Finally, what effect might these differences have on learner motivation? 

When an instructor is a behaviorist, the instructor allows problems that can be explained or reference very easily.  They offer lots of feedback to support the learner.  The instructor acts as a constant resource and will observe the learner for constant understanding.  This type of instructor is in the control of the learning.  In the approach of a constructivist instructor, the want to make sure the problems have meaningful engagement and authentic in nature which would allow for student learning.  In this setting, the learner is more in control.  The instructor who’s approach is behaviorist and the instructor who’s approach is constructivist have a direct impact on learning motivation when dealing with different types of learners. When you have a struggling student who needs the extra support, the behaviorist instructor is motivates them better.  Due to the control of the teacher and the constant feedback, this is ideal for the struggling learner.  As for the student who excels well in the classroom, the constructivist instructor motivates them better.  This is because the instruction typically models interest, engagement, and participation.  There is meaningful engagement and authentic problems to solve.  This allows the excelling student to control their learning versus the opposite.