Week 2 - Instructional Systems Design

 The process of designing could be defined in a variety of forms and it could be seen from different perspectives.

After attending the synchronous reflection of Dr. Gyabak about design, I found it very inspiring when she defined the process of design in a very unique form. She proposes that it is not relying on an instructional design model all the time. It is more about having a model as the foundation, but keeping in mind that the context could change at any time. If that is the case, then the model needs to be adapted accordingly and flexibility plays an important role. Personally, I was enriched by her talk and her unique vision of being a design practitioner and researcher.

According to Morrison et al. (2007), “Instructional design focuses on the individual and how to improve individual performance rather than on what content to cover” (p. 12). As highlighted by Mintz (2021), “A topical approach that emphasizes content, coverage and information transfer is, of course, out of step with the times” (p.2). Nowadays, more educators tend to use approaches that focus on the students' skills to help them show mastery of a variety of themes. It is not about covering the content, but using the content to develop and improve students' skills and competencies. For example in languages, instructors pay close attention to the reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills and use those frameworks to assist students to reach another language level.

Certainly, different instructional design models have specific steps to follow to take advantage of their structure. As discussed by Branch (2018), “ADDIE is not a specific, fully elaborated model in its own right, but rather a paradigm that refers to a family of models that share a common underlying structure” (p.24). In addition, ADDIE is an example of using the learner-centered model in design. However, as said by Dr. Gyabak, not even ADDIE should be taken as an unquestionable model. When it comes to design, the purpose is to use a model and to be creative to adapt it to our own particular needs and to be flexible to the different contexts.

Branch, R. M. (2018). Characteristics of instructional design models. In R. A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th Ed.), (pp. 23-30). New York, NY: Pearson Education.

Mintz, Steven (2021, February 8). 7 innovative approaches to course design. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/7-innovative-approaches-course-design

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., & Kemp, J. E. (2007). Introduction to the instructional design process. Designing effective instruction. (5th ed.) (pp. xviii-26). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.