Trends...
I recently read an interview with William Horton, author of Designing Web-based Training and E-learning Tools and Technologies. An interesting read...
(courtesy: my boss)
WHAT ARE TWO OF THE MOST IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN TRENDS RIGHT NOW?
First, putting learners in control. Instructional design is moving from teaching people whether they want it or not to creating potential learning experiences. Learning to educate the non-captive audience is the biggest challenge facing instructional designers today.
Second, the use of technology at every level of training and education. Instructional designers are struggling to use technology to make learning effective, efficient and universally available. At the same time, they must defend against inappropriate intrusions of irrelevant or distracting technology into the learning process.
WHAT ARE FIVE CRITERIA FOR SELECTING MEDIA?
Picking media is hard and requires careful thought and judgment.
Avoid formulas such as, "Always use _______ to teach _______."
Forget your personal preferences. Ignore what worked on your last project. Consider these criteria:
o Speak the natural language. Pick media to fit your learner, subject and learning goals. The choice for teaching emergency medical procedures to high school coaches would differ from those for teaching estate attorneys the wrinkles of the latest revisions of the tax code. Ask yourself, "What is the most direct, immediate, natural way to accomplish my goal in teaching this subject to this learner?"
o Combine media for crucial messages. Seeing and hearing a message leads to greater retention and later application than seeing or hearing the message alone. If your primary medium fails for some reason, your secondary medium saves the day. Complementary choices of media can overcome difficulties of equipment failure, sensory disabilities, and human fatigue and inattention.
o Function first. Aesthetics second. Entertainment third. Communicate your message. Then make it pleasing and attractive. Only then consider adding touches of cleverness and entertainment. Edutainment is neither. Go Hollywood at your own risk.
o Stay pragmatic. Consider your ability to produce media and your learner's ability to play it. Full-screen video might be the ideal medium, but not for learners who must access your learning over a slow network connection. Richly detailed character animation might work well in the laboratory but fail when subject to real-world constraints of budget and schedule. Well-written words and convincing graphics are more effective than amateurish video or stuttering animation.
o Speak the natural language. Yeah, I know I said that already. But it is the first and last word in media choices.
(courtesy: my boss)
WHAT ARE TWO OF THE MOST IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN TRENDS RIGHT NOW?
First, putting learners in control. Instructional design is moving from teaching people whether they want it or not to creating potential learning experiences. Learning to educate the non-captive audience is the biggest challenge facing instructional designers today.
Second, the use of technology at every level of training and education. Instructional designers are struggling to use technology to make learning effective, efficient and universally available. At the same time, they must defend against inappropriate intrusions of irrelevant or distracting technology into the learning process.
WHAT ARE FIVE CRITERIA FOR SELECTING MEDIA?
Picking media is hard and requires careful thought and judgment.
Avoid formulas such as, "Always use _______ to teach _______."
Forget your personal preferences. Ignore what worked on your last project. Consider these criteria:
o Speak the natural language. Pick media to fit your learner, subject and learning goals. The choice for teaching emergency medical procedures to high school coaches would differ from those for teaching estate attorneys the wrinkles of the latest revisions of the tax code. Ask yourself, "What is the most direct, immediate, natural way to accomplish my goal in teaching this subject to this learner?"
o Combine media for crucial messages. Seeing and hearing a message leads to greater retention and later application than seeing or hearing the message alone. If your primary medium fails for some reason, your secondary medium saves the day. Complementary choices of media can overcome difficulties of equipment failure, sensory disabilities, and human fatigue and inattention.
o Function first. Aesthetics second. Entertainment third. Communicate your message. Then make it pleasing and attractive. Only then consider adding touches of cleverness and entertainment. Edutainment is neither. Go Hollywood at your own risk.
o Stay pragmatic. Consider your ability to produce media and your learner's ability to play it. Full-screen video might be the ideal medium, but not for learners who must access your learning over a slow network connection. Richly detailed character animation might work well in the laboratory but fail when subject to real-world constraints of budget and schedule. Well-written words and convincing graphics are more effective than amateurish video or stuttering animation.
o Speak the natural language. Yeah, I know I said that already. But it is the first and last word in media choices.
