Instructional Design in the 21st Century: Where do we go from here?

As an educator who has bought in to e-learning, and modern teaching practice, I feel somewhat vindicated in self-assessing my own teaching practice to date. Much of what has been reported in Thomas’ (2010) writing has been an affirmation of what I am already doing in my classroom. That said, I have in various stages of my career been faced with great opposition for applying some of these strategies. No one likes change, yet it is the only constant of life. When I started teaching I employed traditional instructional/behaviourist teaching methods as this is what I knew as a student, and the university I completed my undergrad in was only just beginning to look at these alternative teaching methods. I majored in social studies, a profession (in Alberta and New Zealand at least) that is dominated by “more experienced” teachers, generally male, in the twilight of their careers and not always the most responsive to change. (possibly the only faculty more regressive to the new way of teaching is mathematics). Still, there I was young (‘er than I am now now, but especially young) new teacher with bright shiny ideas ready to re-invent the system and “make a real difference”. The cynicism I faced from the more established teachers nearly crushed my enthusiasm as I was met with comments like “Oh yeah, I remember that idea when it was called _____, and ten years it will be re-packaged and called something new. Me, I am going to stick to what I have been doing for forty years. I get results” But as I walked past classrooms of such teachers, I couldn’t help but notice the number of semi-conscious students idly siting in their desks zoned out on their phone or asleep completely, and I thought: there has to be a better way? But I feel I am digressing.

I stuck with my intuition and gradually started incorporating constructivist teaching into my practice, and embraced technology whole-heartedly. Though I was trained in social studies, I became an English teacher in a very progressive forward thinking school in New Zealand, and soon headed the e-learning initiative for that department. Here too, I was met with resistance, but my colleagues were at least receptive to change. Thomas points out that online educators are faced with the disruptive nature of technology, but this is faced in a more obvious way in traditional classroom settings worldwide. He cites for the need for a “clear vision for technology transformation, committed leadership, and dedicated change agents; (ii) for appreciation of the systemic nature of the infusion of instructional technologies; (iii) to address the complex nature of the infusion of instructional technologies” (p. 286). If only purveyors of e-learning initiatives worldwide had such a clear scope when trying to implement major institutional change, we would probably be much further along this journey.

To me, the focus of a blended learning/instructional design approach being on the needs of the individual learner just seems to be common sense. It should be apparent to any parent that each of their children are different, and learn and accomplish things at a different rate. I bemoaned the progress of my eldest daughter, now nine and on the honour roll at school, as she refused to walk as an infant until 19 months. I currently bemoan the progress of my youngest daughter, who, pushing 4, is embroiled in an often messy battle in an effort to conquer the potty, but who walked around at the age of one. In the grand scheme, I expect they will both be fine, but the point, even at this early stage, is that they have both taken different journeys. (it should be noted that I have a third daughter in between these two who should at least be acknowledged as we try and figure her out and not feed into her fully developed middle child syndrome!) Learners are no different. I can swim now, though I failed miserably at forced lessons to try and do so, and was much the ridicule of my classmates as I clung to the walls of the shallow end for much of primary school. Left to my own devices though, I figured it out.

Learning is a personal journey, instruction should be too: catered specifically to individual learners. As a parent of three young learners this is what I want for them. As an educator, I know this is difficult. The tried and true traditional method is often easier, and teachers are under a variety of pressures that no one who hasn’t done it can possibly understand.

Moving forward with instructional design for the 21^st century raises many flags. How do you possibly stay ahead of rapid change? How do you balance the myriad of different approaches? How do you know that the path you have chosen is correct? Perhaps the biggest leap of faith required for the implementation of effective 21^st century instructional design, is that the teacher needs to be comfortable with a role on the side as a manager of learning. This, at the same time, needing to be the most knowledgeable expert in the room in all manner of content being explored by the learners. I am presently faced with this struggle as I instruct Comparative Civilizations 12 (for the first time) to ESL students in Colombia. Where I am faced with questions like “teacher, why is the 13^th dynasty of Egypt more significant than the 15^th dynasty, was it because of the existence of Moses and the Exodus?” In my head I am thinking: that seems plausible, but I can’t say for sure because I only read about it on Wikipedia last night. For me, in this course, this is a daily struggle, staying ahead of my learners. I am confident if I embrace the mantra of lifelong learning I will be able to answer many of the questions I currently have about this approach to learning in the 21^st century. But it goes without saying that it will also require a bit of a leap of faith.

Thomas, P. Y. (2010). Learning and instructional systems design. In Towards developing a web-based blended learning environment at the University of Botswana. (Doctoral dissertation).