I have a love/hate relationship with writing this blog and often it applies to the whole program. On one hand, I hate it because I have no instructing experience and therefore I have nothing interesting or unique to say about the subject. I also find it boring to regurgitate the information I learned from assigned readings. It’s killing my soul to put out these bland posts. On the other hand, I love reading blogs of other students because they contain the useful personal experience and valuable insights.
What are some things to consider when selecting a design model? I don’t know, therefore I have to turn to the experts. According to Dousay (2018), it is important to consider the anticipated delivery format, if the instruction will be synchronous online, synchronous face to face, asynchronous online, or some combination of these formats. How do I make design decisions? It helps to have a model or process to follow once it is selected. For example, The Gagne-Briggs model describes not only how to create instruction but how to determine the content (Gagne et al., 1988). What I liked about it is that it breaks down the learning process into 9 steps, although it seems to be more appropriate for a synchronous face to face instruction.
1. Gain Attention
2. Inform learner of objective
3. Stimulate prerequisite recall
4. Present stimulus material
5. Provide learning guidance
6 Elicit performance
7. Provide feedback
8. Assess performance
9. Enhance retention and transfer
Every model has its own set of principles and processes. I’ve never actually used one, but it seems that breaking down a learning process into smaller chunks should be helpful in making design decisions. Which model would I choose? According to Dousay (2018) “instructional design models seek to help designers overcome gaps in what is learned due to either instruction, motivation, or resources.” I have some experience in group facilitation where many participants lacked motivation, so ARCS-V model created by Keller (2016) sounds interesting. It breaks down motivation into four variables: attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction. These four variables are used in a Motivational Design Process which has 10 steps.
1. Obtain course information
2. Obtain audience information
3. Analyze audience
4. Analyze other course elements
5. List objectives and assessments
6. List potential tactics
7. Select & design tactics
8. Integrate with instruction
9. Select and develop materials
10. Evaluate and revise
What I liked about Keller’s work is that he doesn’t just provide a model and 10 steps to guide a design process, he also discusses various tactics and strategies to keep the students engaged and motivated.
Dousay, T. (2017). Chapter 22. Instructional Design Models. In Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology (1st ed.).
Gagne, R. M., Briggs, L. J., & Wager, W. W. (1988). Instructional design. Rinehart and Winston Inc, New York.
Keller, J. M. (2016). Motivation, learning, and technology: Applying the ARCS-V motivation model. Participatory Educational Research, 3(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.16.06.3.2