aect-trends instructional design

Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology: What Shall Be Taught and How Shall We Teach It?
Short Description:

During this symposium, professors from six leading programs in the field will describe how recent innovative practices in such areas as social networking, e-learning, serious gaming, informal learning, the learning sciences and virtual worlds have affected the Trends and Issues course they teach. The panelists will discuss how these innovative practices have affected their course in terms of the topics covered and the instructional strategies and learning resources that are employed.
Abstract: (Click here to view other format again)

In recent years, a wide variety of innovative practices in education have had a major impact on the field of instructional design and technology (ID&T). These innovations have been in areas such as social networking, serious gaming, informal learning, virtual worlds, the learning sciences and e-learning. As new ideas and practices in these areas have come about, the nature of the field has changed. As the field of instructional design and technology evolves, it is important that the faculty who teach in ID&T programs stay abreast of these changes and make students aware of them. Oftentimes in ID&T graduate programs, the course in which students are first exposed to recent innovations in the field is the “Trends and Issues” course, or a course that is titled differently but has a similar purpose. What innovations are now being addressed in such courses? What types of learning resources and instructional strategies are faculty relying on to help students learn about these innovations? During this symposium, a group of six individuals, each of whom who teaches a Trends and Issues course in one of six major ID&T programs in the United States, will discuss these and other related issues.The specific questions the panelists will respond to will include the following:• Which recent innovations in the field of education do you and your students focus upon in your Trends and Issues course?• How have recent innovations in the field affected the goals and objectives of the course? • How have the instructional strategies and learning resources that are employed in the course been affected by these innovations? What instructional strategies are most effective and why?• In light of the wide array of innovations affecting our field, is it better to try to provide students with a brief introduction to many of these, or to try to address a few of them in greater depth? Why?• Given the wide array of skills students in our programs must acquire, should a Trends and Issues course, which typically is not skills-oriented, be a required course in the curriculum? Why or why not?The panelists for this symposium were chosen to represent a variety of professional viewpoints and a wide range of professional experiences. Moreover, they represent academic programs that differ in several important respects, such as the professional focus of the program (e.g., emphasis on instructional design vs. emphasis on technology applications). Thus there are many differences between the panelists with regard to the set of topics they teach in the course, the instructional strategies they employ, and the learning resources they use. So as to highlight these differing approaches, the symposium will be organized as a discussion, with each panelist briefly sharing his or her views on one question before the panelists turn their attention to the next question. Moreover, as each question is discussed, panelists will have the opportunity to respond to each others’ ideas. This strategy, which the symposium organizer has employed successfully in other symposia, should lead to a lively interplay among the panelists. Members of the audience will also have the opportunity to participate during the latter part of the session.Each panelist will also provide the audience with a brief written description of his or her Trends and Issues course. These descriptions will all be presented using the same format (for ease of comparison) and address the following questions:a. What are the characteristics of the students who typically enroll in the course? In particular:i. how many students enroll each semester?ii. what percentage of the students are: • masters students? doctoral students?• full-time? part-time? • international students?iii. upon graduation, in what settings do the students find employment? what percentage workin each setting?b. What are the goals and objectives of the course?c. What topics are covered in the course?d. What textbook (if any) do you use? What other instructional resources do you employ?e. What is the primary instructional strategy you employ?f. How do you assess student learning?In summary, those who attend this session will have the opportunity to hear a variety of points of view regarding (a) what should be taught in a Trends and Issues course and (b) what instructional strategies and learning resources should be used in such a course. This discussion, plus the basic course information that each panelist will disseminate, should provide members of the audience with a wealth of ideas that might be considered as they and/or their colleagues design or revise a “Trends and Issues” course at their institution.