Also, different needs will necessitate different solutions. My quality concerns: Is it instructionally sound? What about the user experience? Above all, what are the learning outcomes? At what point do lowered standards become the standard? This is partly the same instruction vs. support question we've had all along? If we provide information in the form of performance support, reference material, etc., then how do you know if the instruction was successful?

Instead Matt pointed me to a book that he gave to all the instructional designers at Epic when he was head of design there - it's called e-Learning and the Science of Instruction , by Ruth Clark and Richard Mayer (Pfeiffer, 2002.... Enough disclaimers. Here goes: Use of media Use words and graphics rather than words alone (89% gain in learning). Keep graphics and text that relate to each other near each other (68% gain). Where possible, describe graphics using audio narration rather than text (80% gain).

I’ve posted before about the Dick & Carey method of instructional design - while I was taking a class based on the Dick & Carey method. This method of instructional design is very popular because it represents a systems method of designing instruction. Click on the image below to see a diagram of how this method works: But what does a systems method of designing instruction actually mean?

Today I read Weapons of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto.  Formerly an award-winning school teacher, Gatto now spews more vitriol at schooling than anyone else I have ever encountered... . A few gems from Weapons of Mass Instruction : Quoting H.L.

In yesterday's post, I looked at the ASSURE instructional design model, which was originally developed by Heinich et al in the 1990's, and is now popularly and widely-used in both classroom and... The E-learning Curve blog shares thought-provoking commentary and practical knowledge for e-learning professionals. Find out more... ...Tags: learning theory e-learning Constructivism Gagne Cognitivism ISD instructional design ASSURE Model events of instruction elearning.

On the occasion of its one hundredth birthday, Harvard Business School is taking a look in the mirror. Working Knowledge , an online forum from HBS, gave Professor Emeritus Jim Heskett a platform to raise the issue of the relevance of case study instruction.... Except for a funky computer simulation, a screening of Twelve Angry Men , and a handful of role-play exercises, everything was taught with cases.

As we saw when we investigated the Three-Phase Design Model, a number of stakeholders including subject matter experts, educationalists, and technical experts need to work together to design and... The E-learning Curve blog shares thought-provoking commentary and practical knowledge for e-learning professionals. Find out more... ...Tags: learning theory e-learning Constructivism Gagne Cognitivism ISD instructional design technology in education ASSURE Model events of instruction elearning.

I must admit peer mentoring sounded like something fun and new, which is why I bought it. Only it isn't - new that is, even though Steve claims this is the first book on the subject. And that's because peer mentoring, as it is applied here, seems to be no other than on-job instruction under a new name.... Steve provides lots of useful tips on ways to effectively scaffold the new entrant ('the apprentice') without being bogged down the whole time answering questions. He establishes a sensible sequence for the instruction (start with the 'air, food and water', i.e.

It's great to welcome one of close work colleagues entering the edublogosphere, particularly one with so much unique expertise to share, and that's Chris Brannigan of Caspian Learning . Chris is one of a rare breed of designers specialising in 3D worlds for education and training, with the advantage of a sound theoretical understanding of learning and an abundance of interesting opinions. Chris' first post, Failing to Win!

A few days ago Clive Shepard wrote a post entitled What’s the Problem with Kirkpatrick ? Who is Kirkpatrick? For those of you who aren’t all geeky about instructional design, Donald Kirkpatrick came up with the four levels of instruction back in the late 1950s.... We are now paying the dues for living that system. Kirkpatrick came up with his four levels of instruction back in the 50s. Was he influenced by the folks who came up with these men who engineered the ideas of “planned obsolescence”?