EMC 523: Article 6 Instructional Design

Instructional Design
For Distance Learning

Jim Hogan
EMC 523
Arizona State University
Fall, 1997

**I N D E X**
Introduction	Mediated Courses
Quality Design	Summary
Stand-Alone Courses	References

Introduction
There is no one more appreciative of quality instructional design than the student/ learner taking a distance learning (DL) course. The quality of design may not be apparent to the learner in a course that is well thought out and well designed, but it is powerfully evident to the learner in a course that is poorly designed. The feeling of being lost, not understanding what is expected or not knowing how to do what is expected is damaging in a face-to-face course, but is a death notice to a DL course. The elements of instructional design have been around for many years, but have not been universally used by all college teachers. With DL, the issue of instructional design is more critical; the feedback loop may not be as effective in DL as in a face-to-face class.

Walter Dick and Lou Carey in their book THE SYSTEMATIC DESIGN OF INSTRUCTION list 9 steps in designing quality instruction:

identify instructional goals;
conduct an instructional analysis;
identify entry behaviors and characteristics needed to succeed;
write performance objectives;
develop criterion-referenced test items;
develop an instructional strategy;
design and conduct the formative evaluation;
revise instruction;
conduct summative evaluation. (Dick and Carey, p. 5, 1985)
Many other authors and instructional design sites recommend similar steps. Most models expand or reduce on the detail of the model, but the core design concept remains constant. The Center for Excellence in Teaching at Lewis and Clark State College has a Course Design site that asks the curriculum designer to consider the following steps when developing an Internet course:

develop instructional goals;
delineate the specific learning outcomes that will serve the stated goals;
specify the conditions of learning relevant to the course;
specify the types of teaching activities, learning activities, and interactions which will facilitate the stated learning outcomes;
specify the instructional resources (i.e., human, material, spatial, and temporal) which would serve the identified activities and interactions;
specify the timetable for the effective completion of production tasks necessary to ready the course for piloting;
evaluate the course, the performance of the learners and make necessary adjustments.
These directions seem more than adequate if used diligently when developing a DL course. It is quite evident that to undertake such a project would take some time and a range of specialized support staff. The course should be tested with small groups of pilot students to make sure that all segments of the course are working well and that the learning outcomes are being accomplished.

I N D E X

Quality Design
While reviewing the course offerings on the Internet, I found several instructional models which stood out because of their quality pedagogical design, their look and feel, and their method of helping the learner understand what is expected of them. Two of the best sites are listed below.

The first course is WSPE 598: Applying Best Special Education Practices, taught by Ann Nevin, Ph.D., Professor, College of Education, ASU West. This course has many outstanding features that make it easy to understand and practicing the educational pedagogy that it preaches. Special features worth mentioning are:

a Pre-test and post-test for sections of the course;
a paragraph on the home page that lists Ann Nevin's Values Base;
a Course Road Map that lists the course objectives, how you can acquire them, how you can apply them, and how you can generalize, analyze and synthesize each objective; (Pretty impressive!)
a Glossary for the course;
Mini-lectures related to course objectives;
Focused questions for all readings;
a Data-based approach to learning the course content;
a Teachers Lounge with students favorite sites.

The second site is one that is used by the University of Toronto in their Continuing Education department to instruct teachers on how to use the Internet in delivering their courses. The site is bright, colorful and the tutorial is thoughtful and takes into consideration that many users may not have much experience in using the Internet as a learning tool. The site also has an interesting pedagogical approach in that it allows the learner to go through the course at any one of three levels. The Site Map provides you with a view of the module and the following directions:

there are seven main topics, roughly corresponding to the things you can do on the Internet;
each topic is presented in three levels: start with the basics, move through the intermediate level, and then become pro;
you can take the course by topic or by level;
if you are a new user or are seeking an overall understanding of the Internet, it is recommend that you take the course by level;
more experienced users might do the course by topic.
These levels are represented by graphics: a tour bus for Basics, a hot-air balloon for the Intermediate and a skier for the Pro. You almost have to see this feature to totally understand it. It seems this feature is very powerful to a novice. It gives them control over how they are going to approach the material and should be a good model for how the teachers develop their course material.

There is a range of human/ social interaction in the application of these DL courses. A stand-alone course that you watch on TV is at one end of the continuum where there is little human interaction. A mediated-course on the other hand, is one in which there is high interaction between all members of the class. It is important to look at both of these models and those in between.

I N D E X

Stand-Alone Courses

The stand-alone course must in many ways be more complete or at least more structured, as the learner does not have the support and constant interaction with with either the instructor or other students. The interaction is with a TV monitor or a computer monitor and the interaction must be conceived by the developer when preparing the course. I developed a Computer Based Instruction (CBI) course module while on sabbatical four years ago. The task seemed to be pretty straight forward and as a precaution I built in a T-mail button that recorded questions and comments that students made while completing the CBI. These comments were recorded on the students data disk. I was able to read these comments when reviewing the assignments completed by the students. I could not begin to believe the number and depth of the questions and concerns that students raised. It took me some four semesters to correct most of these problems with the application. This exercise taught me a great respect for anyone who develops this type of course material.

There are some instructional developers that have been in the market for some time and I have identified two of them for this paper.

The first is a course from MEU, Jones University. It is from the "Business Careers and Finance" section with the course title Art of Investing. The course has little educational support except the TV schedule and a list of learning objectives. It is, however, easy to sign up and watch the course offered three or four times a week.
The second course is from Thomson Co., an industry training organization that has started to package some college courses on videotape. This telecourse Taking the lead: The Management Revolution is very complete with detailed instructional material:
- Course Description: An introductory management course intended for students majoring in business and other disciplines who know they will need management skills in their future endeavors, whatever their chosen profession.
- Learning Outcomes: This course examines the changing, challenging environment of management in the 21st century, including coverage of multinational marketing and competition, the explosive force of technology, the cultural and social diversity of the workforce, the emphasis on environmental awareness and social responsibility and how these are radically changing the world of business and management.
- Program Format: Taking the Lead integrates video programs with a Textbook, Telecourse Study Guide, and Faculty Manual to create substantive, educationally-sound instruction. Video Programs: 26 broadcast-quality half-hour programs that give the viewer the opportunity to hear from many leading management and business experts, in an engaging format that is visually dynamic and intellectually stimulating.
- Textbook: INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT, by Richard Plunkett and Raymond Attner. Available through South-Western College Publishing.
- Telecourse Study Guide: The study guide is designed to help students integrate the concepts and information they encounter in the video programs and textbook. Each lesson includes an overview of the topic, lesson objectives, specific course assignments, and detailed self-tests.
- Faculty Manuall: The manual provides information necessary to administer the course, guide student experiences, and evaluate student learning. It contains a professionally-developed test bank, also available on diskette. Information on course development, keys to course promotion and administration, and a complete course outline, including objectives for each lesson are also included.
These courses will probably be around for some while because they are highly focused courses that are convenient for the student to use at a time and place that works best for them. The price of delivering these types of classes is low because of the marketability and high use of the content.

I N D E X

Mediated Courses

Mediated Courses are at the other end of the continuum with high level interaction beteen: teacher and student, and students with eachother. This mode of delivering instruction is the rising star in the distance education market. The courses can be developed for a smaller group of learners and have the ability to teach not only knowledge, but professional skills as well as some social skills. One of the appeals of computer-mediated instruction for distance education is the provision of an instructional environment that is more open ended and group oriented than the "stand-alone" distance media of written correspondence, one-way audio or videocassette, computer-based instruction, or interactive videodisk. (Eastmond and Ziegahn, p. 61, 1995) This type of delivery method is an exploding market of students for Rio Salado Community College and the University of Phoenix. Both of these institutions are in the infancy with this delivery mode, but they are improving on the student learning component each year. Two examples of mediated distance learning are:

The University of Phoenix is delivering an increasing number of their courses through on-line, mediated delivery system. The courses are primarily group oriented and project based. They have this to say about their on-line courses;
- Typically, on the first day of the week, the instructor sends introductory information on the week's topic, and confirms the assignments, such as reading from the textbook, completing a case-study, or preparing a paper on the topic you're studying.
- The instructor also posts a short lecture or elaborates on the material, and provides discussion questions related to the topic.
- Throughout the week you work on your reading and assignments on your own, just as you would in a traditional classroom setting.
- You use the computer conferencing system to participate in the class discussion and ask questions/receive feedback.
- When your assignments are due, you send them to your instructor on-line, she/he grades them and sends them back to you with comments.
- Rather than gathering in a classroom, students and instructors interact electronically and asynchronously using the highly-regarded conferencing software application, Convene¨ (AlexWare TM).

The second site that uses the mediated method of teaching is Mesa Community College. This college has some ten or so high quality courses offered over the Internet. Access to these courses is restricted to students enrolled in them. It is not possible at this time to look at these courses, but the research I have completed on this college's distance learning offerings is positive. The college has chosen to take their time and develop quality material and build a solid educational reputation.

I certainly would be negligent if I did not mention the course that opened my eyes to what a college course can do through mediated delivery. The course is EMC 523 Telecommunications for Instruction in the Educational Media and Computers program, Department of Education, Arizona State University. This course has a rich mix of directed research, focused writing assignments, group discussion on research/ writing topics, some face-to-face meetings, take-home test, project presentation, and a mix of web-available resource material. The combination makes for a quality educational course. It does require, however, a discipline on how to approach the work or you can spend fifteen to twenty hours a week completing work for the course.

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Summary

After reviewing all of these sites and reading selections from several texts, I believe that the single most important feature of developing courses for distance learning is quality instructional design. This includes understanding the nature of the learner and what activities lead to a quality educational experience. I know that high quality instructioin can be accomplished through this mode. Conversations with administrators in the British Columbia college system have told me about such programs as nursing, where students have completed degrees using distance learning as a primary teaching tool. The students in this program complete the knowledge part of the course by distance learning and then complete a laboratory hands-on section with the closest hospital, clinic or doctor. The evaluations from the medical community were outstanding for these graduates. The time and instructional design effort must be flawless for this type of performance, but it was done.

The leadership role that distance learning, and especially Internet delivered courses, has provided is that they are out there for all to see. The traditional face-to-face classes have been secluded behind closed doors for too long. The major evaluaters have been students, and their voice has not been the strongest. The pressure on Internet courses is that they perform at a higher level than the traditional classroom model. I already see spillover into the traditional classroom from the quality demonstrated by Internet courses. I have great hope for this alternative delivery system and maybe one day it may be seem as the leader in a new look at how we teach and learn.

I N D E X

R E F E R E N C E S

Print

Dick, Walter. Carey, Lou. (1985) p. 5, The Systematic Design of Instruction, Second Edition, Scott, Foresman and Co. Glenview, Illinois

Eastmond, Dan. Ziegahn, Linda. (1995) p. 61, Instructional Design For The On-line Classroom. In Berge, Zane L. Collins, Mauri P (1995). Computer Mediated Communication. Hampton Press, Inc.

Online

Course Design (1997) through The Center for Excellence in Teaching at Lewis at Clark State College
Available: http://www.lcsc.edu/techserv/cet/cdd.html

WSPE 598: Applying Best Special Education Practices, (1997) a graduate course taught by Ann Nevin, Ph.D., Professor, College of Education, ASU West.
Available: http://www.west.asu.edu/icaxn/wsed598.html

University of Toronto (1997) The Internet Guide (TIG), their Continuing Education department.
Available: http://www.fis.utoronto.ca/conted/TIG/Demo/Nav/navfram.htm

MEU, Jones University. (1997) Art of Investing, a course from the "Business Careers and Finance" section with their course bank.
Available: http://www.meu.edu/ktv/index.html

Taking the lead: The Management Revolution (1997), a video course by Thomson Co.
Available: http://www.thomson.com:9966/DistLearning/takelead.html

University of Phoenix (1997), A deliver of mediated distance education.
Available: http://www.uophx.edu/online/">University of Phoenix

Mesa Community College (1997), A deliverer of mediated distance education.
Available: http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/academic/ctl/Distance/disted.html

EMC 523 Telecommunications for Instruction, (1997), taught by Dr. Marina Stock McIsaac and Deke Joralmon, in the Educational Media and Computers program, Department of Education, Arizona State University.
Available: http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/~mcisaac/emc523/