Section 5: Trends and Issues in Various Settings

Section 5 of your textbook focuses on trends and issues where instructional designers are likely to become employed to include business and industry, the military, the medical field, P-12 education, and higher education. This week's posting will focus primarily on military and education; however, I encourage you to read the chapter in the medical field as it's important to be aware of changes going on outside of education.

• Chapter 18 discusses instructional design in business and industry. Give an example of rapid prototyping and discuss how this could be used in education.

Rapid prototyping instructional design is a very cost effective and efficient method.  This method is usually never completed, so it can evolve and improve with changes in curriculum focus and technology.

When a design model is published and finalized and tied to one type of technology, it is easy for the model to be obsolete.  For example, a program tied to transparencies and the use of an overhead projector really is not feasible in today's classroom due to the cost of transparencies, but also due to the lack of audience response.

Conversely, a rapid prototype design model might have started from a pencil and paper, to the use of a slide projector, to overhead projector, to a computer projector that is common in classrooms today.  As you can see in the video, the change in technology should be compatible with a curriculum.

One activity that I use with lessons involves storyboarding concepts.  My students enjoy storyboarding, because it engages them on several levels and fits their learning styles.  Storyboarding as a learning model evolves with time, because I have used it with students using colored pencils and paper on walls, markers and transparencies on projectors, to PowerPoint slides on a computer.  This model can be considered a prototype because I am constantly tweaking and making improvements based on feedback from students as they use it.

• Chapter 19 discusses instructional design opportunities in military education and training environments. I had the opportunity to work two summers in Orlando on a faculty fellowship in the advanced distributed learning lab (ADL) discussed in the book and saw first hand some of the constraints placed on some of the tools that could be used for learning. Pretend you are hired as a consultant for the military. They want to use technology in its training, but electronic access is not always available. Using the Full Spectrum diagram, what alternatives could you suggest for a successful program?

Obviously, considering your audience in instructional design is understandingly important when your audience is the military. The quality of military training is vital due to the fact that everyday, the quality of the training could be the difference of life or death. So, with some trainings, the more realistic and more hands on, the better prepared the military is for anything.

The ideal situation for instructional design when working on a military project would definitely be geared toward training in a military classroom. The situation and parameters are controlled, and while there are some constraints as far funding and its applications, the training itself can be done using the most basic paper based materials to the complex computer based.

Like in public education, the ideal situation when working with the military is hardly ever the case or opportunity. Many times, the training could be necessary for troops who are deployed with limits to technology available. Some of the other issues with dealing with training deployed personnel is the availablity of time, resources, as well as security and protocol of the training itself.

To have a successful program, flexibility in the instruction design is the key. If paper-based instruction will work, without compromising safety, security, and location of deployed troops, then the instruction should be included into the program bundle. However, if it won't work, the program should be designed to accommodate computer or perhaps satellite communication based instruction. This means that the program should accommodate the type of access available, whether on LAN, military secured wifi, or satellite communications. In other words, the instruction design should include multiple facets of access in order to accommodate the locale of the training.

• Chapter 21 looks at radical educational change in P-12 settings. I visited the Chugach School District in Alaska and know Richard DeLorenzo very well. I can assure you that this change can occur in our schools. Review the Step-Up-To-Excellence methodology and the GSTE. Outline a staff development activity that will introduce both methodologies to your colleagues.

Both Step-Up-To-Excellence and GSTE methodologies involve almost a pyramid structure where the zenith is the result of an assessment and redesign of the method where needed.  In order to introduce these methodologies to my colleagues at a staff development, I would first divide them into groups of 4-5, preferibly mixing up content departments.  For example, I don't want the groups to be all math teachers or all science teachers, because with these methodologies, you really need to have a mixture of thought processes.  Each group will designate a leader/presenter for their group.

1. 60 minutes:  Each group would be given a hypothetical student situation, where each student has a different learning style and excels/struggles in various subjects.  Their assignment would be to design a program that would facilitate continued success in the strong area and improvement in the weak areas.

2.  30 minutes:  Group leaders will take the student plan to one other group and present the plan designed for the hypothetical student.  The new group will review the plan and point out any ideas or areas they see might need clarification or improvement.

3.  20 minutes:  Leaders return to their original group and present the ideas of the group from step 2.  Groups will make changes, if needed.

4.  30-45 minutes:  Each group will present their student and plan to the entire staff, allowing for questions and input for each student.

After this activity is through, the two methodologies can be presented, pointing out which groups used which methodology without knowing it.  Because some teachers are very hesitant to change ( ;P ), if they see that they use one method already without realizing it, adopting or altering instruction to fit any changes will be smoother.

• Navigating through the ranks of a faculty member in higher education can be tricky. A good institution has support for its faculty and provides faculty development opportunities to grow and learn. Research three different university offices for faculty development. Answer the following questions for each office:

For this question, I used UT , Texas A & M , and Texas Tech .

• What are the different names used for faculty development? 
• All three universities call it faculty development.
• What division is it under?
• UT: Faculty development programs are handled by the Graduate School.
• TAMU: Faculty development programs are handled by the Office of the Dean of Faculties and Associate Provost.
• TTU: Faculty development programs are handled by the Office of Vice President of Research.
• What services does it offer?
• UT offers various grants, fellowships, as well as research assignments.
• TAMU offers workshops for CTE and ITS that is designed to help professors improve student learning in their classes, as well as grants and assistance while working on research.
• TTU offers awards, scholarships, and grants for research assignments.  The university also offers training for grantwriting.
• How often are programs given and what specifically are they?
• UT offers applications for these programs once a year.  These programs are designed to allow faculty to conduct research in their fields, as well as mentoring and guiding students who are working on their post graduate work.
• TAMU offers several workshops throughout the year that focus on improving teaching skills of professors.  They also offer development research leave.  Leave must approved at least a year ahead of time.
• TTU has no timeline as far as professional development.  Specifically, these programs are designed to improve faculty knowledge in their field of expertise.