Our goal must be to create learning experiences that engage learners so that they invest themselves in study, summary, paraphrasing, outlining, note taking, practice, listening, discussion, debate, argument, theorizing, discovery, and fruitful experience. At the end of the day, learning is something the learner must do. Getting all of our students to engage and actively grapple with the topic at hand is difficult, especially in those situations where there may be over 200 students in a class.

 

   So, how do we design learning? The simple answer is--as in many design disciplines (archictecture, for example)--we first define what it is we want students to be able to do, know, and choose. Then, with every creative fiber in us, we design the systems and experiences that will lead most effectively to those defined outcomes. This is called a systems approach to instructional design, or, succinctly put: instructional systems design. We use the Morrison, Ross, Kalman, and Kemp (2011) instructional design model in practice. Here is a simplified representation of the process:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Evaluation

 

     In the instructional systems model, the defined outcomes--the objectives--are clearly articulated at the beginning of the design process. These objectives can then be put together to make up the test for this training. This test is developed prior to designing the instruction. Then, all of the subsequent design and development is aimed at teaching learners the knowledge and skills they need to do well on the test. In a very real sense, we are training students to the test. The key to this working is that the test must be a valid and reliable measure of the skills and knowledge that is really needed.

 

Reference

 

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2011). Designing effective instruction (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.