MIT 500: Instructional Systems Design: Research and Theory

MIT 500. Instructional Systems Design: Theory and Research (3). Advanced instructional design theory and research focus on analysis of theoretical foundations of instructional design and their application in design practice. Examines multidisciplinary and multicultural influences upon instructional theory and development. Explores a broad range of current design research and theory, and future directions in design theory and practice.

Product

• The nutrition label course project
• Foundational PowerPoint presentation
• Task Analysis
• Learner characteristics
  

Context and Conditions

"The nutrition label", a self-instrutional, module, was completed in partial fulfillment of a course entitled: MIT 500 Instructional Systems Design: Theory and Research. Dr. Mahnaz Moallem taught this course in the fall semester of 2006. The module was designed for university students to teach themselves how to read and understand the nutritional food label.

Scope

This project was sponsored by the UNCW health promotion department for use in conjunction with existing programs in nutrition and health.

After consulting with the SMEs, a full instructional design process was completed. This process included the five phases of the ADDIE process.

The module was developed using PowerPoint which was later ported to Moodle for Web delivery.

Role

This project was completed in partnership with Nancy McDowell and Shane Baptista, with the sponsorship of health promotions department at UNCW. There was no stated leadership/management structure, and each of us performed the roles of an instructional designer.

We used Dick and Carey's systematic design of instruction model to guide our process; including conducting student surveys as a part of the needs analysis, analyzing stakeholders and the environmental context of the training and performance environments, conducting a cognitive task analysis, designing instructional strategies based on Mayer's SOI theory, developing and programming in the Moodle LMS, conducting one-on-one and small group formative evaluations.

In the development domain there were many opportunities to create graphic elements as a part of the overall design and implementation. In addition to graphic design, but this project required us to use HTML and CSS to construct the module in Moodle.

Reflection

As a first-class in the MIT program, I had some successes and failures. The best part was working with a group collaboratively and creatively towards a worthwhile goal. The worst part was forcing myself to work methodically, whereas I typically relied on inspiration.

Looking back on it now, if I could tell myself one thing, it would be to look at the big picture. Working through the processes and not focusing so much on the products was difficult.

The other thing that this project left with me, although I didn't recognize it at the time, was my desire to work with causes or topics that I believe in. Environmental consciousness and health delveloped as a theme to most of my work in the MIT program.