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In Chapter 10, “Evaluation in Instructional Design: A Comparison of the Major Evaluation Models”, Johnson and Bendolph (2018) define evaluation and its logic and unpack several of its most widely used models. The detailed descriptions of industry standard evaluation models provided valuable information. The authors first distinguished formative from summative assessment by explaining that formativeContinue reading “Evaluation in Instructional Design”

As instructional design and technology (IDT) professionals, we are expected to remain up to date in our knowledge and skills in key areas such as learning, instruction, performance improvement, media, and technology. Both scholars and practitioners in IDT achieve this by joining professional societies, attending conferences, participating in formal and informal networking events, reading papers,Continue reading “Career and Professional Development”

Professionals are often unaware of or have a hazy understanding of the code or laws that regulate professional conduct in their field. To resolve this problem, several professional associations have established ethical standards that their members are expected to follow. “The code of ethics provides direction for daily practice and a basis  for understanding andContinue reading “Professional Ethics”

Human Performance Technology (HPT) is a systematic examination of ways to improve performance in the workplace. The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) defines HPT as “a systematic approach to improving productivity and competence… it is a process of selection, analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of programs to most cost-effectively influence human behavior andContinue reading “What’s in a Name? HPT, HPI, and ID”

According to Pershing (2006), human performance technology (HPT) can be defined as “the study and ethical practice of improving productivity in organizations by designing and developing effective interventions that are results-oriented, comprehensive, and systemic” (p. 6). HPT is characterized by four distinguishing features that set it apart from other fields and disciplines involved in improvingContinue reading “Human Performance Technology”

Informal learning can be understood as learning that take place outside an educational institution or other formal setting. According to Martinez and Whiting (2021), informal learning can be defined as “the pursuit of any knowledge, skill, or understanding that occurs outside a formal or non-formal learning event, such as a classroom, training facility, or eLearningContinue reading “Informal Learning”

In the span of the 21st century, the field of instructional design has been influenced by a number of developments. A notable increase in the use of the Internet for teaching and learning is one (Reiser, 2018). For more than a century, education has taken place in a physical classroom, between approximately the hours ofContinue reading “History of Instructional Design and Technology”

As instructional designers or educational practitioners, a shared goal is to improve, or facilitate, learning and performance. To achieve this goal, designers and educators are charged with “translating principles of learning and instruction into specifications for instructional materials and activities” (Smith & Ragan, 1993, p. 12). Driscoll (2018) presents an introduction to some of theContinue reading “Theories of Learning”

As highlighted by Brown et al. (1989), a number of traditional teaching and training practices act under the assumption that conceptual knowledge is independent of the situations in which it is learned and used. These practices assume that the activity and context in which learning takes place are ancillary to learning and distinct to whatContinue reading “Situated Cognition and Cognitive Apprenticeship”

Merrill’s (2002) first principles of instruction recognize the real-world problem as one of five common principles across instructional design theories: “Learning is promoted when learners are engaged in solving real-world problems” (p. 43). At the heart of Merrill’s (2002) first principles is their problem-orientation, where ‘‘learning is promoted when learners are engaged in solving real-worldContinue reading “Constructivist Approaches”