Analyzing Learners and Contexts

Shawn Atwood
Foundations of Instructional Design
EDPS 6430

“Analyzing Learners and Contexts.”

Well, this past week as I have embarked even further upon the quest to define what an instructional designer is and how I would tell my mother-in-law all about it, studying “Chapter 5: Analyzing Learners and Contexts” helped me quite a bit in the attempt to define the field. For me, I almost feel the answer is within this title. An instructional designer is one that is continually analyzing the learners and the context and then modifying the content being taught to best fit the needs of the learner.

It is apparent to me that as an instructional designer is continually analyzing their audience then they will learn what it is that the learner needs and as they adjust their teaching, then with regards to the instruction, the learner will “find it relevant to their interests or job, feel confident that they can learn it and will be satisfied when they do” (p.105). This backs up the theory of constuctivism that we studied this week as well because as learners begin to connect material with past experiences, then it becomes both relevant and meaningful to them.

September 16-September 23

Shawn Atwood
Foundationas of Instructional Design
EDPS 6430

“September 16 – September 23”

Well, I feel as if I am one step closer to figuring out what it means to be an instructional designer and what technology is. I feel as if I have learned so much over the last few weeks and at the same time I feel like I have a long ways to go as far as learning and figuring things out. I kind of feel like my newborn baby: late nights and early mornings, being passed around from person to person, and trying to make sense of what is going on. It has been quite a ride this last little while.
Well, in attempting to define instructional design with an even deeper meaning, I have learned that instruction has less to do with the instructor, and more to do with the learner. If one considers what it is that they want the learner to walk away with, then they are better able to align their instruction to fit the student’s needs. An instructional designer is one who teaches the learner, not the content. Or in other words, asking themselves the question: “is specific content being taught, or is the target population being taught” (Dick and Carey 2005 p. 77).
In addition to this, it is therefore important for an instructional designer to evaluate the analysis of the learning tasks before they are ready to proceed to the next type of design activities because if they move on when the learner is not ready, there might be a learning gap where the learner is unable to connect the dots. An instructional designer is therefore someone that analyzes the needs of the learner and then designs and presents the material to the learner in a way that will best fit the learner’s needs. As I think about what technology is, I am now convinced that technology is any thing used in the instruction process. Good luck everyone in your upcoming week.

Shawn Atwood
Foundations of Instructional design
EDPS 6430

“1 Step Closer”

Congratulations everyone! We survived week #2. This has been a fascinating week for me as far as teaching and learning are concerned. I think that both teaching and learning really go hand in hand with each other. As you teach, you learn so much about yourself as well as the learner, and as you learn new things, you naturally have the desire to teach and/or explain it to another person. As I have completed the readings for this week as well as last weeks and in addition to the classroom discussions and student blogs, I have walked away with an even better understanding of what it means to be an instructional designer, and even perhaps more importantly, what it takes to be an effective one. I don’t have it completely down by any means, but I at least feel 1 step closer.
In class on Tuesday we learned that there are three questions to ponder when considering your instructional design: where do we need to go? How will we get there? and how will we know when we have arrived? It seems to me that in instruction there is a lot of emphasis placed on the “how will we get there?” that that becomes the major focus, rather than on the end results. I also appreciated Rich’s acronym with DAN that he explained: Desired results, Actual results, and Need. I think that an instructional designer is one who is constantly assessing themselves and trying to continually improve so that the learners can achieve success. I also think that an additional question an instructional designer may ask might be something like this: “what will the learners be able to do? According to Dick and Carey “the instructional design approach stresses doing” (Pg. 40). It is one thing to understand something, but it is a completely different thing to be able to do something with what you understand.
Finally, an instructional designer is one who focuses on the intellectual skills of the learner. These include “forming concepts, applying rules, and solving problems” (Pg. 41). These skills enable a learner to be able perform and not just understand something. With each step, however; there should be an observable outcome because that is how an instructional designer is able to really monitor if learning really taking place. Have a great week everyone!

Dick W., Carey L., Carey J (2005) The Systematic Design of Instruction (6th Ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

#2 - What is an educational designer? What is technology?

Shawn Atwood
Foundations of Instructional Design
Sept. 5, 2008

“What is an instructional designer? What is technology?”

As class ended a few nights ago, a couple of things have been racing through my mind concerning education, learning, technology, and the instruction that takes place. It is still a very complicated task to try to attempt to define what an instructional designer is and in addition, what technology is, but I will attempt to give it my best shot. So, what is an instructional designer? And what is technology? Fasten your seatbelts because here we go!
First, what is an instructional designer? An instructional designer is one who attempts to continuously facilitate learning in their student through a wide variety of teaching techniques. The more variety the better, because variety is what will keep the learner interested in what is being taught. According to Dick and Carey, there are a few things to consider when deciding on the instructional design. They include four instructional goals: First, is knowing who the learners are. An instructional designer is one who is constantly informally assessing his/her learners. Once an instructional designer understands who their audience is, they will know how to design their instruction to best fit the learner’s needs. They are constantly evaluating themselves as well, deciding how to change their instructional design so they can instruct more effectively. This is a vital step in the effect that just because an instructional designer knows the content, does not mean they know how to teach it.
The second goal is understanding “what learners will be able to do in the performance context” (Pg. 25). Essentially this is the objective of the instructional designer for the learner. Without an objective, instructing is pointless. These objectives will, and should, often change as well based on the level and performance of the learner. The challenge with this is deciding how the learners will learn the content and how long it will take for them to master the content because every student is at a different level. The third goal is how the skill will be applied. If there is no application coinciding with the instruction, then the instructional design failed. I believe that this is the most crucial step because it completely validates the instruction.
The fourth goal is describing “the tools that will be available to the learners in the performance context” (Pg.25). To me, the forth goal helps to actually answer my second question: what is technology? Technology is what the student or the instructional designer uses to collaborate learning, whether it is tools, techniques, or procedures. Put simply, it is anything that makes something, including learning and teaching, more efficient. That is why technology and an instructional designer go hand in hand, because they both have a common purpose: to facilitate learning.