XINYI YU
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN SAMPLES

Two years ago, I chose a cool major. Learning, Design, Technology. However, at that time, I did not know how I am going to connect three phrases “Learning, Design, Technology” together. One thing, I learned after two-year experience in LDT program, is working through learning system –the learner, the learning process, and/or learning vehicles or materials. So I summarized what I gained from my learning experiences in LDT. The formula for learning experiences are below:

<Learning (theories, Design based research)> + <Design (principles>) + <Technology (instructional technique skills)> = <blueprints for courses design> & implementation

Learning represents learning theories and design based research.

Design contains principles from design based research.

Technology includes all digital, virtual, blended tools in use for educational purposes. (e.g. authoring instructional tools).

All three elements will point out the production session in the program course design.

It is not only a formula, but it also could be a work flow and a cycle if the design implementation follows up. The course design will also become a design principle database (DBR study) continually nurture research, technology selections, and design principle itself.

Each of the selections include multiple micro operation cycles.

THEORIES INFLUENCE ME

Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and constructivism are the first theory I accessed to in my graduate study. Constructivism from Vygotsky’s dictionary is about the knowledge shaping process of children is based on the interactions between their self-explore and environments (Jaramillo, 1996). Later one, I was exposure to history- cultural activity theory, which delved into think how individuals, community, and cultural tools influence the actions that people accomplish (Oers, 2008).

Design principle theory based on constructivism by Vygotsky

From then on, the theme of individuals, community, and culture points out more related theories including the connected learning theory, which is a design- principle oriented theory, like “Shared purpose, production-centered, openly networked, interest-powered, peer-supported, and academically oriented (Ito, Gutiérrez, & Livingstone, et. al., 2013). Other than the connected learning, including

1. Project-based learning /Problem based learning (Sawyer, Ed., 2014)

2. Learning design for understanding (Perkins & Unger, 1999)

3. Online Community System Web 2.0 (Slotta & Najafi, 2013)

4. Tinkerability by Resnick & Rosenbaum (Resnick & Rosenbaum, 2013)

5. Creative Media Production in Youth participatory competencies by Kaifai and Peppler (2011)

Plus, Design based research class made me familiar with the how educational research processed and how to use those design principles to integrate technology to design courses. We followed Brown’s work, McKinney and Reeves’ work to be familiar with DBR research.

In an individual study with Dr. Zimmerman, I also interpret data - personal self-reflections to delve into meta-cognition and learning. The learning experience is a hand-on experiences with the research theory study.

By knowing those theories, design principles, ADD instructional model (Dick, Carey, & Carey, 2015) is a more detailed instructional design framework for me to have a basic work flow for design work. I practiced the model by creating modules in both HR training Class and instructional design class. For a better understanding measurement through the learning process, I took psychological testing class and followed through the Dick, Carey and Carey. J (2015)’s work. It helps me use these learning experiences to serve future work purposes including onsite training, job assessment, and in-progress feedbacks. Also, the project refreshed my psychology knowledge base related to motivational theories.