Instructional Design and the things that make you go DURRH...

There are two separate components of education, and for the experienced educationist, this manifests in two ways in the corporate world: ILTs (instructor led-training) & e-learning... and after spending five precious years in the ways of instructor-led training, I found myself battling away with four e-learning pundits at my new full time job over the last week as I began to map what I'd gleaned in ILT theory and practice over to the current job role that requires me to apply the very same theories to e-learning.

Through a blast of screenshots, company-specific templates and a series of clients that these folks create content for, I discovered a new theory that was aligned to Gagne's Nine Learning Events... Merrill's Component Display Theory which unlike most classic theories focus on the content that is being disseminated. Interesting!

Every other 'component' in the proverbial ADDIE design that is backed by theories in learning psychology either focuses on creating measurable learning objectives or following the perfect learning flow but this one has has me perusing through a million sites for clarity in how it can be applied from an Instructional Designer's perspective.

In dividing 'content' into four different sections, it gives instructional designers some decent ideas as to how to 'compose' and structure content... oh, you'll see!

And it does make you go DURRRH...

There's Bloom's taxonomy, Malcolm Knowles theory of Adult Learning, Kirkpatrick's Four Levels of Assessments, Kolbe's Experiential Cycle, Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory and several more that either contribute to the components of Instructional System Design or even suggest alternative approaches.

Strangely enough, when you begin to apply these theories to real-life corporate training, you begin to see patterns between each of these theories... and it does make you go DURRRH! ;)

But what if you're obsessed about ID (like I am) this is more fodder for learning taking you on a journey where the destination doesn't matter but just the intellectual ride itself will give a series of highs that liquor, cigarettes and drugs can't match... music of course, is a different thing altogether!

Anyways, these highs are preceded by several DURRH moments... but it's a real joy to see something work (in education) especially when it's based on some of the postulates of the great men in our past.

And there are several of them who have contributed to science of learning psychology, the only form of psychology that has done any good really...

So, if you particularly like any of these things that CAN make you go DURRRH... go ahead and have a read... oh and welcome to the wonderful, experimental (and mind-bending) world of Instructional Design...

And if you're really interested in knowing what this business is about, here's a link that can help you with a nice introduction to a career in Instructional Design. Have fun!