DEVELOPING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

The following are notes from chapter 9 of The Systematic Design Instruction, sixth edition by Dick, Carey & Carey.

THE DELIVERY SYSTEM AND MEDIA SELECTIONS

As a natural part of the materials development process, our choices of theoretically best practice will always run into a reality check and require some compromises, however the delivery system and media selections should provide a workable educational product that fits the learning environment.

There are three factors that cause compromise in media and delivery system selection. The first is the availability of existing instructional materials. The second is the production and implementation constraints, which are usually severely underestimated by novice designers who don't realize the expertise, infrastructure, and time requirements that go into in-house production. When faced with constraints, the best step is to back down to simple media formats and produce them well, rather than sticking with complex media formats and producing them poorly. The third factor that compromises media and delivery system selection is the amount of instructor facilitation. Course dialogue (in class or online discussion) gives the learners a perception of more personal experience and feelings of group affiliation, resulting in more positive student evaluations of the course and of the instructor. Since such components as motivating learners, promoting active recall of prerequisites, providing practice with corrective feedback, and promoting transfer could be missing from the online learning experience, it is important to provide an instructor presence in the online environment, or at least join the online experience with face-to-face classroom or work group experiences.

COMPONENTS OF AN EXISTING PACKAGE

Several components make up an instructional package, including instructional materials, assessments and course management information. Instructional materials contain the content that the student will use to achieve the objectives, and any material for enhancing memory and transfer. All instructional materials should be accompanied by objective tests or performance assessments, and these may include both a pretest and a posttest. Course management information consists of an instructor's manual that provides the instructor with an overview of the materials and shows how they might be incorporated into an overall sequence. Special attention should be paid to the ease with which this information can be used by the instructor or course manager.

SELECTING EXISTING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

When you consider the cost of developing a video or multimedia presentation, it is clear worth the effort of spending several hours examining existing materials to determine whether they meet your needs. Four criteria should be considered to evaluate materials. The first is goal-centered, and involves verifying congruence between the content in the material and the performance objectives. The second criterion is learner-centered, where you should consider the appropriateness of instructional materials for the target group, such as looking at vocabulary used, the learners' background and experience, etc. The third criterion is learning-centered, and this is where you determine if the existing materials are adequate as they are, or whether they need to be adapted or enhanced prior to use. The last criterion is context-centered, where context analyses provide the foundation for judging whether existing materials can be adopted as is or adapted for your settings.

THE DESIGNER'S ROLE IN MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT AND INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY

When instructors design and develop materials, their role in instructional design is passive, but their role as a facilitator is very active, as they monitor and guide the progress of students through the materials. An instructor that selects and adapts materials has an increased role in delivering instruction. When the designer is also the developer and the instructor, the whole process of materials development is rather informal. One advantage the instructor has in delivering all instructions according to the instructional strategy is that the instructor can constantly update and improve instruction as changes occur in the content. When the designer is neither the developer not the instructor, there is a need to create a team environment that requires collaboration and communication skills, along with each participant's design and development skills. If possible, the team members should conduct the onsite learner and context analyses themselves to observe a sample of the learners for whom the instruction is being designed.

DEVELOPING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR FORMATIVE EVALUATION

A rough draft of materials allows you to create a quick, low-cost version of your design, so that you will have something to not only guide final production but also to take into formative evaluation with subject matter experts, several learners or a group of learners. Rapid prototyping, which relates to the thought of doing it several times, is another technique used to create iterative cycles of formative evaluation and revision to shape the final form of the materials.

It is best to consider the materials you develop as draft copies and expect that they will be reviewed and revised based on feedback from learners, instructors, and subject-matter experts.

For those who are taking their first attempt at instructional design, it is always recommended that they produce self-instructional materials first, and later move to instructor-led material or some combination of both.