Instructional design principles and applications

Instructional Design offers teachers a number of advantages and disadvantages. Instructional design can provide a framework and allow the coordination of assessment, objectives and teaching. However, instructional design can be limited by weak learning objectives, and potentially supersede real concerns over learning. Despite these disadvantages, instructional design is a valuable teaching tool.

Instructional design can be defined as "is the analysis of learning needs and systematic development of instruction. Instructional design models typically specify a method, that if followed will facilitate the transfer of knowledge, skills and attitude to the recipient or acquirer of the instruction" (Wikipedia). While instructive, this definition does little to reveal the true nature of instructional design. A simpler definition may be of instructional design as "the systematic process of translating general principles of learning and instruction into plans for instructional materials and learning" (McNeil).

Cognitive learning theory provides the largest single influence on instructional design in today's educational environment (McGriff). Overall, cognitive theories have an emphasis on the learner, and focus on the cognitive processes and representations that occur within the learner (Smith and Ragan).

Instructional design has a number of advantages, including providing a framework for creating learning plans, creating coordination between designers and teachers, and allows for the designer to coordinate objectives, activities and assessments. There are some limitations to instructional design, however, as when learning goals are poorly defined or not defined at all. Further, it is important not to confuse learning with building or designing through instructional design (Rieber).

Teachers can use instructional design to help define their curricula, from developing learning objectives, to creating activities, to defining assessments. As such, instructional design can help teachers create an organized, thorough instructional experience.