Instructional Design and Course Redesign in Higher Education

Introduction

Carol Twigg's article A Promising Path for Education (2004) presents a compelling case for the future possibilities and advantages of instructional design and instructional redesign projects. Twigg argues that there is a need for a new approach to instructional design and a more open and innovative understanding of the interconnection between technology and instruction. The Program in Course Redesign (PCR) demonstrated ways in which educational institutions could redesign instructional approaches using technology to achieve both cost savings and improved learning quality.

Instructional design is the development of a new and innovative mindset that makes use of technology to improve learning standards and accessibility. It is defined as "the process by which instruction is improved through the analysis of learning needs and systematic development of learning materials. Instructional designers often use technology and multimedia as tools to enhance instruction." These redesign projects focus on large-enrollment, introductory courses, which have the potential of impacting significant student numbers and generating substantial cost savings.

The Argument for Instructional Redesign

As Twigg points out, previous methods of instructional design have not delivered as expected. The instructional redesign project was an attempt to improve on older perceptions and methods, addressing fundamental challenges in contemporary higher education.

Central to Twigg's argument is the assertion that educators and administrators face two central problematic areas within the contemporary educational environment: rising costs and the continual need to improve the quality of learning at educational institutions. These issues of serious concern require more creative and practical solutions than have been employed in the past. Twigg claims that new possibilities are being explored through the instructional redesign project. As she emphasizes, the Program in Course Redesign, implemented at thirty colleges and universities, "offers compelling evidence that information technology can be used to improve student learning, raise the rate of college completion, and reduce instructional costs."

The important distinction of this instructional model lies in its essential difference from older, less innovative approaches to technology and instruction in education. Twigg emphasizes a critical point: "Most institutions have simply bolted new technologies onto an existing set of physical facilities, a faculty already in place, and an unaltered concept of classroom instruction. Used in this way, technology has become a black hole of additional expense." This observation reveals why previous technology initiatives failed to deliver optimal results.

In essence, planners in instructional technology should be prepared to, as Twigg states, have the "capacity and willingness to think anew." This desire to rethink older paradigms and create new, more innovative approaches "ought to be at the heart of higher education." In this sense, the instructional design project is significant in that it interrogates and questions the accepted ways of thinking about the interaction between technology and instruction.

This approach is described as a new direction for education courses that combine technology-based methods with learner-centered principles. According to Twigg, it has led not only to a better balance between cost and quality of education but also to improved learning standards. Out of the thirty institutions using this project, twenty-two showed improved student learning results, while eight indicated learning of equal quality to traditional formats. From an economic perspective, the use of this project reduced costs by an average of forty percent, with cost savings ranging from 20 percent to 77 percent.

Course Redesign Methodology and Results

While the issue of increasing learning ability and accessibility through technology is not new, Twigg suggests that until the implementation of this project, there had not been an optimal relationship between instructional design and technology. One of the central ideas illustrating this point is the shift in students from being passive note-takers to a more dynamic instructional model that stresses self-exploration and problem solving.

This approach also involves more comprehensive and ongoing feedback, as well as continual assessment of work via technological aids. The project emphasizes online tutorials and collaborative learning technologies designed to engage larger cohorts of students. Twigg makes an important observation: "What has changed dramatically is our capacity to incorporate good pedagogical practice into courses with very large numbers of students—a task that would have been impossible without technology."

Further clarification of these principles comes from an interview between Twigg and William H. Graves (2006). In this discussion, the difference between the use of technology in the redesign project and previous methodologies becomes clear. As Twigg states: "Some people confuse course redesign using technology with putting courses online. That is not what it is about. It is about using technology, where technology makes sense, to reorganize instruction to better achieve goals for student learning in a more cost-effective manner."

Twigg goes on to emphasize that central to this project is showing educational institutions how to improve and leverage technology investments and "to show measurable increases in learning at a reduced cost to the institution."