Here are some of the major issues I see as being important in Instructional Design today. There are probably others. Use the link at the bottom of the page to add to the list, to comment on these, and to indicate which of them we should be covering this semester.

• To what extent has the ID or ISD process been shown to be effective? Are there specific parts of it that are demonstrably useful? Are there other parts that are more accepted on faith? How can we conduct research to find out what procedures really work?
   
• Does it make any difference what models of instructional design we use? Are different models useful in different settings (e.g., education, training, etc.)? How do we know?
   
• Do different media require new or different instructional design models? For example, the recent interest in using the Web and the Internet for instruction might either require new processes of design and development or fit easily into existing models of CAI development.
   
• When an instructional design and development project fails, what are the causes? Are they inherent in ID models or are there outside reasons? For that matter, how do we know when such a project fails?
   
• Is ID cost-effective? Since it is so labor-intensive, are there other approaches that could improve the cost-effectiveness of instruction? Is all that analysis work and attention to detail really necessary or useful?
   
• What are the major criticisms of instructional design? How, if at all, can those criticisms be met?
   
• Where are the gaps in instructional design and development models? How can they be filled?
   
• Can the ID process be partly or completely automated? What are the advantages/disadvantages of doing this? What current systems exist? What are the effects of using them?
   
• How do instructional design models change as you move from a basis in behaviorism to a basis in cognitive psychology? What are the implications for things like instructional analysis, learner analysis, instructional strategy design, and so forth?
   
• What are the best instructional strategies for different subject areas and learners? How do we know? How can we choose among them?
   
• Are new instructional strategies being developed? How can we find out about them? How can we know if they are effective?
   
• How does instructional design change with the advent of constructivism? Constructivism comes in various forms. Do we need to accept the full philosophy or do we merely have to add new skills and strategies to our arsenal?
   
• Can there be such a thing as a constructivist instructional design model? If not, why? If so, what might it look like? How does it differ from existing models? What are the implications for analysis, design, etc.?
  November 7, 2001
• If we accept the constructivist philosophy, what does that do to our notions of and ability to do things like student assessment, research on the design process, etc.

Add to the discussion of issues