In instruction there is always something that needs to be displayed. Little wonder that in some form or other media utilization is a given. But questions arise. "Is development meant to fit within media capabilities?" "Or are media to be selected because of their capabilities to meet development needs?" When in the…

This article explores the process of developing online tutorials for a specified student group, in this case Second-Year Nursing students in University College Dublin. The product was commissioned by the Health Sciences Library and the UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Systems. It was developed as a "Capstone Project" for part…

Some in the field of educational technology have called for offering bachelor's degrees. Unfortunately, the literature base only provides guidance on designing, developing, and delivering master's and doctoral degree programs. This article, in distinction, focuses on the design of a bachelor's degree program by focusing on the perceptions of…

This study describes the development of three case studies that included a combination of multimedia production and instructional design skills within a particular setting. These case studies incorporated real-life incidents from 47 professional instructional designers. These instructional designers described a total of 146 activities involving…

Mental models are one way that humans represent knowledge (Markman, 1999). Instructional design (ID) is a conceptual model for developing instruction and typically includes analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (i.e., ADDIE model). ID, however, has been viewed differently by practicing teachers and instructional designers…

Describes a process model that can be used for performance technology and discusses differences between it and an instructional technology process model. Five basic steps are examined: needs assessment/analysis; design; development; implementation; and evaluation. An instructional technology/performance technology process comparison matrix is also…

Presents a series of questions to help rural school administrators assess their readiness to include distance learning as part of the instructional program. The questions address program need or purpose, school resources (human, facilities, and equipment), and selection of distance learning technology system. Lists brief explanations of common…

The first phase of the process of developing a plan to promote increased use of educational technology by the instructors and students of the U.S. Navy's Surface Warfare Officers School (SWOS) in Newport, Rhode Island, began with a needs assessment which focused on the mission and organization of the school; the SWOS curriculum and the teaching…

Educators involved in the delivery of distance education would do well to heed the following rules regarding the use of learning technologies: know yourself and how you create and manage a personal presence; aim for a mix of learning technologies and strive for integration without duplication; realize that each learning technology has its own…

Characterizes the Job Corps experience as the first significant application of the systems approach to instructional development, and discusses the project's mission, trainees, training environment, training programs, needs assessment, student learning units, group training techniques, effectiveness in preparing trainees for jobs, and cost…

This decision tool presents a progression of data collection and decision-making strategies that can increase the effectiveness of distance-based or distributed learning instruction. A narrative and flow chart cover the following steps: (1) basic assumptions, including purpose of instruction, market scan, and financial resources; (2) needs…

Instructional development provides a procedure and framework for systematically planning, developing, and adapting instruction based on identifiable learner needs and content requirements, a process essential in distance education. Although instructional development models and processes abound, the majority follow the same basic stages of design,…

Compares the process of instructional development (ID) in the corporate environment with ID in the educational environment. Needs assessments conducted by professional associations are reviewed, a critical incident survey to assess local training needs is described, and an outline for a graduate instructional technology program to prepare…

A recent inquiry into training needs in curriculum development and educational technology in further and higher education is documented. This book describes a research project begun in 1973 at Sussex University, which identified instructional and individual procedures, problems, and requirements in training and weighed them against current…

The purpose of this paper is to promote and improve needs assessment in distance education through the exploration of eight questions: (1) what is a needs assessment?; (2) how are needs assessments related to successful distance education?; (3) where have needs assessments been used in distance education?; (4) which approach to needs assessment…