In the wake of reorganization, what course design problems face British colleges involved in teacher education? What is the role of educational technology in their solution? (BD)

Discusses the concept of a new paradigm for ISD (instructional systems design). Topics include characteristics of industrial-age versus information-age organizations; the current paradigm of education and training; implications for instructional theory, including learning-focused theory; and implications for the ISD process, including a sample…

Defines design languages as collections of terms that can be used as the primitive words for expressing design sentences. Explains the use of design languages in an instructional design context, including identifying design language terms, design language flexibility, and sharing design languages for cooperative dialogs. (Author/LRW)

Reviewed research on the design of multimedia explanations. Findings show these effects of multimedia instructional design: (1) a multimedia effect; (2) a coherence effect; (3) a spatial contiguity effect; and (4) a personalization effect. Discusses each of these effects and shows how the same instructional design can be effective across different…

Discusses the use of a design template for designing courses by instructors and subject matter experts with editing from an instructional designer. Highlights include where to look for design problems, how to coach the instructor or subject matter expert, and six elements in a design document that need to agree. (Author/LRW)

Provides a brief description of a four-component instructional design model which is a research-based and comprehensive model for complex learning. Highlights include learning tasks; supportive information; just-in-time information; part-task practice; ten steps to complex learning; and directions for further research. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the need for organizations to satisfy customers' learning needs in a timely manner by properly designing electronic learning systems, which will also provide a competitive edge for the business. Suggests that electronic learning systems should provide access to the optimal balance of instruction, information, and knowledge. (Author/LRW)

Discusses Component Display Theory (CDT) as a method of instructional design, and describes a reorganization of CDT meant to increase its utility in the instructional design process. Matrices in the CDT are explained, and a synthesized matrix based on content and performance elements is provided. (six references) (LRW)

Discusses teachers' use of mental imagery and metaphors in classroom planning. Topics include visualizing, analogies, educational technology as metaphor, malapropisms and mixing theoretical metaphors, designing instruction for the acquisition of abstract concepts, and examples of metaphors of novice and experienced teachers. (LRW)

Describes a methodology for structuring interviews with subject experts during knowledge elicitation, or knowledge acquisition, that will be useful to instructional designers. Topics discussed include a prototype knowledge editor, SNOWMAN (System for Knowledge Management); the nature of expertise; reductive bias; four interviewing strategies; and…

Defines instructional strategies and instructional tactics in the context of an iterative design model, distinguishes instructional tactics as methods of implementing instructional strategies, discusses instructional strategies versus learning strategies, and gives examples of how to select instructional tactics for educational and corporate…

Discusses the role of human performance technology in improving performance in organizations; explains the criteria used for designing an international training program of instructional and performance technology; and addresses steps necessary to move an organization towards a continuous learning organization. Examines the role of human resource…

A decision made under risky conditions can be sounder than one made when the decision maker is circumspect and prudent. It is important to understand one's risk-taking patterns, one's perceptions rooted in personal and professional history, and the degree to which cultural injunctions encourage or deter prudent risk taking. (Author/JOW)

Examines instructional systems design in light of training and performance technology. Topics include the nature of design; categories of stakeholders; three levels of instructional systems design, including Curriculum Architecture Design, instructional process design, and user interface/instructional activity design; and design goals. (LRW)

Introduces six articles on the instructional implications of cognitive load theory (CLT). CLT is based on a cognitive architecture that consists of a limited working memory, with partly independent processing units for visual and audio information, which interacts with an unlimited long-term memory. (SLD)