Discusses the design and production of guided learning materials for remedial, supportive, and extending courses.

Discusses cognition and distance learning, reviews recent research on instruction to help designers create courses that transform passive students into autonomous learners, and describes the scaffold knowledge integration framework and uses it to interpret current approaches to distance learning. (110 references) (Author/LRW)

Discussion of the use of telecommunications for curriculum development focuses on activity structures which can be used as instructional design tools. Rather than replicating lesson plans or other ideas from the Internet, activity structures encourage the creation of individualized, context-appropriate environments for learning. (LRW)

Describes an instructional design review process in which peers offer feedback through "structured walkthroughs." Discusses types of reviews, guidelines, and success factors, and summarizes a formal peer review structure developed and tested at Hewlett-Packard Company. Two tables present advantages and disadvantages of types of design…

Reviews changes in the original Dick and Carey model of instructional design and considers its future usefulness. Topics include alternative instructional design textbooks, the influence of constructivist theory on the 1996 version of the model with its systems approach, and the influence of constructivist and objectivist models. (Author/LRW)

Examines changes in the "supersystem" of instructional systems design (ISD) that indicate the need for a paradigm of training and education based on learning instead of sorting students. Emphasizes the necessity of developing initiative, teamwork, thinking skills, and diversity, as well as new learning-focused instructional theories and…

Instructional Transaction Theory specifies a set of rules for automated instructional design and development. Components include descriptive theories of knowledge and of strategy, and a prescriptive theory of instructional design. Rules include selecting and sequencing knowledge objects, selecting and sequencing instructional transactions,…

Examines the relationship between instructional design (ID) and courseware development, especially for multimedia and hypermedia systems. Discusses ID models; external and internal reasons for the neglect of models; characteristics of models suitable for multimedia and hypermedia development; and models integrating those characteristics: Guided…

Identifies and describes current evaluation practices and strategies of instructional designers within corporate and higher education settings; describes types and causes of organizational supports and barriers instructional designers encounter when conducting instructional evaluation; and compares and contrasts professional practices and…

Technology is driving much of education, but learning is socially constructed. Learning, including electronic forms, should be designed to create a social learning environment. This can help bridge the divide between the "analog" professor and the "digital" student. (SK)

Dutch human resource professionals (n=20) were interviewed about the congruence of training strategies with theory. They use a variety of strategies to organize learning at orientation, learning/optimizing, and continuation phases. Strategies appear aligned with theories of liberal, vertical, and horizontal learning. Problems included resistance…

Explores social constructivist theory; investigates successful collaboration; discusses characteristics of communication in an electronic setting, arriving at solutions for improving the use and effectiveness of computer mediated communication environments. Strategies suggested are: structuring interaction with authentic tasks, questioning…

The poor achievement of secondary students with learning disabilities in mathematics is often affected by prior low achievement, low expectations for success, and inadequate instruction. Good instruction involves careful selection of examples; explicit instructional design; a parsimonious use of time and resources; and techniques such as direct…

Although context is a potent force in learning, instructional design models contain little guidance in accommodating contextual elements to improve learning and transfer. Defines context, outlines levels and types, specifies contextual factors within the types, suggests methods for conducting contextual analysis for instructional design, and…

The five chapters of this theme issue focus on developments in the conceptualization and empirical study of training that may contradict earlier characterizations of the domain as nonempirical and nontheoretical. All of these contributions emphasize the importance of a closer look at the implications of cognitive psychology for training…