Instructional Technology, Performance Improvement, and Research
Very simply put, we have the skills to solve your problems. Using detailed analysis we can find out the performance needs, select a solution, design instruction when necessary, and evaluate results. We are ready to get right to work, or to scrutinize details for larger projects. From effectiveness to return on investment, our reporting procedures will keep you informed as to how well the proposed solutions will work, or how well they have worked after the fact.
We are also expanding our current analysis and evaluation results to allow for more powerful research tools to aid in the process. Most projects require quick analysis, but many value the depth of extensive research and evaluation before tackling large problems. We have experience in this field and are committed to improving our range of support.
Owner's Core Learning Science Principles
Instructional Design Approach: A - D - D - I - E
Analyze - Design - Develop - Implement - Evaluate
ADDIE powerpoint
Although I have been interested in the value of entertainment as a form of Constructivist instruction, allowing learners to find meaning however they choose, I firmly believe in the use of Direct Instructional methods for most instructional settings. Read my article: "Entertainment As Advertising For Education"
I have found the following principles to be key elements that I believe are necessary for designing effective instruction:
Increasingly delayed repetition in practice enhances retention, beginning on a scale of repetition only minutes apart to hours, days, weeks, months, and even years between practice sessions ("Reflections of the Environment in Memory", Anderson and Schuller, 1991)
Varied practice enhances retention and promotes transfer. For example, varying the succession of practice problems (P3, P2, P2, P1, P3, P3, P1, P2, P1) will force learners to discover the elements that help them solve the first problems in order to solve the new ones, thus increasing their ability to transfer those problem solving skills into other domains of use. If the same problems were encountered in direct succession, like so: P1, P1, P1, P2, P2, P2, P3, P3, P3; the learners may focus too much on automating their response to the problems alone without regard to finding skills that can transfer to other areas. (Ten Steps to Complex Learning, van Merrienboer and Kirschner, 2007) View Powerpoint Summary
I believe, like David Merrill, that sound Instructional Design models for Direct Instruction incorporating a Task-Centered Problem, preferably a real-life problem. Below are two diagrams of Merrill's approaches.
I also believe that instruction should be presented in such a way as to draw learners into a sense of ownership of the problem being presented, which is easier to do with real-life problem situations that may already be part of the learner's interests or activities outside of the instruction.
Finally, in approaching a problem situation, sometimes designing instruction is not the best solution. I believe in the principles of Performance Improvement wherein good problem analysis may dictate interventions other than instruction for solving the problem(s) at hand. Instruction then becomes one of many important tools that can be utilized for solving complex problems.