In the previous two lessons, you have learned about areas of research (learning theory and instructional theory) that have contributed to the field of IDT. While these are two major areas that contributed to the field of IDT, these are not the only ones. In their book The Instructional Design Knowledge Base, Richey, Klein, and Tracey (2011) also write about theories from other areas that have influenced the development of IDT. Examples are systems theory and communication theory. Over time, the field of IDT has also been developing its own theory base as the field established itself. Media theory, conditions-based theory, constructivist design theory, and performance improvement theory have been developed by IDT scholars and are theories that have also critical been to the development of the field. If you would like to read more about any of these theories, it is recommended to read chapters on these individual theories in the book the Instructional Design Knowledge Base by Richey, Klein, and Tracey.
Now you have learned about the history of the field and other areas that have contributed to the field of IDT, let’s take a look at how the field has been defined over time and how it is currently defined. Read Chapter 1: What field did you say you were in? from the Reiser and Dempsey book. As you read the chapter, write down events and definitions that you may like to add to the timeline that you are developing. These definitions may also come in handy for the next assignment you will be completing: A letter to a friend.
Description
In the past few lessons, you have learned about the history of IDT, how the field developed over time, and how learning and instructional theories contributed to the field. You also just read a chapter about how the field is defined. After reading about all of this, you may now have a clearer picture of what IDT is about.
However, many people are unfamiliar with the field of IDT and it may be unclear to them what IDT is all about. You may already have had friends and family members ask you about the program you just joined. For that reason, please write a letter of about two to three pages that is targeted to one of your friends or family members. Explain what the field of IDT is about, how it developed over time, what interests you about it, and how you can see your role in it in the future.
Submitting Your Assignment
You will submit this assignment together with assignment 7.2 at the end of this lesson. Put both assignments for this lesson (7.1 and 7.2) into a single Word file. At the top of this document you should have the lesson name, and underneath that should be your name, email address, and the date. Below, write “Assignment 7.1” and write your letter to your friend into the Word file. Do not submit this assignment until you have also completed assignment 7.2.
Grading Criteria
Points: 20
Description
In lesson 4, you developed your initial timeline. In lesson 5 and 6, you have learned more about the influence of theories of instruction and learning on the historical development of the field. In this current lesson, you learned more about current definitions and perspectives on IDT. Based on this information, you likely have a more comprehensive understanding of the history and development of the field. Therefore, please revise the initial timeline you developed.
Submitting Your Assignment
At the end of this lesson you will submit Assignment 7.1 and 7.2. To recap, these assignments should be prepared in a single Microsoft Word file. At the top of your document you should have the lesson name, and underneath that should be your name, email address, and the date.
Under your last assignment (7.1) in your Word file, write “Assignment 7.2” and add your link to your revised timeline. When you have completed all assignments of this lesson, save the document as a file on your computer and make sure the file is named “Assignment7”. After you have saved your file, go to the student interface and submit your assignment for grading. Click here if you need additional information regarding submission of your assignment.
Grading Criteria
Points: 20