Rita C. Richey

The Role of Context in Learning and Instructional Design

Context is a pervasive and potent force in any learning event. Yet instructional design models contain little guidance about how to accommodate contextual elements to improve learning and transfer. This paper defines context, outlines its levels and types, specifies some pertinent contextual factors within these types, suggests methods for conducting a contextual analysis and utilizing its results for instructional design, and outlines future issues for context-based instructional design. The incorporation of a contextual approach to instruction will make our design models systemic as well as systematic.

Design and Development Research

This chapter focuses on design and development research, a type of inquiry unique to the instructional design and technology field dedicated to the creation of new knowledge and the validation of existing practice. We first define this kind of research and provide an overview of its two main categories—research on products and tools and research on design and development models. Then, we concentrate on recent design and development research (DDR) by describing 11 studies published in the literature. The five product and tool studies reviewed include research on comprehensive development projects, studies of particular design and development phases, and research on tool development and use. The six model studies reviewed include research leading to new or enhanced ID models, model validation and model use research. Finally, we summarize this new work in terms of the problems it addresses, the settings and participants examined, the research methodologies employed used, and the role evaluation plays in these studies.

Rapid Prototyping Methodology in Action: A Developmental Study

This study investigated the use of rapid prototyping methodologies in two projects conducted in a natural work setting. It sought to determine the nature of its use by designers and customers and the extent to which its use enhances traditional instructional design (ID). With respect to describing rapid prototyping use, the results pertain to designer tasks performed, the concurrent processing of those tasks, and customer involvement. With respect to describing the enhancements facilitated by rapid prototyping, the results pertain to design and development cycle-time reduction, product quality, and customer and designer satisfaction. In general, the two projects studied show ID efforts that created products that were usable for a conveniently long period of time without revision; delivered in a shorter period of time than would have been expected using traditional techniques; and received by satisfied customers who had been involved throughout their development. In other words, the rapid prototyping methods lived up to their promised benefits.

Developmental Research Methods: Creating Knowledge from Instructional Design and Development Practice.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE is to provide direction to those entertaining a developmental research project. There are two categories of developmental research, both of which are examined here. The two types vary in terms of the extent to which the conclusions resulting from the research are generalizable or contextually specific. This article describes developmental research in terms of the traditional stages of planning, conducting, and reporting a research project—problem definition, literature reviews, and research procedures. Examples of adapting a literature review to a developmental study are identified. Problem definition procedures encompass focusing on and framing the problem, and identifying the limitations of the research. Research procedures are adapted to developmental studies, particularly with respect to identifying the study’s participants, creating a research design, and collecting and analyzing the data. Finally, issues with respect to reporting developmental research are discussed.

Research on Instructional Development.

The instructional technology field is periodically faced with discussion of the appropriate direction of its research and more specifically of the relationship between research and practice. This paper extends the discussion by examining the nature and scope of developmental research. Two categories of developmental research are explored. They vary in terms of the extent to which the conclusions resulting from the research are generalizable or contextually-specific. Type 1 research tends to be case studies of specific design, development, or evaluation projects with its findings directed toward the improvement of a product or identification of those conditions conducive to efficient product development and use. Type 2 research typically addresses the validity and/or effectiveness of an existing or newly constructed development model, process, or technique. The promise of developmental research as a vehicle for creating sound methods for linking research and practice is discussed.

Reflections on the State of Educational Technology Research and Development: A Response to Kozma.

I have been given the opportunity to respond to Kozmas comments in his Reflections article (this issue), and would like to do so even though I have not had the opportunity to read all of the articles to which he is reacting or to the various chapters frequently referenced from Kozmas forthcoming book on science and mathematics education. Responding to literature that is not available is always difficult, even if one has some idea of its direction. So I will confine my comments to his views of the field of Instructional (or Educational) Technology.

Mentoring and the Role of Women in Instructional Design and Technology

This chapter has three purposes. It summarizes: 1) key events involving mentors (both male and female) in my career in the IDT field, 2) the general nature of mentors, and 3) the expanding role of academic women in this field over nearly five decades.