Wayne A. Nelson

Development principles for intelligent tutoring systems: Integrating cognitive theory into the development of computer-based instruction

This article describes a basic development model for an intelligent tutoring system (ITS): the interface, the student model, the expert model, and the pedagogical model. Because ITSs are a byproduct of research in cognitive science, we use this model to illustrate the possibilities for more extensive integration of cognitive learning theories into computer-based instruction (CBI). Two examples of CBI designed from this perspective are included to illustrate the possibilities of the model and to suggest that the dichotomy between CBI and ITSs need not be perpetuated.

If You Build It, They Will Come. But How Will They Use It?.

AbstractThis article focuses on usability engineering for multimedia learning environments. Usability engineering can benefit the design and development of educational software. This critical area of educational computing design and development will be discussed using illustrations and examples from a two-year design and development effort that produced an interactive multi-media learning environment for second-language learning. It is in the context of this project that the integration of usability engineering and educational software design can be better understood.

Artificial intelligence knowledge acquisition techniques for instructional development

Knowledge engineering techniques for developing expert systems may also be useful for instructional development. A review of knowledge engineering focusing on knowledge representation and knowledge acquisition suggests ways in which these methods could be adapted to developing instructional systems. As further work is done on intelligent computer-assisted instructional systems and other complex instructional development projects, knowledge engineering skills may become more important for the instructional developer.

When Design Meets Hollywood: Instructional Design in a Production Studio Environment

This chapter tells the story of an interactive new media design firm in Austin, TX, that successfully integrated instructional design processes with management and production processes based on a Hollywood film studio model. In the process of this integration, user experience design methods adapted from fields like product design and human–computer interaction were also incorporated into the instructional design processes used in the company. We also tell the story of how this integration created an approach to instructional design that focused on learning experiences rather than traditional instructional design methods and concerns. Along the way, much was discovered about how designers work in the context of a creative company, how creative design is managed, and how characteristics of design practice in this setting might be brought to universities to help students learn to be effective learning experience designers.

Design as a Focus for Technology Integration: Lessons Learned from a PT3 Project

Abstract The Plugging in to L.I.T.E.S. project (Leaders in Technology Enhanced Schools-a previously funded Technology Innovation Challenge grant project) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) has been very successful in its attempts to enhance the technology integration skills of teacher education students, and to improve the capabilities of our faculty members to provide effective modeling of technology integration strategies. This was accomplished through the use of professional development activities focused on design tasks, and the use of a “design studio” metaphor to organize and promote the redesign of our curriculum to align with the Illinois Core Technology Standards required of all newly certified teachers. To further the technology integration skills of our teacher candidates, partnerships were established with 25 school districts in our service area where many L.I.T.E.S.-trained mentor teachers work, and teacher candidates rotated through these schools in a two-year, field-based teacher education program that emphasized technology integration. In addition, a comprehensive online resource was designed to explicate the states technology standards for students and to assist them in the development of electronic portfolios that demonstrate their technology integration competencies. To date, more than 800 teacher education students have been supported in their efforts to plan and implement instructional practices that effectively integrate technology. The lessons learned through this project will hopefully provide guidance to those involved with technology integration in teacher education programs.

The Many Facets of Design and Research in Instructional Design

This chapter examines instructional design and research within the field of instructional technology, noting differences in conceptualization of design and research held by other design fields. With this broader perspective, an examination of the ways that research is used in instructional design is presented. Research during design, research about design, and research through design are described. This analysis suggests ways that research and practice can be better integrated and extends the notion of instructional design research beyond the classic definitions of scholarly research. Finally, the implications of this framework for instructional design curriculum and future research directions are discussed.