What is Instructional Design?

Question

What is Instructional Design?

Answer 1

From Wikipedia:

Instructional design

Instructional design, and the more holistically-based practice Instructional Systems Design, are technologies of education and instruction. The term technology is being used in the sense of an applied science. Instructional Design and Instructional Systems Design are scientifically derived processes which are intended to optimize learning gains in knowledge and performance from precisely engineered (and designed) instruction. It is a common misunderstanding that Instructional Designers use physical technology as a method for developing instruction. From a narrow definition of the term 'technology' this may be true. But Instructional Designers will tend to prefer to use the term 'media', instead of technology, when referring to the instructional delivery vehicles that they employ

A useful reference to the history of Instructional Design can be found in The evolution of American educational technology by Paul Saettler (1990). For a sense of the use of term technology, see H.D. Stolovitch and E. Keeps (Eds.), Handbook of human performance technology (1992 &1999).

As a field, Instructional Design is historically and traditionally rooted in cognitive and behavioural psychology. However, because it is not a regulated field, and therefore not well understood, the term 'instructional design' has been co-opted by or confused with a variety of other ideologically-based and / or professional fields. Instructional Design, for example, is not Graphic Design although graphic design (from a cognitive perspective) could play an important role in Instructional Design. Preparing instructional text by E. Misanchuk, and publications by James Hartley are useful to informing the distinction between Instructional Design and Graphic Design


Good Luck....

Answer 2

"Instructional design" is a general process for developing courses to be used in school and in training. It involves
-figuring out what you want to teach,
-setting objectives for your course,
-deciding the topics to teach to reach the objectives,
-deciding the means by which you'll teach your topics,
-deciding how you'll test student learning,
-developing and testing all your course material.

To do instructional design well, you need to take into account different learning styles, and the level of cognitive development of the students you're teaching.