The will to learn is an intrinsic motive, one that finds both its source and reward in its own exercise. The will to learn becomes a 'problem' only under specialized circumstances like those of a school, where a curriculum is set, students confined, and a path is fixed.
The problem exists not so much in learning itself, but in the fact that what the school imposes often fails to enlist the natural energies that sustain spontaneous learning: curiosity, a desire for competence, aspiration to emulate a model, and a deep-sensed commitment to the web of social reciprocity.

Jerome Bruner

About This Course

Everyone in some way designs instruction. From the parent teaching a young child how to tie shoes to the person training a dog to heel, these designers analyze the needs of the audience, determine the goals and objectives, create the instruction, and evaluate how it all turned out.

But instruction is not created equal, and careful planning and design are critical factors in the outcome.

The heart of this course is the use of a systematic process to design instruction in which every component - the teacher, the learners, the materials, and the learning environment - is integral to successful learning.

We begin this course by examining the history of instructional design and by laying the groundwork for a comprehensive understanding of what instructional design is and how it can effectively be used to design learning materials.

We then begin examining a systematic design model used to translate general principles and instruction into plans for instructional materials and learning.

Finally, students utilize their own experiences and interests to create effective, stand-alone instructional units that are materials-centered rather than teacher-mediated and can be shared and used in real educational settings.

It is assumed that participants in this course will be familiar with the fundamentals of personal computers, including:

• Macintosh and Windows Operating Systems including saving and transferring files, opening programs, and using the finder or file manager.
  
• Basic Software Applications such as Microsoft Office, educational software in your content area, and other related applications.
  
• Basic Internet skills, including email, navigation and search capabilities, and downloading programs and graphics from the World Wide Web.

It should be noted that this course does not teach development techniques for specific media, even though some media development will be discussed.

About the Professor

Sara McNeil

Email: smcneil@uh.edu
Web: http://www.coe.uh.edu/smcneil

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education at the University of Houston. I teach graduate level instructional technology courses.

I received by Ed.D. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville under the guidance of Dr. E. Dale Doak.

If you would like to learn more about the Instructional Technology Program in the College of Education at the University of Houston you are welcome to call (713-743-4975) or email me at smcneil@uh.edu
For more information about the Instructional Technology Program area:
http://www.it.coe.uh.edu

Copyright Information

The materials included in this web site are copyrighted and no part, including images, may be used, reproduced, or distributed in any form or by any means without my prior written permission. This site is constantly being revised and updated, and I welcome any comments.

Throughout this site, I have tried to acknowledge any materials and resources that I used. If you find an error, or the lack of an acknowledgment, please let me know.

Credits

Many people contributed to the development of this online course. I would especially like to thank Dr. Lloyd Rieber, a faculty member in the Instructional Technology program at the University of Georgia, for providing an outstanding example of what a constructivist classroom can be. Dr. Rieber continues to be a wonderful mentor and a valued colleague. Many of his thoughts and examples from his syllabi and classes are reflected in these pages. Dr. Rieber's willingness to share his materials and resources was invaluable in the development of this course. Thank you.

Others who have provided materials, support, and help in both the development and evaluation of this site are Dr. Bernard Robin, another instructor in the Instructional Technology program area and a great friend; Dr. Will Weber, the former chair of the Curriculum and Instruction Department, who believes his faculty can do anything and provides the support. Thank you.

This course uses only one textbook, The Systematic Design of Instruction by Walter Dick, Lou Carey, and James Carey, but many other outstanding instructional design textbooks contributed to the knowledge base. These include:

Anglin, G. (Ed.). (1991). Instructional technology: Past, present and future. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited.

Gentry, C. (1994). Introduction to instructional development. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Co.

Kemp, J., Morrison, G., & Ross, S. (1996). Designing effective instruction. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Newby, T., Stepich, D., Lehman, J., & Russell, J. (1996). Instructional technology for teaching and learning. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.

Seels, B. & Glasgow, Z. (1990). Exercises in instructional design. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill Publishing Company.

Seels, B. & Glasgow, Z. (1998). Making instructional design decisions. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill Publishing Company.

Smith, P. & Ragan, T. (1993). Instructional design. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Venezky, R. & Osin, L. (1991). The intelligent design of computer-assisted instruction. New York: Longman.

Finally thanks to the many students who patiently listened, worked and shared their thoughts throughout the development of this course. I just keep trying to keep up with them! I am constantly amazed by their willingness to participate, evaluate and discuss even after the course is over.Thank you.

Thoughts on Web-Based Instruction

This is my eighth year creating web-based instruction and resources for my classes. Over the past years the pages have certainly developed from simply being an electronic syllabus to a different way of viewing interaction, both that interaction that occurs from face-to-face teaching using the web as an electronic agenda and resource inside the classroom and that interaction that occurs electronically using the class listserv entirely outside of the classroom.

I use the Web in several ways:

• Class Web Pages
  Each class has a separate web page. Class pages contain the agenda for class, homework assignments, and related information, usually accessible on the web.
  
• Resources
  The web page may also contain related resources that may not have been discussed during class. These could include magazine reviews of software, examples of a particular concept, a comprehensive bibliography, a glossary, and related articles.
  
• Student Work
  With prior consent from the student, student work may also be shared on the web page. This activity gives other students a chance to view the work and the display also creates a feeling of pride and accomplishment. Students also seem to develop a higher quality of work when they know it will be displayed.