Michael Allen's e-Learning Annual 2012

RETHINKING THE SCOPE AND NATURE OF INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

Clive Shepherd

Most definitions of e-learning are broad and inclusive. Most simply require the use of technology to aid in the delivery of instruction. A broad array of approaches is available. An important responsibility of instructional design begins with a good choice of instructional paradigms. Clive Shepherd alerts us to a common pitfall. Once designers become proficient in a paradigm, they tend to stick to it without carefully evaluating its appropriateness and selecting another when warranted. “It's just possible that the requirement we're faced with would be better served with an alternative strategy, perhaps not instruction, perhaps not self-directed, perhaps some mix, perhaps ...