Distance Education Innovations and New Learning Environments: Com ...

For example, one particular instructional design theory, called designing constructivist learning environments (Jonassen, 1999), is founded on the goal of providing instructional strategies for developing problem-solving skills in ill-defined domains. One of the methods employed by this instructional design theory is that of providing authentic problems for the learners. That is, the learners should practice with real problems that they would find in the real world.

On the surface, it may not be immediately clear what the connection between the instructional goal and the instructional method is. However, once the foundational principle or value is articulated, the bridge clearly emerges. In Jonassen’s theory for example, the value underpinning the instructional design theory is that problems and learning should be “‘owned’ by the learner” (Jonassen, 1999, p. 216). The instructional strategy of providing learners with authentic, real-world problems increases the learners’ commitment to the learning enterprise. Hence, the goals and the methods of the instruction have been linked through the bridging characteristics of values and principles.

Goals

The second criterion by which to judge the promise or utility of an instructional design theory is its goals. In general, goals represent desired outcomes. A type of goal often found in instructional design theories is an instructional goal, which represents a desired learning outcome. Goals are the active expression of foundational principles and values and are necessary in order to guide the selection of the strategies and methods that will lead to the attainment of the desired outcome.

For example, if I value social interactions for learning, I may have a foundational principle (rule, doctrine, or assumption) that learning should occur in a social environment. I would then seek an instructional design theory that works toward the goal of infusing social interaction in the learning environment. This would likely be guided by several instructional goals such as “help students understand their roles in social learning environments” or “help learners develop collaboration techniques for use in group work.”