Reflection on Instructional Design is a Science

 

Reflection on Instructional Design is a Science

Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan

 

Instructional design is a systematic procedure adopted for educational programs that aim to improve learning (Seel, Lchmann, Blumschien, and Podolskiy, 2017). It involves the creation of instructional materials and lessons that would be used in classroom teaching along with the creation of modules. In designing it, firstly, the needs of the learners are studied and determined, followed by identifying the objectives of instructions. Then it follows the planning process for assessment and the tools that would be used during the teaching and learning process.

 Seel, Lchmann, Blumschien, and Podolskiy (2017), argued that instructional design is a science (pp 6-7). I strongly agree with the claim made by them because it is involved in the creation of detailed plans to facilitate the learning environment on the subject matter catering to all levels of complexity (Wagner, 2018). Specifically, it focuses on the planning of the development process, implementation process, evaluation process, and maintenance process of the situations to address the complexity of the levels. The process involved consists of the organization of the information in a logical sequence with a special focus on the presentation of new knowledge to students in which they will be involved in activating and scaffolding their existing knowledge (Pacs, 2013). It is a science because it is based on practical research whereby problem-solving, psychology, and cognition are integrated (Siemens, 2002).

While preparing students to learn, most educators involve their students in recollecting their prior knowledge, inquiring and investigating, involving them through peer or group activities for discussions, involving them in reflection, presentation with the use of technology, etc. They are involved in the dereferencing of new knowledge based on their prior knowledge. Thus, brain-based science and the psychology of science to understand students’ behavior are involved during the entire process of teaching and learning in the classroom.

The main intention of a scientific claim here is to engage teachers in involving their students in transferring the scientific theories from the content and putting them into practice in real-life situations. Moreover, it intends to make teachers remain focused on the development of the students through proper evaluation of their progress and management of both the instructional and non-instructional processes in their classroom so that their performance improves. 

Considering what Science fields have in common, I believe that the uniformity of the natural world, the methods of using measurements and statistics, the methods used in collecting data, the utilization of variables, etc. are commonly practiced. In education, we practice the same process while designing the instructional design and in the learning environment during the teaching and learning processes. The basic ideas of science are consistent across all the subjects because we use varied methods and strategies in the educational process. Students are reinforced in acquiring skills in science through other subject areas in the classroom because cognition, educational psychology, and problem-solving are essential aspects of education (Siemens, 2002).

 

References

Pacs, O. (2013). The Science and Art of Instructional Design. https://pacs.ou.edu/blog/the-science-and-art-of-instructional-design/

Seel, N. M., Lchmann, T., Blumschien, P., & Podolskiy, O. A. (2017). Instructional design for learning: Theoretical foundations, 1 - 17. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Instructional_Design_for_Learning/UmCwDgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover

Siemens, G. (2002, September 30). Instructional design in e-learning.  https://sites.google.com/site/instructionaldesignandtraining/e-learning/instructional-design-in-e-learning-by-george-siemens 

Wagner, E. (2018). What is this thing called Instructional Design? https://lidtfoundations.pressbooks.com/chapter/what-is-instructional-design/#:~:text=Instructional%20Design%2Das%2DScience%3A,at%20all%20levels%20of%20complexity.