Instructional Design Philosophy
To make complex ideas and big projects manageable, I break them down into small, actionable tasks. This philosophy of Instructional Design is rooted in my experiences as an educator, researcher, and curriculum developer. I am, therefore, an enthusiastic proponent of Instructional Scaffolding. Instructional Scaffolding prompts eLearners to gradually build upon their knowledge so that they can move steadily forward in their mastery of skills and critical thinking. With these eLearning goals in mind, I utilize specific ePedagogies to foster active eLearning environments that encourage the development of cognitive complexity and critical thinking—ever mindful of Bloom’s Taxonomy, ADDIE standards, and Quality Matters.
To encourage eLearning transfer, I take a multi-step approach in alignment with ADDIE standards. When in the midst of course build, I start with Process Scaffolding. This method identifies the course’s final deliverable and unpacks that deliverable’s underlying learning objectives. Often final projects, at first glance, can seem overwhelming. ELearners can potentially struggle with time management, anxiety, and general overwhelm. Course Deliverers, meanwhile, might grapple with providing consistent feedback. Nuance gets sacrificed as deadlines loom. But Process Scaffolding avoids these pitfalls by breaking large assignments down into components that stack upon each other.
As an Instructional Designer, I must listen to stakeholders to understand a course’s aims. I then figure out how the course’s summative tasks can be broken down into smaller, more manageable formative assessments. Sequencing, too, becomes a necessary component of this process. I must order assignments with an eye towards understanding what skills eLearners must master before they can complete the next step in the series. This gradualist process allows eLearners to develop higher order skills—skills that are transferable into professional environments. This approach, too, provides eLearners with confidence. For Course Deliverers, Process Scaffolding makes the eLearning process more transparent, and it allows for routine feedback and early intervention.
As eLearners master new skills, it is my hope that they, too, grow as critical thinkers. Consequently, as eLearners are working on honing their skills, I, as an Instructional Designer, look to develop Critical Thinking Scaffolding. This process, like its peer, moves learners from lower order critical skills towards more complex, higher order critical thinking skills in accordance with Bloom’s Taxonomy. Going hand in glove with Process Scaffolding, Critical Thinking Scaffolding sequences gradual assignments in such a way as to move from lower order assignments to higher order ones. In this fashion, when confronting a topic or project, eLearners first work to reinforce comprehension skills. Descriptive summaries, annotated bibliographies, and short quizzes often represent the work produced at this stage. ELearners, then, move on to intermediate level work, such as analyzing and evaluating data and sources, before they apply higher-level skills, such as those needed to produce lab reports, research papers, or business presentations.
In order to facilitate Instructional Scaffolding, writ large, I work to maintain transparency about the process with my collaborators and student-clients. I use Digital Technology to support my scaffolding goals, and I look to encourage the building of peer communities, so that eLearners are not just receiving feedback from the Course Deliverer, but also from their peers. In embracing Instructional Scaffolding, my aim is to produce more confident, critically-engaged eLearners who have honed their transferable skills.