Section 5: Trends and Issues in Various Settings

1. Compare and contrast the IDT Trends and Issues. Then explain how they are similar or different from the IDT trends and issues in the context in which you work.

MILITARY

• ·        Instructional designer must recognize cultural differences in the population.
• ·        Stay current on the latest technologies
• ·        Military products must be designed to sell to international forces
• ·        Instructional design and ongoing training is a part of the job
• ·        The military uses special subject matter experts and provides them with instructional materials
• ·        They use the language of the customer to convey ideas
• ·        IDT is designed to achieve success and survival in a hostile environment

HEALTHCARE EDUCATION

• ·        In each setting there is a general focus on values and cultures of that specific area.
• ·        Offers broad field areas of study from Biology to Gerontology
• ·        IDT in healthcare education includes teaching aids, and  medical schools
• ·        One of the main issues stated in the text is the boundaries between educational and informational definitions are becoming more difficult to define.

P-12 EDUCATION

• ·        ID uses the ADDIE model(analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation)
• ·        ID development is focused in 3 areas of design they are

·        System ( computer assisted instruction, embedded integrated learning system)

·        Product( computer based  instructional, education software, tutorial, drills, practice and educational gaming software)

·        Classroom (ASSURE :Analyze state standards, strategies, utilize, require learner participation, evaluate) (NTEQ)

·        Even though there are a variety of technologies used, the principals and practices of ID are evident across all educational designs

•        In comparing the above IDT trends and issues to my workplace, there are basic principles from all the categories. We have to design information and instructionals for college students from all over the world, so like the Military we recognize cultural diversity. We also use subject matter specialist to teach students how to use the universities library for their specific degree. In Health Education they cover a broad field of topics and so do we at the library. Since I work in an academic library we use many of the same IDT that are used in P-12 teaching. We offer lib-guides online so students can maneuver the library catalog. When comparing I can identify the ADDIE model for every product we develop. Also like Health Education the boundaries between educational and informational definitions are becoming more difficult to differentiate.  

2. Section VI

How can we prepare our youth to address the problems of living in a world with 9 billion people when the earth’s resources cannot sustain that many?

   I believe we need to challenge our youth and encourage them to become involved in designing solutions for food production, energy, housing etc… by creating virtual situations now in the classroom we allow them to explore alternatives and evaluate the success or failure of their alternative solutions before there is a desperate need.  We must teach them to constructively interact with the changing environment around them, they have to learn to solve more complex problems to survive the rapidly changing world around them.

Does our current education system, curriculum, and instructional practices help learners foster the complex problem solving skills necessary to tackle these issues?

    I see our current education system moving away from the basics, many of our students do not have the basic life skills to survive. We need to be teaching critical thinking and how to solve problems, real world problems so the students will be successful regardless of the profession they choose. When looking at the international standardized test result American students are lagging behind the rest of the world in Math, Science, Reading and problem solving. These results alone should show us that America’s education system has become obsolete.

Are there methods and practices used in European and Asian countries that we should use here in the US?

    Many of the Asian and European countries focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, at the same time they foster creativity, curiosity and a passion for problem solving. This type of teaching allows students to understand and appreciate the relevancy of their work to their own lives and the world around them. In studies of students from Asia and Europe it has been said that once students grasp the core concepts, they are able to choose a problem and use their own creativity and curiosity to research, design, test and improve a viable solution. They do not focus on performance testing like we do here in the US.