Four-component Instructional Design Research Articles

When failure is not an option: a police firearms training concept for improving decision-making in shoot/don't shoot scenarios.

Sometimes, policing requires a quick and correct assessment of potentially hazardous situations. The training of tactical gaze control and visual attention, and its positive impact on efficient shoot/don't shoot decisions in police cadets' use of firearms has recently been demonstrated. On this basis, we designed an individual videobased police firearms training that was grounded on the Four-Component Instructional Design Model (4C/ID). We shifted toward an individual blended learning approach where we applied an intervention training focused on situational awareness, tactical gaze control, and visual attention. In a preregistered lab experiment, N = 45 senior police officers were randomly allocated to the intervention training or an active control training that resembled a traditional police firearms training. Both groups watched a self-produced educational video before proceeding to the practical training in our indoor firing range. In a pre- and post-test, they engaged in realistic shoot/don't shoot video scenarios. Both groups did very well regarding decision-making, the optimal muzzle position, and the tactical conduct to keep both eyes open before shooting. Although both groups performed on a comparable level in the pre-test's shoot scenarios, the intervention group significantly improved their response times and time until the first hit. Overall, we were able to provide an adapted, didactically based police firearms training that supplements current standards. We demonstrated that experts are still susceptible to innovative training concepts and therefore substantiate the recommendation to devote more attention to approaches that emphasize the importance of situational awareness, tactical gaze control, and visual attention in police firearms training.

Equipping Teachers for Integrated Language, Science and Technology Instruction: The Design of a 4C/ID-Based Professional Development Program

Integrated language, science and technology (ILS&T) instruction is a complex task for primary school teachers that requires professional development. Task-centered educational approaches such as the four-component instructional design (4C/ID) model are well suited for the development of complex professional skills. This article describes the application of the Ten Steps approach to the 4C/ID model in the domain of teacher education. The findings describe a blueprint for a 4C/ID-based teacher professional development program aimed at equipping in-service primary school teachers with the competences for ILS&T instruction, which can support instructional designers, teacher educators and researchers in making informed instructional design decisions.

Developing media literacy as complex learning in secondary schools: the effect of 4C/ID learning environments

ABSTRACT Background: Today, the importance of teaching media literacy in education has been highlighted, and the need for effective instructional design in this field has received more attention. This research attempts to investigate the effect of the Four-Component Instructional Design (4C/ID) model on developing media literacy. Method: This study employs a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design. The research subjects were recruited from tenth-grade students at secondary schools in Mashhad, Iran. A total of 30 students were selected as the sample using the convenience sampling method. Fifteen students were placed in the experimental group, and the rest were placed in the control group. Result: Statistical analysis (ANCOVA, MANCOVA & MANOVA) showed that designing instruction based on the complex-learning model (4C/ID) improved learning outcomes, critical thinking, and conscious interaction with the media. Conclusion: Acquiring media literacy competence is a complex learning process. Based on the results of this study, the four-component instructional design model (4C/ID) can promote the development of media literacy skills in students.

First encounters with the automated vehicle: Development and evaluation of a tutorial concept to support users of partial and conditional driving automation

With automated driving functions entering the market the need for user education of these functions arises. Education during the first automated drive is a time-efficient approach with the potential to foster engagement in learning content on the automated vehicle. To evaluate this approach, we developed a tutorial concept based on the four-component instructional design model that supports drivers during their first drive with a combined Level 2/Level 3 automated vehicle. In a driving simulator study with 32 participants, we compared the tutorial concept to the presentation of the identical information before the drive. The study consisted of two drives: A learning drive, in which half of the participants were supported by the tutorial concept, whereas the other half served as a comparison group which was instructed prior to the drive. After three weeks, participants completed a test drive without any support. Results indicate that both instructional approaches provided participants with adequate mental models and fostered trust in the automated vehicle. In addition, the tutorial concept enhanced acceptance of the automated vehicle and supported the performance of participants when they encountered a silent system failure. Taken together, instructing drivers during the automated drive is a promising approach for user education in automated driving.

Using cognitive load theory to develop an emergency airway management curriculum: the Queen's University Mastery Airway Course (QUMAC).

Emergency airway management requires the simultaneous coordination of clinical reasoning and therapeutic interventions in the complex and time-sensitive setting of emergency resuscitation. The cognitive demand associated with these situations is invariably high and must be taken into consideration when designing training programs for this core professional competency. The four-component instructional design model (4C/ID), based on cognitive load theory, was used to develop a 1-year longitudinal airway management curriculum for Emergency Medicine residents. The simulation-based curriculum was designed with the goal of facilitating the construction and automation of schemas by individual residents in preparation for the high cognitive demand associated with emergency airway management in the clinical environment.

Instructional design of virtual patients in dental education through a 4C/ID lens: a narrative review

Although VPs have been applied in various medical and dental education programmes, it remains uncertain whether their design was based on specific instructional design (ID) principles, and therefore, how to improve on them. In this study, we evaluated the extent to which ID principles have played a role in the development of VPs for clinical skills training purposes in dental education. First, as frame of reference we mapped key ID principles identified in VPs and medical simulations on the widely used four-component instructional design (4C/ID) model. Next, a literature search was conducted using Libsearch, a single search tool accessing databases such as MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycInfo and Scopus. Following the PRISMA framework for systematic reviews, we selected 21 studies that used screen-based VP simulations for undergraduate dental students. The data analysis consisted of a review of each study analysing the key instructional design features connected to the components of the 4C/ID model. Overall, the results indicate that a structured approach to the design and implementation of VPs likely will have a positive effect on their use. While some ID-principles are shared such as the importance of clinical task variation to improving the transfer of learning. Others, however, such as the choice of learning mode or the use of cognitive feedback are ambiguous. Given its impact on students’ ability to establish effective cognitive schemas and the option to compare and study designs we recommend a more rigorous approach such as 4C/ID for the design of VPs.

Use of analytic hierarchy process and four-component instructional design for improving emergency response exercises

Emergency response exercises are a common means for improving the preparedness and resilience of organizations and communities in the face of disasters. It is important to develop an instructional design that can facilitate evaluation and the learner's approach. This study introduced a model based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process to optimize instructional designs for emergency response exercises. This study aimed to propose a procedure to identify the necessary exercise targets and select suitable implementation methods by objectively summarizing the knowledge of emergency management professionals. This model was tested using fire and rescue exercises in a traditional market and an apartment complex in early 2021 in Hai Phong, Vietnam. Our model enables practitioners to determine the need for improvement in any element, allowing for continuous improvements in exercise programs.

1297. Design and Testing of an Interactive Module for Improving Understanding and Application of Institutional Antibiograms

Abstract Background Many infectious diseases treatment guidelines recommend incorporating local antibiograms (ABs) into treatment decisionmaking. However, studies suggest many healthcare provider trainees are uncomfortable using ABs and rarely incorporate them into their decisionmaking. Our purpose was to develop a brief online module to develop skills in locating and utilizing an institutional AB and to gather feedback on its utility. Interactive Module for Understanding and Interpreting Antibiograms Screen captures displaying initial framing case with learner response (upper left), stepwise navigation of an antibiogram (upper right), embedded task practice (lower left) , and question from final competency assessment (lower right). Methods We developed and tested the module at the University of California San Francisco, with initial testing among 340 pharmacy students during microbiology instruction. We used the Four-Component Instructional Design framework to inform our design approach. Using the Articulate Storyline platform, we developed an interactive online learning module (Figure 1). The module began with a patient case to introduce the whole task and activate prior knowledge, with learners required to enter a freetext answer to the case prompt. Using visuals and narration with captions, the module then reviewed the basics of an AB and how to use an AB for therapy with known pathogens and for empiric therapy, and use of location-specific and combination ABs. Task practice was provided by case-based questions requiring learner response and providing immediate feedback. The module ended with competency assessment questions including revisiting the original case and the learner's initial answer. Learners completing the module were directed to complete a survey to provide feedback on the module; we report quantitative and qualitative feedback from the survey. Results We received 131 survey responses (38.5%). 111/131 (85%) rated the educational value of the module as “Extremely valuable”, and 103/131 (79%) rated the module as having “Excellent usability”. Primary themes among positive feedback included the interactive elements, stepwise approach, and questions with feedback; constructive feedback included desire for speed control of the narration and sound quality. Conclusion An interactive online module for learning about ABs was highly rated by learners and may be valuable to help clinicians apply ABs in practice. Future studies should include other health professions learners, delayed assessment to measure retention, and customization for different institutional ABs. Disclosures Conan MacDougall, PharmD, MAS, Merck: Advisor/Consultant.

A methodology for teaching database design based on a four-component instructional design model

Based on the analysis of relevant literature, the article highlights the difficulties of teaching a relational database course in higher educational institutions. Such problems are mainly associated with the lack of simple and at the same time formalized methods to teach the basics of this academic discipline. The research illustrates the importance of the correct choice of the instructional design model while developing the course. The article also provides a comparative analysis of the existing instructional design models performed with regard to their application to the development of a database course. The study has revealed the advantages of choosing a four- component model of instructional design (4C/ID). Such a model served as the basis for developing a methodology for teaching database design. On the one hand, this methodology makes it possible to avoid deep immersion in the mathematical foundations of the discipline. On the other hand, it is strictly formalized and fully consistent with these foundations. Formalization has been achieved through a cognitive strategy and cognitive rules that are clearly expressed in natural language. The cognitive strategy and rules are universal for database design in any subject area. The fact that students quickly go on to solve real practical problems in professional activity proves the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

Computer-Based Scaffolding for Sustainable Project-Based Learning: Impact on High- and Low-Achieving Students

Project-based learning, in which students engage in meaningful learning with authentic projects and building agency and autonomy for sustainable learning, has been increasingly promoted in higher education. However, completing an authentic project involves a complex process, which may pose challenges to many students, especially low-achievers. This study incorporated computer-based scaffolding into a project-based programming course to make complex project learning accessible to students. The scaffolding was designed based on the four-component instructional design (4C/ID) model. The results show that with the support of computer-based scaffolding, all participants maintained a high level of motivation during the course. At the end of the course, their performance was improved by 35.49% in product quality and 38.98% in subject knowledge; their programming thinking skills were improved by 20.91% in problem understanding, 21.86% in modular design, and 25.70% in process design. Despite academic achievement discrepancies among the participants at the beginning of the course, low-achievers’ post-study performance in product quality and programming thinking skills became similar to that of high-achievers, and their post-study performance in subject knowledge became similar to that of medium-achievers. The findings reveal the promising role of computer-based scaffolding in making complex learning with real-world projects accomplishable by a wide range of students and reducing the gaps between high- and low-achieving students.

Assessment for Learning: developing the required teacher competencies

ABSTRACT Assessment for Learning (AfL) is complex requiring teacher competences for collecting, analysing and interpreting evidence of student progress, and for adapting instruction and learning accordingly. In this study, the four-component instructional design (4C/ID) model for complex learning was used to design a teacher professional development (TPD) programme for developing teachers’ AfL competences. The evaluation of the implementation of the program showed that teachers were positive about the relevance and usability of the program, and about the AfL knowledge, skills and attitudes gained. This study yields important lessons about how to support teachers in learning to apply AfL in their classrooms. The study shows that the 4C/ID model can provide the learning-psychological basis for the design of TPD programmes for the acquisition of complex teacher skills, that require the integration of skills, knowledge and attitudes.

Enablers and Barriers of Blended Learning in Faculty Development.

IntroductionOnline learning provides a ubiquitous and self-paced learning experience, while face-to-face learning encourages commitment in a prescheduled formal instruction. Blended learning (BL) combines these two mediums and provides flexible learning opportunities. While faculty development programs have utilized these two mediums separately, BL has not been fully implemented locally until recently. Identifying elements that enable or hinder faculty within a newly implemented BL program can enhance the learning experience and support professional development. The current study aims to identify how junior and senior faculty members of medical departments at a Turkish university perceive enablers and barriers in a new BL faculty development program.MethodsThis research is a multiple case study with qualitative inquiry using in-depth interviews and thematic analysis. Using a BL approach, the research team designed faculty development activities based on the Four-Component Instructional Design model. Participants accessed the activities on a Moodle learning management system. Faculty experiences in blended faculty development were examined. The study group consisted of 26 participants, with 14 junior faculty in case 1 and 12 senior faculty in case 2 from different medical departments at a Turkish university. Data were collected and analyzed using qualitative methods.ResultsThis study identified enablers and barriers within a BL faculty development program. While participants identified three barriers, they identified eight enabling elements in a BL program. A lack of time was the most critical barrier to participation in the program. Setting goals for personal development and obtaining skills in teaching were essential enablers within the BL program.ConclusionThe use of an online platform to support face-to-face faculty development programs is beneficial in several ways for faculty. Faculty developers can utilize BL to foster engagement and motivate faculty for increased participation, especially if they seek to mitigate known barriers to a successful BL program. Online communication and activities are suggested to develop communities of practice in the workplace. Strategies to eliminate workload and provide guidance on time management are required for both junior and senior faculty.

Experiential serious-game design for development of knowledge of object-oriented programming and computational thinking skills

ABSTRACT Background and Context Though still a nascent area of research, serious games have been presented as means of engaging students in computer programming and computational thinking due to their immersive and interactive nature. Existing research is limited in its ability to provide systems based on sound instructional design models, and only a few studies validate their design with statistical support. Objective This study investigated the effects of a game which is based on experiential learning theory under framework of the four-component instructional design model on undergraduate students’ learning performance in conceptual knowledge of object-oriented programming and computational thinking skills. Method A pre-test and post-test quasi-experimental design was used to study the effects of the experiential serious games on conceptual knowledge of OOP and CT skills of 61 non-engineering students with and without prior programming knowledge. Findings The statistical analyses reveal that students with and without programming experience significantly improved their understanding of fundamental concepts of OOP. There were only weak correlations among students’ creative problem solving, attitudes towards digital game-based learning of programming, and learning. Implications We provide several recommendations for researchers and practitioners for designing and developing an effective serious game to teach novice programmers computer programming.

Fostering information problem solving skills through online task-centred instruction in higher education

The competence to perform an academic literature review task in a digital context is of paramount importance for higher education students. However, both undergraduate and graduate students have difficulty finding, analysing, and processing such information for their academic tasks. Recent studies propose a task-centred approach to teach relevant knowledge and skills to perform review tasks. This paper presents a quasi-experimental study on the effects of an online task-centred course on the IPS skills development and self-efficacy perception of 80 graduate students in educational sciences. The Information Problem Solving (IPS) and Four-Component Instructional Design (4C/ID) models have been applied for course design and development. The results indicate that, after the course, students in the experimental group outperformed the control group on planning and search activities. These students also seemed to do better at defining research questions and processing the information found, though these results were not statistically significant. Finally, no differences were found related to the ability to present information. In addition, self-efficacy related to the IPS skills needed to perform an academic literature review task developed positively in the experimental group. Implications for instruction on these IPS skills in higher education are discussed.

Four-component instructional design (4C/ID) model: a meta-analysis on use and effect

The four-component instructional design model (4C/ID) has been increasingly used in face-to-face and online learning environments. We present a meta-analysis on the use and effect on performance of educational programs developed with the 4C/ID model after more than 20 years of its application and research in different academic areas and technical training. We performed the meta-analysis through the combination of effect sizes from studies using Cohen’s d. The combination of the studies suggests that the use of educational programs developed with 4C/ID has a high impact on performance (d = 0.79 standard deviations), regardless of the academic area, the design of the study and the outcome (knowledge and complex skills). The grade under study was a significant moderator on the effect, showing that the higher-education level is more suitable for application of the 4C/ID model. Our results suggest that the use of the 4C/ID model should be prioritized as an instructional model in college and university learning environments.

Fundamental underpinnings of simulation education: describing a four-component instructional design approach to healthcare simulation fellowships

Although in 2020, there are more than 120 healthcare simulation fellowships established globally, there is a paucity of literature on how to design fellowship programs most effectively, to equip graduates with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of a competent simulation educator. Offering a systematic structure to approach simulation fellowship programmatic design may aid in better achieving program goals. In this manuscript, we present the application of the 4-component instructional design model as a blueprint to the development of Simulation Education Fellowships. We offer examples used at the NYC Health + Hospitals simulation fellowship to illustrate how the 4-component model informs fellowship program design which promotes the development of a simulation educator. This manuscript will provide a roadmap to designing curricula and assessment practices including self-reflective logbooks to focus the path toward achieving desired skills and shape future conversations around programmatic development.

Ten steps to 4C/ID: training differentiation skills in a professional development program for teachers

This paper describes how an interdisciplinary design team used the Four-Component Instructional Design (4C/ID) model and its accompanying Ten Steps design approach to systematically design a professional development program for teaching differentiation skills to primary school teachers. This description illustrates how insights from a cognitive task analysis into classroom differentiation skills were combined with literature-based instructional design principles to arrive at the training blueprint for workplace-based learning. It demonstrates the decision-making processes involved in the systematic design of each of the four components: learning tasks, supportive information, procedural information, and part-task practice. While the design process was time and resource-intensive, it resulted in a detailed blueprint of a five-month professional development program that strategically combines learning activities to stimulate learning processes that are essential for developing the complex skill providing differentiated instruction in a mathematics lesson.

DEVELOPING A GEO-GAME APPLICATION FOR GLOBAL CONNECTIONS IN SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHING: GEZGİN CASE

This study investigated the developmental process of a dynamic geo-game, Gezgin, which was developed by the researcher based on the Four-Component Instructional Design (4C/ID) Model, and its benefits in the acquisitions, values and skills of the Global Connections learning area of the social studies curriculum applied in Turkey. It also determined Gezgin’s reflecting acquisitions, values, and skills, as well associal studies education experts’ opinions about Gezgin. A case study approach was adopted and five experts participated. The data collection lasted for approximately fourteen months due to the development process of Gezgin. Most of this process coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic period. The data were descriptively analysed and the experts’ evaluations were subjected to content analysis. Findings indicated that Gezgin mostly reflected the acquisitions, values, and skills of Global Connections learning area and could support the curriculum as a studying environment, create various experiences, materialise theoretical knowledge, and that it co uld be tested on students. It was also understood that values, primarily, and skills and acquisitions, subsequently, were mostly supported. Although the results of the study revealed similarities with the results of other studies in scientific literature, it differed from them as a large platform where the acquisitions, values, and skills of a learning field were reflected. The results indicated that geo-games should be used to support other learning areas, develop high-level skills, and create a level of awareness in accordance with spatial citizenship skills.

The Instructional Design of a 4C/ID-Inspired Learning Environment for Upper Secondary School Students’ Research Skills

In today’s complex world, the acquisition of research skills is considered an important goal in education. Consequently, there is a growing body of literature that recognizes the value of well-designed learning environments for effectively supporting the development of this complex set of skills. However, a clear consensus on how these research skills can be facilitated is currently lacking, and the design processes underlying the learning environments aiming to foster students’ research skills are not always clearly outlined. Furthermore, interventions aiming to foster these skills are often implemented in the domains of physics, biology, and chemistry, while other domains (such as behavioral and social sciences domains) remain understudied. In addition, current approaches to foster research skills often refer to only a few epistemic activities (Fischer et al., 2014) related to research skills. Inspired by a design-based research approach, this design effort case seeks to clearly explain the design considerations for, and the development of an online learning environment aiming to foster upper secondary school students’ research skills in a behavioral sciences context. The online learning environment (RISSC or Research In Social SCiences) consists of a lesson series designed based on a systematic approach to four-component instructional design (van Merriënboer & Kirschner, 2018), and was piloted with two different cohorts in upper secondary education and in first year of university.

Expert knowledge elicitation in the firefighting domain and the implications for training novices

Background/PurposeExperienced firefighters often make important decisions in fast-paced fire ground environments characterised by uncertainty and evolving conditions, mostly under considerable time-pressure. The nature of these environments inadvertently presents firefighters with novel situations that occasionally challenge their expertise, subsequently necessitating a reliance on intuitive as opposed to rational decisions. The purpose of this study is to elicit the tacitly held knowledge and intuitive thought processes that were used by 31 experts while managing a range of complex, non-routine fire incidents.Design/Methodology/ApproachThe study used a formal knowledge elicitation technique known as the critical decision method (CDM). CDM is a qualitative strategy that applies a set of cognitive probes to explore the cognitive processes that aid the performance of a complex task. This method was preferred to other cognitive task analysis methods as it specifically favours the use of retrospective incident accounts and incidents that were both challenging and memorable. Using the full CDM protocol, 31 experienced firefighters were interviewed across various fire stations in the UK and Nigeria (UK = 15, Nigeria = 16). The interview transcripts were coded, categorised and analysed using the emergent themes analysis approach.FindingsThe results from the study identified 134 decision points across the 31 incident accounts. A total of 42 salient cues sought by experts at each decision point were revealed and organised into a critical cue inventory. The identified cues were subsequently categorised into five distinct types based on the type of information each cue relayed to an incident commander. The study further developed a decision-making model – information filtering and intuitive decision-making model – that describes how experienced firefighters made difficult fire ground decisions amidst multiple informational sources. The model ultimately showed experts’ preferences for intuitive decisions as the default-thinking mode, with deliberation only required on few instances as conditions warranted. The study also compiled and indexed the cognitive strategies elicited from the expert firefighters into a competence assessment framework.Practical ImplicationsIn light of existing debate about the accessibility of expert knowledge, the current study not only provides empirical evidence detailing the practical application of the CDM as a formal knowledge elicitation method but also delineates a range of cognitive outputs from the elicitation process that ultimately holds relevance for knowledge transfer from expert to novices. The study identified a range of training needs and discussed the practical implications of transferring expert knowledge into learning tasks that could subsequently aid the cognitive development of novices. In particular, the study proposed adopting the four-component instructional design model in organising the CDM outputs for training purposes.Originality/ValueWhile it is generally taken that experts, because of their extensive domain knowledge and well-developed schema, often perform considerably (and sometimes exceptionally) well when solving complex problems, finding a credible and objective method to model what experts know and do continues to pose a challenge, particularly when such revelation is crucially required for training purposes. This study is therefore timely since its tacit and intuitive knowledge outputs can now be applied to enhance the development of training curricula for novices. The learning tasks developed from the CDM outputs are hoped to facilitate organisational learning not only within the firefighting domain but also across other high reliability organisations. It is extremely important that expert knowledge is preserved in these domains especially in countries such as the UK, where the rate of real fires has been on decline, which in turn suggests that the quality of experiential knowledge required to manage complex non-routine fire cases may also be on decline. The current study also presents and discusses insights based on the cultural differences observed between the UK and the Nigerian fire services.