Instructional Design Research Articles

MENTORING INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A NEEDS ASSESSMENT

This study benchmarked the mentoring needs of instructional design (ID) professionals working within a broad range of institution types across higher education. Data from 65 participants was collected using a needs assessment survey. ID respondents categorized 27 discrete mentoring needs into high, medium, and low priorities. Statistical analyses revealed communication skills as the highest mentoring need, while scholarly research and publication was the lowest. Years of career experience, team format, and team size were factors that distinguished the mentoring needs of IDs. The mentoring needs of IDs with between 3–7 years of experience significantly differed from their novice and senior colleagues as they strived to advance their careers. Implications for mentors, mentees, and institutions are discussed.

Enhanced Learning Outcomes with Audio in E-learning: An Analysis

Audio in any form whether as narration, sound effects, background music, or commentary can make e-learning more interesting for a learner. It completes the sensory engagement in a learner where the visual meets the auditory to comprehend a learning component. As an instructional designer and trainer, over the years, I have created several e-learning courses for adult learners with and without audio. The learning outcomes of the two when compared using several surveys and other evaluation mechanisms showed that learners not only prefer learning instruction that has audio but were also able to retain the learning and apply it to their jobs. This paper analyses how the level of learning outcomes is better in e-learning courses with audio than without audio. It shares some of the science and research that supports this. In addition, it describes the learner surveys and evaluation mechanisms that I have used to prove this and discusses the national and international compliances that make audio a mandate in e-learning to support of my analysis.

Exploring Educators’ Perception of and Readiness for Hybrid Flexible Learning in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Higher Education

In Malaysia, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) focuses on equipping students with practical skills for specific careers, blending classroom instruction with hands-on training. Regarding hybrid flexible (HyFlex) learning, which integrates face-to-face and online instruction, TVET institutions face both opportunities and challenges in incorporating digital tools into practical training. This study explores educators’ perceptions of and readiness for HyFlex learning in TVET higher education. A quantitative survey was conducted with 30 purposively selected educators to assess their attitudes, beliefs, and preparedness concerning HyFlex implementation. The data were collected through an online questionnaire and analyzed using the SPSS v25 software. The educators viewed HyFlex learning positively, with mean scores above 3.29 indicating approval of its benefits. They also felt confident about students’ success (mean = 4.16) and their own technological skills (mean = 3.92). However, concerns were noted regarding increased workload (mean = 3.44) and the need for better training and resources, as reflected in the lower scores for instructional design (mean = 3.54) and access to resources (mean = 3.77). Therefore, enhancements in training and resources are necessary. This study recommends strategies to improve educators’ readiness, including the provision of clear workload guidelines, support for instructional design, professional development, technological resources, and a supportive institutional culture. Addressing these areas will facilitate more effective and sustainable adoption of HyFlex learning models. KEYWORDS hybrid flexible learning, educator perception, readiness, TVET, higher education, instructional design

Using Four-Component Instructional Design to Create an Interactive Point-of-Care Ultrasound Curriculum for Physician Associate Students.

Many physician assistant/associate (PA) programs lack point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) education in the PA curricula and a standardized approach to ultrasound training. The four-component instructional design (4C/ID) model merges 4 concepts for developing effective instructional design content for complex content delivery, such as ultrasound. This research study created an interactive, 2-part ultrasound curriculum with an instructional designer for PA students using the 4C/ID model. Two interactive ultrasound curriculum models were created from the 4C/ID model using a knowledge-based precurriculum quiz, learning tasks with online modules and recordings, part-task practice with ultrasound experts, skills checkoffs, and a postcurriculum quiz including questions on students' perspectives of ultrasound. Two-tailed paired t-test analysis assessed the effectiveness of training. Evaluation of prelearning and postlearning quizzes demonstrated multiple statistically significant assessments supporting the use of instructional design technology for a PA program's ultrasound curriculum. This small study demonstrated that the 4C/ID model may be beneficial for PA POCUS training. The 2-part interactive curriculum improved PA student competency of ultrasound principles and applications and increased confidence for future clinical use of ultrasound.

Enhancing teaching materials development course with the ICARE learning model in e-learning

Using e-learning in higher education has many important benefits and advantages in todays world of education. Therefore, this research aims to develop e-learning based on the introduction, connection, application, reflection, extend (ICARE) learning model for developing teaching materials courses in the Faculty of Education, Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha. The Hannafin and Peck development model was adopted as a foundational method, and the digital content developed was subjected to formative evaluation methods, including i) expert validation, ii) individual assessment, and iii) small group evaluation. To ascertain the quality of the developed content, the research engaged 3 expert evaluators, each specializing in media, instructional design, and content. Concurrently, individual evaluation was carried out with 3 students, followed by a small group evaluation involving 9 additional students. Data collection techniques involved both observational measures and questionnaire-based inquiries. The expert assessment showed that the design, media, and content dimensions all fell within the "very good" category. Student reactions, as measured through both individual and small group evaluations, consistently aligned with the "very good" category. Therefore, the attractiveness and practicality of electronic learning (e-learning) fell under the "very good" classification, due to the implementation of the ICARE learning model as the foundational design principle.

The Role of Islamic Education Teachers in Shaping Student Character in the Era of Society 5.0

Character development in children is a crucial aspect that underscores the significant role of teachers. In addition to being educators, teachers must also guide and serve as role models for their students. This study highlights the important role of teachers in shaping students' morals in the Society 5.0 era. The primary objective of this research is to understand how students' morals change in the context of Society 5.0 and the role of teachers in fostering better and more character-driven students. The study employs a qualitative method with a descriptive approach. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations to achieve accurate and comprehensive results. The findings indicate that the moral condition of students at Madrasah Tsanawiyah Negeri 1 Bengkalis is generally good. The role of teachers in shaping students' morals in the Society 5.0 era can be divided into three stages: 1). Before the Learning Process: Teachers function as instructional designers, role models, and parental figures. 2). During the Learning Process: Teachers act as organizers, motivators, facilitators, innovators, and mentors. 3). After the Learning Process: Teachers serve as supervisors and evaluators.This research provides insights into how teachers can adapt and innovate in the digital era to enhance students' morals and character, offering practical recommendations for future educational development.

Undergraduate dental curricula in Middle Eastern and Arabic-speaking African Nations − A cross-sectional study

PurposeTo evaluate the design of undergraduate curricula, teaching and learning practices, assessments, admission criteria and quality assurance in dental schools across Middle Eastern and Arab-speaking African nations. MethodologyA cross-sectional survey was sent to 40 dental colleges in the Middle East and African Arabic-speaking countries. A purposefully designed proforma consisting of 21 items divided into five sections based on admission criteria, curriculum delivery, teaching and learning practices, assessment methods, and quality assurance was used for data collection on Google forms. Participation in the survey was voluntary and all participants were consented before data collection. The data was analysed for descriptive statistics. ResultsA total of 28 dental institutions participated in the study yielding a response rate of 70 %. The data showed variations in the admission criteria, curricula, and assessment methods. The reliability statistics were satisfactory (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.89). ANOVA showed significant differences were noted in the clinical experience of students by country and curriculum design (p ≤ 0.001). Gaps were also identified in the quality assurance processes at some of the participating institutions. ConclusionThis study provides a snapshot of undergraduate dental education in the Middle East and Arabic speaking African countries. Although a majority of the institutions follow a student-centered approach, some in institutions still follow the traditional teacher-centered approach which is not consistent with the contemporary strategies in healthcare education. The admission criteria are based on high school grades albeit with some variations. The duration of dental programs is five years at most institutions with or without an additional foundation year. Variations were also noted in the assessment weightings, clinical targets and quality assurance procedures. Further collaboration is required to facilitate harmonization of dental curricula in the region, solicit international recognition and to better support their graduates in pursuing postgraduate studies and employment options.

보편적 학습설계와 증거기반교수를 적용한 수학 수업이 초등학생의 곱셈·나눗셈 성취도와 수학적 학습 태도에 미치는 효과

Objectives The purposes of this study was to examine the effects of mathematics instruction, incorporate Universal Design for Learning(UDL) and evidence-based instruction, on the multiplication and division achievement and mathematical learning attitudes of 4th grade elementary school students with typical or low achievement in mathematics. Methods The study involved 46 subjects, comprising students from two 4th-grade classes in a public elementary school in Seoul. The subjects were divided into experimental and control groups, with each group further subdivided based on their level of mathematics achievement. The experimental design employed a pretest-posttest control group design along with a repeated measures design. Improvements in students’ multiplication and division achievements were analyzed using a hierarchical linear growth model, while differences in attitudes towards mathematical learning were assessed using paired samples t-tests and analysis of covariance(ANCOVA). Results First, the rate of change in multiplication and division achievement among students with typical math performance in the experimental group was statistically significantly higher than that in the control group. Second, the rate of change in multiplication and division achievement among students with low math performance in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group. Third, within the experimental group, students with low math performance demonstrated a significantly greater rate of improvement in achievement compared to students with typical math performance. Fourth, students in the experimental group showed statistically significant improvement in most areas of mathematical learning attitudes. Finally, there was no statistically significant difference in mathematical learning attitudes between the two subgroups of the experimental group, except for their level of confidence in multiplication and division. Conclusions First, mathematics instruction incorporating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and evidencebased instruction was effective in improving multiplication and division achievement as well as mathematical learning attitudes among 4th grade elementary students. Finally, it can be inferred that this approach could be an effective method for ensuring foundational academic skills and bridging achievement gaps in general education settings with diverse student characteristics.

Investigating students’ programming behaviors, interaction qualities and perceptions through prompt-based learning in ChatGPT

ChatGPT has proven to facilitate computer programming tasks through the strategic use of prompts, which effectively steer the interaction with the language model towards eliciting relevant information. However, the impact of specifically designed prompts on programming learning outcomes has not been rigorously examined through empirical research. This study adopted a quasi-experimental framework to investigate the differential effects of prompt-based learning (PbL) versus unprompted learning (UL) conditions on the programming behaviors, interaction qualities, and perceptions of college students. The study sample consisted of 30 college students who were randomly assigned to two groups. A mixed-methods approach was employed to gather multi-faceted data. Results revealed notable distinctions between the two learning conditions. First, the PbL group students frequently engaged in coding with Python and employed debugging strategies to verify their work, whereas their UL counterparts typically transferred Python code from PyCharm into ChatGPT and posed new questions within ChatGPT. Second, PbL participants were inclined to formulate more complex queries independently, prompted by the guiding questions, and consequently received more precise feedback from ChatGPT compared to the UL group. UL students tended to participate in more superficial-level interactions with ChatGPT, yet they also obtained accurate feedback. Third, there were noticeable differences in perception observed before and after the ChatGPT implementation, UL group reported a more favorable perception in the perceived ease of use in the pre-test, while the PbL group experienced an improvement in their mean scores for perceived usefulness, ease of use, behavioral intention to utilize, and a significant difference regarding the attitude towards utilizing ChatGPT. Specifically, the use of structured output and delimiters enhanced learners’ understanding of problem-solving steps and made learning more efficient with ChatGPT. Drawing on these outcomes, the study offers recommendations for the incorporation of ChatGPT into future instructional designs, highlighting the structured prompting benefits in enhancing programming learning experience.

A Study on How to Cultivate Musical Transitions Using A. Copland’s Theory of Students of Liberal Arts Music Education at University

This study adopted literature analysis and hermeneutic research methods, utilizing Aaron Copland's theory of film music to explore strategies for promoting musical transfer among students in college-level general music education. Music courses in liberal arts education at the university level typically focus on enhancing students' appreciation and understanding of music. however, given the nature of such courses, there may be limitations in applying musical concepts to real-life situations unless a specific instructional design is considered. To address this issue, this study developed a preliminary educational model through a literature review, and subsequently refined and finalized the model by incorporating revisions identified during the actual process of designing lessons using film music. The findings indicate that the educational model employing film music has the potential to enhance students' musical comprehension and appreciation skills and serves as an effective tool for facilitating the transfer of musical concepts across various contexts. These results suggest that the integration of film music into liberal arts music education is an effective approach for expanding students' musical thinking and experiences, thus presenting a new direction for music education.

Bringing embodied approaches to on-campus research methods teaching for large STEM cohorts: design, challenges, learning

In the post-pandemic world, Learning Development researchers have posited a ‘new hybrid era of teaching’, in which lessons from lockdown in best practice for online and remote teaching play a key role in increasing the inclusivity of higher education (Kantcheva and Bickle, 2023). At the same time, as many students have returned to campus, research has begun to interrogate the role that campus spaces and in-person interaction play in teaching and learning in this new era (Hrach, 2021; Cox et al., 2022). Whether through explicit pedagogical design or implicitly, courses with practical elements, particularly in many scientific disciplines, tend to favour principles of embodied learning through ‘learning-by-doing’. Courses incorporate hands-on interaction with laboratory equipment and social constructivist approaches through student co-creation (Deshmukh, 2021), the centrality of which to students’ professional training was made even more apparent during the move to remote learning. However, these same principles have not underscored the pedagogical approach to research methods education on the undergraduate Engineering degree programmes at the University of Manchester, which has typically been taught more didactically in recent years. This lecture-format approach has been used partially due to challenges of practicality, with the course unit being delivered to a large cohort that can reach 500 students in a typical year. With these principles in mind, this academic year, the Library Teaching, Learning and Students team has collaborated with academic leads across Engineering disciplines to deliver embedded research methods workshops that incorporate elements of an embodied, social constructivist approach, playing to the unique strengths of in-person group learning. This presentation charted the process of Learning Developers and academic staff co-designing these workshops, highlighting challenges encountered, and outlining learning from the process to take forward into future collaborations with disciplines with large cohorts.

Desolvation Effect Triggered by TiS2‐TiO2 Heterostructure for Ultrahigh‐Rate Aqueous Zinc‐Ion Batteries

AbstractAqueous Zn ion batteries (AZIBs) represent a promising candidate for the next‐generation energy storage and conversion systems due to their high safety and cost‐effectiveness. However, sluggish kinetics arising from interface desolvation processes pose challenges in achieving high‐power density and long cycle life for AZIBs. Here, it is discovered for the first time that heterostructures utilize built‐in electric field forces to promote the desolvation process at the electrode‐electrolyte interface. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and structural characterization demonstrate that heterogeneous structures simultaneously accelerate the desolvation process and enhance ion diffusion, resulting in the outstanding rate performance (160.9 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1) of TiS2‐TiO2 heterostructures, far exceeding that of a conventional TiS2 electrode with 14.2% capacity retention. Meanwhile, the insertion/extraction of the desolvated charge carriers reduced the volume change of TiS2‐TiO2 material during the charging/discharging processes, enabling the long‐lasting cycling stability (108.6 mA h g−1 after 2000 cycles at 0.5 A g−1). This study provides instructive electrode design strategies for the construction of fast‐charging electrochemical energy storage systems.

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into undergraduate education

The incorporation of AI as a tool in educating undergraduates is a promising concept held with a great potential of positively influencing the learning process, learners’ experiences and institutional management systems. At the same time, it lifts essential moral issues that ought to be adequately addressed into new stages. The aim of this paper is to review literature on the subject of ethics in the application of AI in the context of an undergraduate degree program. Algorithmic choices for instructional design are another relevant ethical concern along with privacy and data protection, practitioners’ responsibilities, and the requisite levels of transparency, as well as the depersonalized and mechanized nature of learning management systems. The analysis reveals how the use of AI technology might deepen the social and economic inequities the students have described and how difficult it is to keep the students’ trust in cases when AI technology is not transparent. Also, the paper raises concerns related to several ethical issues and their consequences to students, teachers, and institutions on how strong ethical principles and policies to apply AI in the educational sectors. It is established that the use of AI in the delivery of undergraduate education has the potential of enhancing the effectiveness of learning(). Nonetheless, it is recommended that the integration of AI in the classroom must be done with reference to several ethical concerns so as to prevent further negative ramifications of the technology.

A Systematic Review of Blended Learning in Higher Education: Second Language Acquisition through the Community of Inquiry Framework

This study examined the application of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework in blended learning environments for second language acquisition in higher education. A systematic literature review was conducted using the PRISMA protocol, analyzing 25 peer-reviewed articles published between 2014 and 2023 from Scopus, Web of Science, and ERIC databases. The review investigated CoI implementation characteristics, the interplay of CoI elements, research methodologies, challenges, and best practices. Findings revealed a predominance of studies on undergraduate English learners, with mixed-methods approaches being most common. The integration of social, cognitive, and teaching presence significantly enhanced language acquisition and student engagement. Key challenges included technological integration, maintaining online engagement, effective instructional design, and addressing varying language proficiency levels. Best practices emphasized the strategic use of mobile applications, fostering online communities, enhancing teaching presence, and implementing personalized learning approaches. Gaps identified in the research included a predominant focus on English language studies, limited exploration at the graduate level, and a scarcity of longitudinal investigations examining long-term outcomes of CoI-informed blended learning. This review provided valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in blended language learning, offering a foundation for future research and implementation strategies. However, the study was limited by its focus on peer-reviewed articles from specific databases.

Development and Validation of an Educational Intervention Using a Mobile Social Networking for People With Diabetes: A Brazilian Experience

Introduction Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disease with high morbidity and mortality rate and increasing prevalence, which leading to a significant decrease in quality of life. Objective To develop and validate a intervention program of non-pharmacological interventions for self-care and a healthy lifestyles using a mobile social networking for people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes assisted by a Primary Health Care service. Method Applied technological research with mixed methodology. The method chosen for the development of the set of interventions was the Contextualized Instructional Design (DIC), and the validation was carried out by the Delphi Method. Results In the developed program, patients received information through posts in a WhatsApp® group called “Routine in Day.” In this virtual environment, the content was transmitted and discussed through text messages, videos, audios and images about Diabetes Mellitus, healthy eating, physical activity, correct use of medications, sleeping habits, mental health, drug control and guidance on the reduction of chronic complications based on scientific evidence. With regard to validation, after two rounds of the Delphi method, the Content Validity Index was above the standard in the literature. Conclusion: The current intervention proposal proved to be a useful and accessible tool, with the objective of contributing to the control of Diabetes Mellitus, in addition to facilitating communication between the team and patients.

The Pathways of Ideological and Political Education Integrated Throughout Business English Curriculum from the Perspective of Fostering Virtue

Fostering Virtue is the Fundamental Task of Education. Based on this fundamental task, universities should improve the teaching design of every course in various disciplines, integrating ideological and political education into them. This article explores the basic pathways for implementing ideological and political education in Business English courses from the perspective of fostering virtue. These pathways include establishing and dividing course groups for ideological and political education, exploring ideological and political elements to find corresponding material for integration, and innovating teaching methods to strengthen the effect of moral education. This article provides new ideas for integrating ideological and political education into Business English courses in universities.

Interactive teaching design of mobile English based on deep learning

Interactive teaching design of mobile English based on deep learning

A narrative inquiry of an undergraduate student in TEFL in developing her identity as an engaged reader

PurposeThis retrospective narrative inquiry explored an undergraduate student’s lived experience in negotiating her identity as an engaged reader of English as a foreign language.Design/methodology/approachNarrative inquiry was employed to gain a deeper and better understanding of the participant’s engagement in reading courses. Olif (pseudonym, female) was recruited due to her significant learning achievements and willingness to share her experiences. To collect the data, we conducted several online interviews with her. To triangulate our findings, we also asked her to share her learning artifacts from the reading courses.FindingsThe thematic analysis revealed two major findings. First, her reading engagement is driven by both personal and academic motivation. Furthermore, her involvement in collaborative reading tasks fosters a deeper comprehension of texts and enhances creativity.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has two major limitations. First, it interviewed only one student and was conducted over a relatively short period. Second, it examined the participant’s experience across three different reading courses, which potentially lacks deeper insights into how each course uniquely contributes to learning engagement.Originality/valueThe study concludes that promoting personalized and collaborative reading tasks enables undergraduate students to develop their identity as engaged readers. Despite focusing on a single participant, this study offers a unique perspective on how the participant’s voice can potentially impact teachers’ pedagogical design in reading classrooms.

The use ADDIE model to improve the competence of the higher education task force in obtaining competitive funding for the independent campus program

PurposeThis research aims to improve the competence of the task force of vocational higher education study programs in preparing a proposal for the Vocational Higher Education Strengthening Program-Private University (VHESP-PU) of the Independent Campus Program.Design/methodology/approachThis type of research is R&D by applying the ADDIE model procedures. The research subjects were 30 lecturers assigned as study program task forces from 15 private universities in North Sumatra. The techniques to collect data are tests and questionnaires. Data analysis techniques use quantitative descriptive statistics.FindingsThe application of the ADDIE Model was proven effective in achieving training objectives based on the mean comparison analysis between the pre-test and post-test, showing an increase. The maximum score achieved by participants also increased by 9.52% from 84 to 92. Participants' evaluation of the implementation of the training was also dominant in the “Good” and “Very Good” categories. The training learning achievements that participants have obtained will help prepare higher-quality VHESP-PU proposals for each fiscal year to optimize training sustainability.Research limitations/implicationsThe fact that only 15 universities participated in the training underscores the urgent need for ongoing training using the ADDIE model. This will ensure that more participants from private universities in North Sumatra can benefit from this practical approach to proposal preparation.Practical implicationsUsing the ADDIE model to prepare VHESP-PU proposals is an innovative approach that can inspire similar applications in other fields. This research demonstrates that the ADDIE model, usually associated with instructional design, curriculum or learning materials, can also effectively prepare funding proposals using a competition scheme.Originality/valueThe use of the ADDIE model in preparing VHESP-PU proposals is an innovation because ADDIE is usually more related to developing instructional design, curriculum or learning materials rather than funding proposals using a competition scheme.

Utilizing Language-Generating Artificial Intelligence (LGAI) in Educational Planning: A Case Study

The integration of Generative AI (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT in education, while promising, remains underexplored. This study investigates the use of language-generating AI (LGAI) within K-12 instructional planning through a case study of a middle school science teacher using the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. Findings reveal that effective use of LGAI involves detailed contextual input, iterative dialogue, and selective adoption of AI-generated suggestions. The teacher’s engagement with LGAI not only enhanced lesson planning efficiency but also supported adaptive teaching methods and personalized learning experiences. This integration led to improved confidence and strategic decision-making in instructional planning. The study highlights the potential of LGAI to transform educational practices and underscores the importance of professional development to equip educators with the skills necessary to harness AI technologies effectively. These insights contribute to understanding how GenAI can augment instructional design, offering a framework for integrating technological innovations into pedagogy.