By Andrew L McGuffee
When posed with the task of comparing and contrasting different forms of instructional design and media I had to first establish their intended objective. The conclusion I came to was that all of these different forms of instruction are intended to engage and inform the learner above all. If you don’t stray too far from that path then your design will have a solid foundation no matter the form it takes.
Giving a Facelift to Tradition Learning Content
That said, I’ve learned that the use of different forms of media when tactically placed inside of learning material can make all the difference. When scrolling through countless pages of text on research that the learner may or may not be interested in it’s important to maintain attention. This can be achieved quite effectively by adding audio-visual elements and hyperlinks in between paragraphs. I also found that having an easy-to-navigate menu in your “live” or “online content is crucial for a quality delivery. It’s really based on how the ID (instructional designer) thinks they can best impart knowledge.
References
[TEDx Talks]. (Jan 10, 2013).Reimagining Learning: Richard Culatta at TEDxBeaconStreet [Video File] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0uAuonMXrg&list=PLRf-8s1vnepcXuJ8Z3vMGKGSoAV9fWidC
