Incorporating Cognitive and Constructivist Learning Approaches into Instructional Design.

Tony Fetherston*
Edith Cowan University
t.fetherston@cowan.edu.au

Recently there have been attempts to reconceptualise and broaden instructional design approaches to interactive multimedia to take into account theoretical developments in a variety of domains. For example Richey (1995) identifies theoretical advances in fields involving education, systems and chaos theory as all having relevance to instructional design. Traditional approaches to instructional design cannot easily incorporate these theoretical considerations but provide a well grounded and validated base from which enhanced approaches can grow. The interest in different approaches to learning at tertiary level which are increasingly involving interactive multimedia means that we need to consider instructional design models that can allow for behaviourist, cognitive and constructivist approaches to learning.
Any enhanced model should lead to a more holistic approach capable of responding to the various design contexts in which it might ultimately be applied. We need to recognise that the "design context can affect the character of the design" (Tessmer and Wedman, 1995) and develop models which are flexible and multilayered but still enable designers to produce sound educational IMM.
This paper presents a cyclical model which has four main phases. The first phase involves three elements: a situation analysis; a determination of the aims or outcomes to be achieved; and a choice of the learning approach. In the second phase general learning strategies are described, objectives or concepts chosen and ways of portraying what learners know, chosen. In the third phase objectives or concepts are sequenced, modules are developed and described and content chosen. In the final phase the storyboard is written, the design evaluated and implementation evaluation is planned.
In this paper, this instructional design model is explained in more detail. The way in which the model allows for constructivist and cognitive approaches to learning is also described.

Tessmer, M and Wedman, J. 1995. Context-sensitive instructional design models: A response to design research, studies and criticism. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 8, 3, p38-54.
Richey, R.C. 1995. Trends in instructional design: Emerging theory-based models. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 8, 3, p96-110.