Institutionally Supported Instructional Design

Institutionally Supported Instructional Design and Development

The longitudinal research over 100 higher education institutions offering distance education courses indicates the importance of institutional support when designing and developing online courses (Distance Education Demonstration Program, 2005). Studies by Bruce (2010) and Bruce and Zheng (2010) have shown that online learning has a better chance to succeed when there exists institutional support. This is critical at a time of rapidly growing student numbers in online courses (Sloan Consortium, 2007). This support has been defined in the national standards for online higher education document Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs, (Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, 2007), hereafter called Best Practices. It comprehensively and systematically defines the five separate components of institutional activity necessary for quality online distance education. These are in the areas of: 1) institutional context and commitment, 2) curriculum and instruction, 3) faculty support, 4) student support, and 5) evaluation and assessment. Together they constitute the evidenced-based online policies, practices, and standards established by the eight regional agencies that accredit all U.S. university academic programs, both conventional and online. Their individual and combined influence on instructional design and development is detailed in the Best Practices document and examined practically in policy and practice.

Related to institutional support is online curriculum and instruction. Research has documented the critical role of curriculum and instructional design in online learning (Dabbagh, & Bannan-Ritland, 2005). The curriculum and instruction component as defined by Best Practices entails instructor qualifications, changing faculty roles in planning and implementing online curriculum, and assuring teacher and student interaction as other considerations. Our studies and others (e.g., Dabbagh, & Bannan-Ritland, 2005; Zheng & Dahl, 2009) have shown that institutional support for curriculum and instruction is reflected not only in the policies and practices defined by the accrediting agencies but in their expression in the centers and technical support mechanisms that lead to quality instructional design. Technology centers and teaching and learning centers that provide training in online course development and design are the practical components of the online standards that pertain to online curriculum and instruction development.

Although faculty support in online learning has been widely studied, as of yet such study has rarely been conducted in the context of Best Practices relating to the support of instructors’ roles in online instruction. The authors hold the view that online faculty support should align with the policies and practices associated with intellectual property rights, increased training necessary for online instruction and changing approaches to pedagogy, instructional design, and student assessment which has found consideration in the Best Practices. In a separate study the authors found that institutions that follow the guidelines of Best Practices have a higher successful rate in terms of faculty motivation, student faculty relationship, etc. It is worth noting that faculty support should not only be implemented at the institutional level but also at the department level. Departments own the responsibility of directing their online instructors to the training centers (Irani & Telg, 2002) and support services and resources of their college or university. Instructional design that is supported at both levels will meet the needs of online faculty and their learners and thus are more likely to attain expected learning outcomes.

The student support component of the Best Practices addresses a number of key policies and practices. The components include practices related to the diversity of online student populations as well as student skills necessary for successful online learning. Other components include student access to educational resources and the technologies required to participate online. Interactions between teachers and students and among fellow students represent other considerations. Administrative, financial, and technical matters such as enrollment and advising form other parts of the student support component. Financial aid, online payments, and the provision of appropriate policies and procedures to assure the success of online students comprise still other components of student support in the Best Practices document. The consideration of diverse learners is a key consideration when applying online standards to instructional design and development. Contextualized lessons and lessons that consider cultural and historical elements are applications of diversity in design. Orientation and training for online instruction are critical to a student’s success. Access to a wide range of educational resources and research tools are other applications of agency standards. Lessons that involve the online learner in critical thinking, problem solving, discovery learning, and interactive group work meet students with evidence-based design (Dabbagh, & Bannan-Ritland, 2005). Technologies and course management systems that provide for student-to-student and student-teacher interaction are other critical aspects of student support.

The evaluation and assessment component of the Best Practices document details policies and practices that consider both the online programs and student achievements in the programs. Alignment of student performance with intended learning outcomes and teaching effectiveness make up other elements of the evaluation and assessment component. Assurance of the veracity of student work, the protection of personal information, and addressing student expectations and satisfaction are other factors. Student aptitude in fundamental skills for technology uses and comprehension are still other components. Finally, institutional self-assessment related to the use of technologies, resources, and service provisions complete the evaluation and assessment component of the Best Practices document. Policies and practices that support instructional design and development can lead to better alignment of expectations with outcomes for student learning. Student aptitudes for online learning must be assessed and fundamental skills trained. Teaching effectiveness increases in direct proportion to lessons that are well designed, suited to the instructional technologies in use, and that incorporate both a pedagogical approach and instructional strategies suited to the online learner (Dabbagh & Bannan-Ritland, 2005). Additionally, student satisfaction can best be achieved when the instructional design engages the online learner in ways proven to be effective through evidence-based practice (Dabbagh & Bannan-Ritland, 2005). Finally, when used with the support of an institution, technologies can serve the assurance of student work and safety of personal information.

Each of the components in the Best Practices addresses in detail “specific matters describing those elements essential to quality distance education programming” (Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, 2007, p. 2). The Best Practices makes clear the purpose of describing each of the elements in detail. The design of the document guides institutions “in determining the existence of those elements when reviewing either internally or externally distance education activities” (Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, 2007). Alignment of instructional design and development with accrediting agency standards for online higher education can enhance not only instructional design but the quality learning associated with it. Through this alignment, online instructors and the instructional designs they create offer the best that the development and application of standards has to offer.

Excerpt from: Bruce, P. A. & Zheng, R. Z. (2010). Institutionally supported instructional design anddevelopment: A practical application of national online standards. Paper presented at the AACE E-Learn 2010 World Conference: E-Learning in Corporate, Govt., Healthcare, & Higher Education. Orlando, Florida: October 18-22, 2010.