Review of Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

For the IDT 530 course, Planning, Designing, Developing, and Evaluating Technology-based Instruction, one of the other three required texts was A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink.

Pink has written five books,is no stranger to the New York Times best-seller list and has attained the status of business guru; he has been on the board of directors of many non-profits and start-ups. This 304-page business text was a logical choice for inclusion in the Instructional Design curriculum, as it emphasizes the roles of creative individuals in today’s business world.

He starts off the book by recapping the four “ages” that he says define progress of the modern world: Agricultural, Industrial, Information, and Conceptual. He asserts that society is now in the Conceptual age, which is marked by creators and empathizers (right-brain people). He looks at how there are many things that the Western world is not competitive with anymore, as many tasks are no longer in demand or can be done better (and cheaper) via computer or overseas.

Once this background is set, he goes on to describe essential differences, or “senses,” that can give industries a comparative advantage. I am not going to ruin the surprise of what these are, but he does seem to make sense and fairly reasonable arguments here for how our business focus needs to adapt.

I am not going to go so far as to say that Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind: Why Right-brainers Will Rule the Future is a must-buy (unless, of course, your professor puts it on the required text list), but it is interesting enough that you might want to thumb through it if you have the time. The book is reasonably priced, with new ones selling for only around $10 on Amazon, so there is not much to lose if you do not like it.

Daniel H. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. New York; Penguin Group

Review of Peter F. Drucker’s Management Challenges for the 21st Century

Hello!

For the IDT 5300 course, 530, Planning, Designing, Developing, and Evaluating Technology-based Instruction, one of the three required texts was Management Challenges for the 21st Century by Peter F. Drucker.

Drucker was born in Vienna, and became a US citizen in 1943. He was an educator, management consultant, and author, having written 39 books. Over time he became a mythical figure in the study of management, and he was known as the “Founder of modern management.” Management Challenges for the 21st Century was published in 2001, so it is not terribly new, but this was one of his last works as he died in 2005.

This 224-page text is not a terribly onerous read, and when people saw me reading it they would comment that they had read it before (usually as part of an MBA program). The text is broken up into six sections, each of which is a nice stand-alone essay. They include: “Management’s New Paradigm,” “Strategy – The New Certainties,” “The Change Leader,” “Information Challenges,” “Knowledge Worker Productivity,” and “Managing Oneself.” The book still seems relevant 14 years later, and a lot of the things that Peter foretold have actually come to pass.

Of course, this has to all fit in to an Instructional Design program, so what were the takeaways for me? Well, the details of the changing world economy and how information were used were certainly interesting, but the real meat were the chapters on knowledge workers (which instructional designers are) and how to manage oneself. Drucker did a good job of defining knowledge workers and discussion their importance to an organization, as well as how to properly treat them and keep them motivated. And the information about managing oneself was also valuable as I am in the last half of my life and should start considering my role in the world more carefully.

Though I initially did not see how it was going to apply to me, Peter F. Drucker’s Management Challenges in the 21st Century ended up being an interesting read, and I think it was a good use of my time. If it sounds like you might enjoy it, this book is not terribly expensive, with new ones selling for only around $10 on Amazon. Or I could loan you my copy…

Drucker, P.F. (2001). Management challenges for the 21st century. New York: Harper & Row

MSIDT 530: Planning, Designing, Developing, and Evaluating Technology-based Instruction

Hello!

The third semester of my CSUF MSIDT program (Summer 2015) included MSIDT 530, Planning, Designing, Developing, and Evaluating Technology-based Instruction. The course description and objectives were (from the university website): “1) The ability to determine appropriate design strategies for an assigned instructional program. 2) The development of storyboards and flowcharts for an interactive lesson with appropriate tools. 3) The recognition and assessment of factors impacting cost and scope of multimedia projects. 4) The assessment of the capabilities of authoring tools, programming languages, and HTML.”

The course met these objectives for me. Students in Cohort 13 were expected to work in small groups to produce a multimedia learning object using Captivate 8, prepare small group peer reviews of other groups’ projects, lead a discussion thread (again in a small group), complete weekly assignments on the web forum, and write a summary paper. There was also a final exam thrown in for good measure.

Supporting the course were three main texts (reviews of two these will be provided in subsequent blog posts, and one has already been reviewed):

-- Multimedia for Learning: Methods and Development, by Alessi and Trollip (already reviewed)

-- Management Challenges for the 21st Century by Peter F. Drucker

-- A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink

There was nothing in the coursework that was really hard to do, but the small group dynamic did give me some problems. The instructor assigned the small groups (3 students in each), and this was the same group that worked with on each of the projects (except for the final exam and the summary paper). I had difficulties understanding my team mates and communications were poor at times, so there was a lot of stress involved with the projects as my grades were dependent on what I thought they were supposed to be doing. I would have preferred to pick who I worked with, which was the case in the rest of the courses in the IDT program. Everything worked out well in the end, and overall this course was very beneficial.

Thanks for checking out the blog, and next we will take a look at the texts we used for this course.

Mahalo!

CSUF MSIDT Summer Semester of 2015

Hello!

My third semester in the MSIDT program was in the Summer of 2015, and like the other four semesters, it lasted for 16 weeks. Six units are taken at a time, so there were two courses: IDT 530: Planning, Designing, Developing and Evaluating Technology-Based Instruction and IDT 535, Instructional Strategies and Universal Design Issues in Learning Environments.

This third semester was the toughest one of the program, and it got off to a rocky start for me because there was a very short break after the Spring term, so there was not much time to recharge my batteries. Once things got started, the 535 course was very straightforward as we prepared lesson plans and worked on research papers. The 530 course was difficult, mostly due to a group project that I was involved in where things just did not go very smoothly. As a result, there was a lot of stress for me (though I still learned a lot). When it was all over I was relieved to get a few weeks off before the Fall semester, and had the chance to take a wonderful vacation with my family.

Stay tuned to the blog –- I will be writing in more detail about both of the Summer semester classes as well as the texts we used in them.

Mahalo!

Rex

Review of Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide (3rd Edition)

For the Spring of 2015 IDT 525 course, Instructional Approaches in Learning and Cognition, the required text was Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide (3rd Edition) by Sharan B. Merriam, Rosemary S. Caffarella, and Lisa M. Baumgartner.

This text has a little bit of everything in it, as it covers adult learning from many angles and addresses a little bit of a lot of different theories. Unfortunately it lacks focus and order, making it a tough read, and when you combine this with its bloated size (560 pages), this makes it a tough sell. At least it is not terrible expensive for a textbook, coming in at $48 from Amazon.

By trying to cover so much ground in one book, the authors were often unable to provide and context or background for the learning theories, and there is not enough depth for most of the theories so that additional research will need to be done by the reader if they want to learn more than the most basic details. Making matters worse, there is obvious bias to the writing, particularly when it comes to newer approaches to adult learning, including embodied, spiritual, and narrative learning, as well as non-Western learning perspectives.

The nicest thing I can say about this book is that it did lead me to do my own research into pedagogy, so slogging my way through it was not a complete waste of time. I decided to hold onto this book because I was not going to get much money for selling it back, but I certainly would not buy another one if it became lost or damaged.

Thanks for checking in, and next time we will start getting into the courses and books from summer semester of the MSIDT program.

Merriam, S., Caffarella, R. and Baumgartner, L. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (3rd Edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

MSIDT 525: Instructional Approaches in Learning and Cognition

Hello!

The other course in the second semester of my CSUF MSIDT program (Spring 2015) was MSIDT 525: Instructional Approaches in Learning and Cognition. The university website says that this course “Focuses on behavioral, cognitive, constructivist learning theories, related concepts, and their implications for designing instruction. Develops students’ critical thinking about desirable cognitive outcomes when designing educational experiences.”

The course objectives were (again from the university website):

- The ability to examine learners’ learning preferences and their capacities to organize and coordinate information

- Comparing and contrasting emerging theories of adult learning (andragogy) with theories of how children learn (pedagogy)

- Recognizing the impact of learning theories on the design of learning environments including environments where technology supports learning

The highlight of this class for me was fulfilling the second objective, and to this end I wrote a research paper on Knowles’ andragogy and its application to multimedia learning. This helped me to bridge the gap between theory and application, and components from this paper will be essential in the preparation of my final program thesis and project.

On the fun side of things, I got to work in a small group to author a PowerPoint presentation on learning theory as it applies to online learning. This was probably the most enjoyable group project that I worked on in the program, as the other members were cool people and everybody pulled their weight and respected each other.

And lastly, there were ten discussion forums that the members of Cohort 13 were expected to participate in. These provided a lot of different viewpoints on learning theories and helped to continue building the learning community that was established in the first semester.

Supporting the course was only one main text:

-- Merriam, S., Caffarella, R. and Baumgartner, L. (2007). Learning in adulthood (3rd Edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

The readings were difficult ( a review is on its way) and in this course it took a surprising amount of time to do everything right. There were no quizzes or exams, and from the course description it may look like there was not a lot going on, but the paper and discussion boards were very involved and we kept busy throughout the 16 weeks of the course.

Thanks for checking out the blog, and next we will take a look at the text we used for this course.

CSUF MSIDT Midpoint Reflection

Hello!
After completing more than half of the CSUF MSIDT program, it seems like a good time to look back and see how far I have come in the process. Today we are going to take another look at how I chose the program and a few things I have gotten out of it already.
After deciding to pursue a master's degree in instructional design, I did some homework and the program I chose would have to be:
1. Worthwhile, as I was not doing this just to get a degree, there would actually have to be development of knowledge and skills.
2. Completed while working full-time at my career. This made flexibility of online programs more attractive.
3. Accredited so it would be accepted by future employers (or customers).
4. Affordable on my family's budget.
After completing a lot of research and speaking to other instructional designers, I focused on five different instructional design programs: Indiana University, Florida State University, Virginia Tech, Boise State University, and California State University at Fullerton.
These are all good programs, but out-of-state tuition prices put many of these out of reach. I initially gravitated towards CSU Fullerton because it would be more affordable, but the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. Also, the Fullerton program is well-regarded, and its a Master's of Science brings many elements of online learning into the mix, which how a lot of learning will happen in the future.
There are a few things that I have learned in the CSUF MSIDT program that are already helping me in my career.
The first thing is a more extensive knowledge of learning theories. Learning about them is one thing, but there is also the realization that there is no single right way to do things. All learners are different, and effective learning for any group or individual will probably require more than one theory or approach so that as many students as possible can benefit from the experience.
The other thing that has been great for me is having the luxury to go through full development processes with completely prepared design documents. I often do not have the luxury of time to do this on work projects, and there are some important steps that I have missed in the past that could have made my life much easier.
Thanks for checking in, and stay tuned for more news from the IDT program!

Leaving ADDIE for SAM MegaWorkshop

Hi there! Today I am taking a break from discussing the CSUF MSIDT program to talk a bit about a great seminar I attended in Chicago on September 28 and 29.

The seminar was title Leaving ADDIE for SAM, and it was presented by Richard Sites from Allen Interactions for ATD. Allen Interactions was founded by Michael Allen, who is considered to be the father of SAM, or the Successive Approximation Model.

An important thing to note right up front is that Richard Sites emphasized right up front that ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) is really the gold standard of development processes. But, it is slow, particularly when the Analysis stage extends on, and on, and on (analysis paralysis).

SAM uses an iterative process to arrive at a solution that arrives at the performance that is desired. Instead of using lengthy linear steps, it uses much smaller iterative steps. This helps avoid time sucking traps (dealing with SMEs, running out of budget, and quality issues). While doing all of this, the process focuses on preparing genuine performance learning.

One major divergence from ADDIE is that SAM starts with the preparation phase where research and background information is created. This phase is supposed to be much quicker than the Analysis stage of ADDIE.

From there, SAM moves into the Savvy Start, which is a collaborative brainstorming session that should include the major stakeholders. This meeting focuses on learner performance and serves as the project kickoff meeting and will be the first opportunity for all team members to collaborate. This is also an iterative process, and it is recommended that three rotations of this design, prototype, and review process take place.

After this the model moves into the iterative design phase which goes through development, implementation, and evaluation. Sites pointed out that most users of ADDIE never actually go through the evaluation phase. The design should go through three iterations, which they coined Alpha, Beat, and Gold. During this the product is being constantly analyzed and evaluated, so that changes can occur very quickly. One hint that Sites provided was to present the material to the stakeholder with the request that they evaluate if the product does what it is supposed to do, not if they want to add anything to it. If changes are requested it is best to simply ask if the changes met the stakeholder’s request. Going beyond this will lengthen the process and make the final product more bulky.

This workshop proved the worth of the SAM process to me, and I am motivated to implement it on the next new project that I start. The facilitator suggested that it would not be wise to change methodologies midstream on a project, which makes sense.

The conference itself was set up to be a collaborative learning environment for the attendees. There were many group projects over the two days, and the concepts of SAM were practiced a number of times as parts of the Savvy Start were modeled. There were about 30 attendees (at $1500 each!), and they represented an interesting cross-section of different institutional types, including education, non-profits, government, freelance workers, and private industry. Interacting and networking with these individuals was very valuable, as there were a lot of unique viewpoints on the subject of adult learning.

ATD did a good job of setting up this “MegaWorkshop.” Conference Chicago at University Center is a very nice facility, and getting to be downtown was a nice change from the usual airport hotel banquet rooms where things like this usually take place.

Review of Williams’ Non-designer’s Design Book (4th Ed.)

For the IDT 520 course, , Instructional Design Level 1: Issues in E-learning and the Design Process, one of the three required texts was the fourth edition of the Non-designer’s Design Book by Robin Williams. No. Not that Robin Williams.
This 240-page text is really a fun read, with plenty of realistic advice and design tips, starting from the basics, which is something that an art-challenged person such as myself needs the most. These include the four principles of design (C.R.A.P.), designing with colors, designing with type, and how to see things from the point of view of a designer. I took a lot away from the content, especially the ideas of contrast and repetition, as well as a better understand why some colors work better together than others.
Bringing this all together is a a good selection of color images of actual products that run the gamut from simple card to elaborate websites. And these are modern examples of objects and media that most all of the readers would be familiar with. These are interspersed with tips, as well as descriptions of why some of these things are visually more effective than others. Williams has a firm grasp of the subject and is able to communicate well with the reader, which is an unbeatable combination.
Robin Williams’ Non-Designer’s Design Book is a must buy, not just for instructional designers, but for anybody that has to produce media. This includes business folks who produce PowerPoint presentations, professors that think they know how to make an effective presentation, and even people that do newsletters for their club, or small business owners that makes their own flyers and menus. And best of all, it is priced reasonably, with new ones selling for only around $23 on Amazon. It is worth every penny!
Williams, R.. 4th Edition. (2014). The non-designer's design book. San Francisco, CA.: Peachpit Press.

Review of Alessi & Trollip’s Multimedia for Learning: Methods and Development (3rd Ed.)

For the IDT 520 course, , Instructional Design Level 1: Issues in E-learning and the Design Process, one of the three required texts was the third edition of Multimedia for Learning: Methods and Development by Stephen Alessi and Stanley Trollip. This book is also required for future classes in the MSIDT program.
This 580-page text is fourteen years old, and many of the examples are dated when it comes to technology, but it still has a wealth of knowledge for non-technological curriculum design elements. What is particularly impressive is how well the authors managed to avoid specific platforms or programs throughout much of the book. Unfortunately, this is the last update that Alessi and Trollip are planning to do, so another source of knowledge will have to be found in the future as the content of this text ages even more.
Multimedia for Learning: Methods and Development contains a good general overview of learning principles and methodologies from both constructivist and instructivist perspectives. Definitions of tutorials, simulations, and games are provided, as well as solid examples and comparisons of each, and reasons why each may be good or inappropriate for various learning situations. The authors provide good basic rundowns of testing and assessment methodologies, and relevant guidelines for when they should be applied. There are also good discussions of the administration of testing in online environments. Also included are solid job descriptions for every team member of an e-learning project, even though some of the jobs may no longer exist in today’s educational and business worlds. Lastly, there is a complete description of how to plan a learning project from beginning to end, with checklists and tables that include every imaginable course element, so that nothing gets forgotten.
Despite a great deal of dated content (computers and business world have changed a lot the book in the past 14 years), this book is an excellent as it covers the complete instruction design process, including critical issues such as the needs analysis, planning, storyboarding, design, budgeting, programming, project management, testing, and relationships with the client. Alessi & Trollip’s Multimedia for Learning: Methods and Development is a comprehensive guide, and there is probably not a better alternative out there for the instructional design professional. It is priced accordingly, too, with new ones selling for around $132 on Amazon. This might be a good one to pick up secondhand!
Alessi, S.M., & Trollip, S.R. (2001). Multimedia for learning: Methods and development (3rd Ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

MSIDT 520: Instructional Design Level 1: Issues in E-learning and the Design Process

Hello!
The second semester of my CSUF MSIDT program (Spring 2015) included MSIDT 520, Instructional Design Level 1: Issues in E-learning and the Design Process. The course objectives were (from the university website):
- The ability to recognize and evaluate applications appropriate for designated learners
- The identification of appropriate applications for interactive courseware
- The specification and evaluation of appropriate use of media in interactive courseware
- The development of storyboards and flowcharts for an interactive lesson
- The design and development of a prototype
We did all of these things in this class! Students in Cohort 13 were expected to participate in group discussions, complete software evaluations, complete a prototype project, and write a final research paper. There was also a midterm examination.
Most of these activities were fairly straightforward, but the production f the prototype project had a cool twist. We were asked to prepare all of the documentation for the prototype project, so I prepared objectives, a content outline, a flowchart and complete storyboards for the project. Then all of this documentation was anonymously given to another student to build in Captivate 8, and I reccived another student’s work to program. All of this was anonymous, so there was not chance to ask the developer questions about what their intentions were for the project, so the documentation was crucial. I thought this was a great activity, and I think everybody learned a lot about how important proper preparation is before the actual production of a learning object starts.
Supporting the course were three main texts:
-- Alessi, S.M., & Trollip, S.R. (2001). Multimedia for Learning: Methods and Development (3rd Ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
-- Reiser, R. and Dempsey, J. (2011). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (3rd edition). New Jersey: AB Longman.
-- Williams, R.. 4th Edition. (2014). The Non-Designer's Design Book. San Francisco, CA.: Peachpit Press.
I have already reviewed the Reiser & Dempsey book as it was used in a previous course, and you can find a review of it on this blog. A review the Alessi & Trollip and the Williams books will be provided at a later date.
The coursework was not difficult, but it required a lot of time to do everything right. The instructor was actively involved, and the syllabus provided an accurate roadmap for how the course actually progressed. Also, it was good to get more experience with creating a learning object in Captivate. This was probably the most “fun” class of the program, at least so far…
Thanks for checking out the blog, and next we will take a look at the texts we used for this course.

CSUF MSIDT Spring Semester of 2015

My second semester in the MSIDT program was Winter/Spring of 2015, and like the other four semesters, it lasted for 16 weeks. Six units are taken at a time, so there were two courses: IDT 520: Instructional Design Level 1: Issues in E-learning and the Design Process and IDT 525, Learning and Cognition Theories for Post Secondary and Adult Instructional Settings.
The second semester was much easier for me than the first semester, and it might end up being the easiest one of the whole program. I got into a good groove, and the study habits I developed over the first semester really started to pay off. Most notably, I got a good system down for taking text notes on the computer, so they were more legible and could be readily searched.
There was a lot more writing in the second semester, so I got a lot of practice with APA formatting (which has come in handy now that my son is in high school). There were also fun projects to be done in Captivate, with emphasis placed on the planning and design stages.
How did it all turn out? Pretty darned well! I put in a lot of hours (almost 35 per week), but I learned a lot and got grades I was happy with.
Stay tuned to the blog –- I will be writing in more detail about both of the Spring semester classes as well as the texts we used in them.
Mahalo!
Rex

How Instructional Media Will Change the Way We Learn

Hi there! Today I am taking a break from discussing the CSUF MSIDT program to talk a bit about how I see the future of learning in my industry.
In the 12 years I have been writing curriculum, instructional media has already changed the way that education takes place in all phases of education: primary, secondary, and post-secondary, as well as in industry and the military.
Learning will have to become much more student-centered than in the past. Traditional lectures with the instructor telling everybody what they are supposed to know (with the student involvement through note-taking or asking questions) are gradually being replaced with activities that the students will complete at their own pace on mobile devices, and in many cases, remotely. In our company, paper books went away years ago to be replaced by CDs (and now flash drives, and the cloud in the future) as the students indicated that they rarely used the books after the class was over. Tablets will probably eventually replace paper worksheets, as that is what many of them are now using in their workplaces and at home.
As I see it, the interactive media to support technical training will mostly consist of:
- Tutorials to present the subject and help guide the learner
- Drills to practice basic skills and to provide competency in basic essential tasks, such as searching online databases
- Simulations to practice more complex processes (such as diagnostics) and to verify that learning has taken place
For this future instructional media to be successful, there are at least a few crucial components that must be addressed:
1. For any given institution there has to be an IT infrastructure and networking to support all of these mobile devices, as well as to give the instructor an overview of what the students are doing at any given period of time (especially important when conducting labs).
2. Students, teachers, and the administration (if possible) will have to receive training on how to use these technologies, as well as on how to successfully participate in a distance learning program.
3. Without an instructor’s physical presence the students will have to be motivated to participate in the process. This means that there will have to be some manner of accessibility to the instructor, possibly through some type of chat arrangement. And the learning itself will have to be attractive and engaging, as if it is miserable to access and complete the students will find some way to complete it in the easiest / quickest manner possible, which will reduce the effectiveness of learning.
4. With the increased share of learning that will be accomplished online, the evaluation phase will be even more important as the instructor will not be personally present to verify that the learning took place and that the student was able to actually accomplish the objectives of the course. Tests and quizzes will be a part of this, but realistic simulations (where possible) would be the best indication that the learning was successful.
Thank you for checking out my blog today!
Image courtesy of sheelamohan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Review of Reiser and Dempsey’s Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (3rd Edition)

For the Fall of 2014 IDT 510 course, Research Practices in Instructional Design and Technology, the final of the four required texts was Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (3rd Edition) by Robert A. Reiser and John V. Dempsey. I also used this text in the IDT 520 Course in the Spring of 2015.
This text is a little different than the others used in the course, as very little of it was actually written by Reiser and Dempsey. It is divided into chapters that are actually essays by some of the more highly regarded individuals in the instructional design field. It is actually one of the books that I have fond more valuable, and I have used it as a reference many times already, both professionally and academically.
The text is more up-to-date than many I have seen and it covers an incredible array of topics, including: whole task approaches, motivational design, models of evaluation, performance support, informal learning, ethics, social networking, game-based learning, virtual worlds, online learning, the design process, and what IDT professionals actually do.
This book is a must have for instructional designers, and it would also be a valuable resource for instructors that have any involvement in the development or revision of training materials. As it is a specialized textbook, it is not cheap ($90 from Amazon), but it is worth every penny. Trust me!
Thanks for checking in, and next time we will start getting into the courses and books from my second semester in the MSIDT program.
Reiser, R., & Dempsey, J. (2012). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Review of Fred Pyrczak’s Making Sense of Statistics: A Conceptual Overview (5th Edition)

For the IDT 510 course, Research Practices in Instructional Design and Technology, one of the four required texts was Making Sense of Statistics: A Conceptual Overview by Fred Pyrczak.
I was nonplussed when an assignment was posted from this book, as there was no advance notice that we needed it, and it was not in the syllabus. So, I got on Amazon and had it shipped to the hotel I was in that week so I could get started on the assignments. There was no way to get around having the book, as there was a problem set quiz for each chapter that needed to be completed on a weekly basis.
On the plus side of this equation, it is a really easy to read book, and I had three semesters of statistics and an undergrad, so I got through everything ok. Also, there was almost no math involved, as it was more about statistical vocabulary, concepts, and relationships. The chapters were short, and the associated quizzes were pretty easy. I ended up speeding a few hours to go through the whole book (about 178 pages), and marked the answers on all of the quizzes so I would be able to better concentrate on other assignments that were coming up.
This book will not get the reader through a full-on statistics course, but it turned out to be perfect for giving students a general idea of statistics and terms as they are used in scientific research, so it served its purpose. I went ahead and held on to my copy, as I think it might come in handy if I need to brush up on statistics or if I need to explain some of these concepts to my kid as he goes through school.
Lastly, it was relatively cheap -- I think I paid $35 for a used copy of the 5th Edition, but there is now a 6th edition that include a basic math review booklet.
Pyrczak, F. (2010 or 2014). Making sense of statistics: A conceptual overview (5th edition). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing

Review of The Psychologist as Detective: An Introduction to Conducting Research in Psychology (6th Edition)

For the IDT 510 course, Research Practices in Instructional Design and Technology, the second of the four required texts was Smith, S., and Davis, S. (2013). The Psychologist as Detective: An Introduction to Conducting Research in Psychology (6th Edition) by Randolph A. Smith and Stephen F. Davis.
This book is not a lightweight, coming in at 456 pages, but it is well-organized and it really does go through the entire research process, albeit with a psychology emphasis. The authors use the cute device of approaching research like a crime drama, showing the different ways that evidence can be interpreted and how solutions can be determined.
Everyday language is used for the most part, making it a fairly easy read. At times it can be difficult to take notes from it, as it jumps around a bit and the language needs to translated from the fictional anecdotes that are woven throughout. But still, kudos goes out to the authors for trying to make a fairly dull subject into something more interesting.
The real downsides to this book are its lack of usefulness as a reference after the course is completed and its jaw-dropping price: this book costs $166.23 for a new copy and $105.26 for a used one. I went the rental route, which was about $33, but I forgot to return it and ended up paying full price. Ugh! Anyway, I recommend renting it if possible, because if you study it properly during the course, you probably will not need it again.
Thanks for reading my blog today in, and next we will be taking a look at the other two texts that were used for the IDT 510 course.
Smith, S., and Davis, S. (2013). The psychologist as detective: An introduction to conducting research in psychology (6th Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Review of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

For the IDT 510 course, Research Practices in Instructional Design and Technology, one of the four required texts was the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th Edition). This book is required for every class in the MSIDT program.
This course was my first experience with the American Psychological Association (APA) writing style, and it was an adjustment for me. When I was in college 25 years ago, we were told to buy the Random House Handbook, and format our papers according to its conventions. Well, APA is one of the common format styles now, and this book is its bible.
Why do instructors want papers in this format? Well, it makes gives all of their students’ papers a consistent construction and look so they are not difficult to read or sort through. Students can be creative, and can you image sifting through dozens of papers with goof fonts (Comic Sans MS), weird colors, or optimized margins and line spacing so that only half as many words need to be written? In a more cynical view, it also makes an easy grading point for them because they can see right away if a paper is not in the right format.
This 272 page manual is easy to use, with plenty of examples and clear-cut rules for how papers should be written (apparently there is only supposed to be one space after a period now, so that is one thing I had to fix). Unfortunately, the American Psychological Association is always changing the rules, so this book was outdated as soon as I bought it. There were errors or changes on 80 of its pages, so on their website there are seven pages of updates to this book.
Compounding this problem is that some instructors will refer students to other websites for APA standards, and they sometimes conflict with what the APA manual says – one notable area is in how running headers are formatted. That being said, one of the really good sites is Purdue University’s Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab, which might actually give enough information on APA formatting that buying this book might not be necessary. It can be found at: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
But, the book is not terribly expensive either, with new copies selling on Amazon for around $28. Either way, program students had better study up on APA style, as they will be writing a lot of papers, and there is no reason to give away easy points for screwing up formatting.
Thanks for checking out the blog today, and we will be taking a look at other IDT 510 texts in upcoming posts.
American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the american psychological association (6th ed.). Washington, DC.

MSIDT 510: Research Practices in Instructional Design and Technology

Hello!
The other course in my first semester of my CSUF MSIDT program (Fall 2014) was MSIDT 510, Research Practices in Instructional Design and Technology. The university website describes this course as: “Survey course on terms and accepted procedures in qualitative and quantitative inquiry as they apply to instructional design and technology. Students conduct controlled portions of IDT research and prepare preliminary proposals for larger projects.”
Perhaps it would be better to go to the syllabus to see what the real course objectives were:
Upon completion of IDT510, students will be able to:
- Develop an understanding of the foundations of research in Instructional Design and Technology.
- Familiarize themselves with sources of research literature in Instructional Design and Technology.
- Acquire skills in research as it applies to the development and implementation of an instructional product or system.
- Utilize statistical and qualitative analytical methods to Instructional Design Technology applications.
- Develop skill in using current writing and editorial style accepted in Instructional Design and Technology.
That is more like it! Pretty much, I feel that the course met these objectives. Students in our cohort were expected to produce a research project proposal, complete with a literature review and many of the actual parameters to complete the study (without actually completing the study). There were also a number of weekly homework assignments, graded discussion forums, six quizzes and four “problem sets” (also quizzes, really) from the statistics text.
It was a bit of a stretch to relate some of this material to the instructional design process, but the Reiser and Dempsey readings were on topic and were pretty valuable. Also, this course provided a good refresher on what proper research methods are supposed to be.
Supporting the course were three (or four) main texts (reviews of these will be provided soon, I promise):
-- American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the american psychological association (6th ed.). Washington, DC.
-- Smith, S., and Davis, S. (2013). The psychologist as detective:(6th Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson.
-- Reiser, R. and Dempsey, J. (2011). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (3rd edition). New Jersey: AB Longman.
And a surprise text that the instructor forgot to tell us about until he gave us an assignment from it:
-- Pyrczak, F. (2010 or 2014). Making sense of statistics: A conceptual overview (6th edition). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing
The coursework was a bit harder than IDT 505, as there were many more assignments to keep track of, but it still went ok. I already had a firm foundation in statistics (three semesters of undergraduate work), but the most important things I took away from this class were the overview of the research process, and the ability to present a paper in APA format, which would be essential for the rest of the IDT program.
As with IDT 505, if I had this course to do over again, I would have only changed one thing in the way that I approached it. I already had my final project for the program picked out at the time, and now I wish that I had tailored my research topic and literature review to be work that I could integrate into that project, so there will be a little less research and work to be done at the end.
Thanks for checking out my IDT blog, and next we will take a look at the texts we used for this course. Mahalo!

Review of Kevin Siegel’s Adobe Captivate 8 The Essentials "Skills and Drills" Learning

For the IDT 505 course, Foundations of Instructional Design and Web Authoring Environments, the last of the three required texts was Adobe Captivate 8 The Essentials “Skills and Drills” Learning by Kevin A. Siegel.
Adobe’s Captivate 8 was the primary authoring software used for the first three semesters of the CSUF MSIDT program. On the surface it appears to have many of the same features of Microsoft’s PowerPoint, but it has a lot more functionality, and the ability to publish in web-ready formats. Adobe software has completely different interfaces than what you are used to with Microsoft products, and even if you have used their other products, there is a really steep learning curve for Captivate. This is where Siegel’s book comes in handy.
This 2014 text is will do a good job of getting you started with the program. It is not a manual, but rather sets of self-paced drills that walk the user through commonly used functions of the program. It might seem repetitive at times, but it is really a good way to learn the program. Using different set-up screens and changing attributes of text or objects quickly becomes second nature. The author even walks goes through the cumbersome process of preparing the project for publishing into a SWF, HTML5, or clickable .pdf formats.
Siegel’s writing style is clear and easy to follow, and it is obvious that he knows what he is talking about. There are many great shortcuts provided, as well as hints for setting up templates so the same actions do not have to be repeated endlessly during production. Though it is not a manual, I find myself going back and using it as a reference when I cannot figure something out (or if I have forgotten what to do next). It is spiral bound, so it lays flat when opened and it should hold up for a while. It has been rattling around in my car for a year and it has not fallen apart yet!
This book was worth every penny I paid for it, with the Amazon Prime cost coming in at just $35, and I plan to keep it around as long as I am using Captivate 8. If you are new to the program you definitely need to pick up a copy.
Siegel, K. (2014). Adobe captivate 8 the essentials “skills and drills” learning. Riva, MD: IconLogic, Inc.

Review of Jennifer Tidwell’s Designing Interfaces, 2nd Edition

For the IDT 505 course, Foundations of Instructional Design and Web Authoring Environments, one of the three required texts was Designing Interfaces: A Primer by Jennifer Tidwell.
This second edition of the text is a tremendous resource for anyone that needs to put together interactive media learning products. There is a multitude of different ways to interact with learners, and the author broke them down into specific methods to address 14 different human development patterns. These patterns assume that people behave in predictable ways.
By following the directions provided in this book, it should be possible to remedy (or avoid) common multimedia design problems. This book includes detailed information on information architecture, navigation, layout, working with lists, commands, information graphics, form design, user controls, and style. Included throughout is information about designing for mobile applications, web applications, and social media, making this edition relatively up-to-date even though it is five years old. Within each of these categories, there are a number of different detailed solutions that are presented. Also, for each of the different patterns and methodologies, the author provides sound reasoning for the basics that the designer will need to know, or might need to explain to a client someday: “what,” “when,” “why,” and “how.”
There are more than enough full-color examples from real world media to bring home all of the points that were made in the book. This text will prove to be useful for instructional designers that are developing multimedia projects using methods or tasks that they have not tried before when. It can also be used as a reference in instances where justification or clarification is needed for the design choices that were made.
This book was a bargain, relatively speaking, coming in at under 30 bucks on Amazon, and it is one of the books from the program that I plan to keep after graduation.
Tidwell, J. (2010). Designing interfaces: A primer 2nd edition. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media.

Review of Ledford and Sleemans’ Instructional Design: A Primer

For the IDT 505 course, Foundations of Instructional Design and Web Authoring Environments, one of the three required texts was Instructional Design: A Primer by Bruce R. Ledford and Phillip J. Sleem.
This text provides a general reference of the overall instructional design process, and like a primer it simplifies the entire process and essentially provides the readers with a singular viewpoint. Though the book is written from the standpoint of a generally constructivist approach, the authors do not exactly follow any specific established learning theory or strategy. Instead, they developed their own “paradigm” which follows a repeatable process that most instructors and educators should be able to follow.
Their process is perhaps too simplistic, as it assumes a lot about the learners, the learning process, and instructional design, but overall it is basically sound and rooted in legitimate research. A positive point is the authors’ insistence that the learning loop can be closed and that the learners’ performance can and should be evaluated. Though this is a lofty goal, it is a good starting point when developing a new course.
Ledford and Sleeman’s paradigm includes the following steps: 1) educational goals, 2) operational objectives, 3) pre-test, 4) motivation, 5) media, 6) appropriate practice, and 7) validation. Includes in the book are: a brief overview of instructional theory, writing goals and objectives, activities, media selection, instructional design (including very dated processes), and a section on validation (or assessment).
This text is a good reference as it provides a basic overview at an instructor level, and it might be helpful for those who are not pursuing a formal education in instructional design, but still have to know how to develop coursework.
Ledford, B. Sleeman, P. (2000) Instructional design: A primer. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing

MSIDT 505: Foundations of Instructional Design and Web Authoring Environments

Hello!
The first semester of my CSUF MSIDT program (Fall 2014) included MSIDT 505, Foundations of Instructional Design and Web Authoring Environments. The course objectives were (from the university website): “The ability to describe and manipulate the basic levels of an authoring environment. The use hardware and software to apply basic animation, sound, and other multimedia properties to an authoring environment. The analysis and assessment of basic media and authoring programming elements as they apply to hardware/networking environments.”
I feel that the course met these objectives. Students in Cohort 13 were expected to produce two original multimedia learning objects using Captivate 8, complete weekly assignments on the web forum (including peer reviews of others’ learning objects), and write a final research paper. There were also a few quizzes thrown in for good measure.
There is no mention of instructional design theory in the main course objectives, but there were readings and assignments on the subject, and there was enough information provided to give an overview of the instructional design process. There was also good information provided on the design process as it relates to human behavioral characteristics. The instructor for the course was a working instructional design professional, and he gave good insight and feedback throughout the course.
Supporting the course were three main texts (reviews of these will be provided at a later date):
-- Instructional Design: A Primer, by Bruce Ledford and Phillip Sleeman
-- Designing Interfaces, by Jennifer Tidwell
-- Adobe Captivate 8 The Essentials “Skills and Drills" Learning, by Kevin Siegel
The coursework was not terribly onerous, but it was hard to readjust to the world of academia, which I probably did not do right the first time around. Learning Moodle, the learning management system, took a few weeks but soon became second nature. And publishing Captivate projects was exceedingly exasperating at times, and the Cohort could have benefitted from some instruction and guidance in this area.
If I had this course to do over again, I would have only changed one thing in the way that I approached it. I already had my final project for the program picked out at the time, and now I wish that I had tailored my learning objects and final paper to be work that I could integrate into that project, so there will be a little les research and work to be done at the end.
Thanks for checking out the blog, and next we will take a look at the texts we used for this course.
Mahalo!

Fall Semester, 2014

Sorry it has been so long since I posted, things have been crazy around here!

My first semester in the MSIDT program was Fall of 2014, and like the other four semesters, it lasted for 16 weeks. Six units are taken at a time, so there were two courses: IDT 505: Foundations of Instructional Design and Web Authoring Environments and IDT 510, Research Practices in Instructional Design and Technology.

As I have said before, it has been a long time since I had been an undergraduate, so there were a lot of things to get used to. I figured out early on that the syllabus is the bible for each course (I never looked at them in college the first time), and I was constantly going back to look at the schedules and the descriptions of the assignments. I made it a point to cross-reference it with the assignments the instructors gave us each week, so that nothing slipped through the cracks. I kept a separate planner (an old-school paper one) just for school assignments, which was (and still is) a big help.

I had forgotten how to read in a scholarly way, so it took quite awhile to get up to speed on streamlining the amount of time I was spending reading, and trying to make notes only on what was really important. I will be providing overviews of the books in future blog posts.

I enjoyed the web forums, and made sure that I posted on a daily basis, paying attention to threads that had few or no posts, so that everybody had a chance to get feedback on the work they presented. I was thankful that I decided to get a new computer (a Macbook Pro), as it was more robust than my old PC, and was able to run authoring software with no problems.

How did it all turn out? Pretty darned well! I put in a lot of hours (almost 30 per week), but I learned a lot and got grades I was happy with.

Stay tuned to the blog –- I will be writing about both of the classes as well as the texts we used in them.

Mahalo!

Rex

Turnitin Anti-plagiarism Software

Hello!

In the internet age it is easier than ever to write research papers. In my first go-around for college I actually had to go check out books and journals from the library and my papers were cobbled together and did not really reflect what I could do. These days, the research part is much easier as everything I need can be found online, and downloaded as .pdfs instantly.

Unfortunately, this easy access to high-quality research and writing makes cheating much more prevalent,. But, the same internet that makes finding these articles so easy also makes it easier for professors to find out if your work is actually your own. This is accomplished through Turnitin, the big daddy of anti-plagiarism software.

How big is it? They have processed more than 337 million student papers for more than 24 million students, and 1.6 million faculty members use it. When you turn in your paper it will be compared against 45 billion other documents to see how original it is. That is pretty big!

The system is easy for students to use. The professor will post a link, and if you have not signed up for Turnitin you will be prompted to do so when you drop your document into the system. If your professor lets you see the results, within a few seconds the system will respond with an amazing analysis of your work. It will define a percentage of your work that is plagiarized, and note every section that it has issues with.

No research paper will be 100% original, as the APA format references should look the same for everybody, and if you have quotes or paraphrase authors those things will be flagged. Of course, literature reviews will have a relatively high level of non-original material. But that is fine as long as everything is correctly attributed, and it is satisfying to see how good of a job you did on making your paper your own work.

Some see Turnitin as the ultimate big brother tool, but I am fine with it as I feel that everybody should have to do their own work, and they should not be rewarded for laziness. It is a good tool for a tough job.

Thanks for checking in, and next time we will start getting into the actual courses and books from my first semester in the MSIDT program.