Breaking the Model, Breaking the "Rules": Instructional Design in a Transdisciplinary Learning Environment

• In Event: Examining the Instructional Design/Technology Profession

Abstract

Instructional design often privileges theoretical abstractions of instructional design activities over what are often thought of as “selection of a model” or “modifications to the model.” In this proposal, a case study illustrates these tensions and facilitates a conversation about the limitations of current ID models and practices. We describe the interactions among instructors and program designers in an experimental undergraduate transdisciplinary degree program across multiple years of course and program development, productively complicating traditional notions of ID practice as model-directed and model-driven. We identify multiple tensions in designing across disciplines, including instances where traditional ID guidance or knowledge is insufficient. We conclude with opportunities for inculcating a more expansive notion of design in instructional design and technology.

Authors

• Colin M. Gray, Purdue University

• Marisa Elana Exter, Purdue University

• Iryna Ashby, Purdue University

• Deena Varner, Purdue University