Week 1 Discussion Forum: A memo about ISD models

To: Instructional Design Team

From: Sayed Nazari

cc: Director of Design and Training Team

Date: August 28, 2017

Re: Discontinue ISD model

Dear Project Manager,

The current curriculum we are teaching in our school is focused on basic language courses under
the ISD model guidelines. In implementing ISD-based model curriculum, our students will
encounter challenging educational experience regardless of their academic endeavor or personal
goals. I reviewed your draft, and it seems that it ensures solid course design following a
chronological order to analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate students learning
process. Please bear in mind, our age and living style have significant impacts on our self-
perception, and likewise the nature. People are going through various stages of life, in which
they experience psychological development process. In the current phase (semester III), the
dependency is on individuals and their internal evolvement process in interaction with the
environment.
Implementing ISD-based model in pedagogical learning environment, in our case, (semester I &
semester II) might be effective; because it is focused on (1) direct-learning, accuracy, (2) and
quality improvement. Whereas, in the andragogic learning environment, which corresponds with
our (semester III), where students are faced with immunes amount information on daily basis,
will be challenging, and maybe ineffective due to the lack of time. Adults are unique in terms of
processing new information. They always tent to approach learning by demonstrating adaptive
learning abilities using experience-based cognitive strategies that new information makes sense
to them, and they master their learning process through specific scope.
Even though there are many positive aspects to ISD-based learning, but in the adult learning
environment, as we teach adult to learn a foreign language, such learning approach negatively
impacts (1) the autonomous and (2) adaptive learning environments. Since we are dealing with
adults learning foreign languages, we need our students play active roles, not passive. I
recommend you to develop an independent learning system, which involves students design
some of their own learning plans and have active roles in developing an adaptive and self-
directed learning system which integrates different learning styles.
Self-directed approaches develop learner autonomy as they support the social aspect of learning
and promote the use of target language directly with peers and teachers. Learning activities in
self-directed approaches place responsibility for action and progress upon each of the members
of the group. If we want our learners to be genuine users of the target language (or any type
learning), we must create a learning environment that reflects real life in its own right. That
means students should be exposed to authentic materials and authentic learning to understand
and meet their academic goals.
I encourage and recommend you to look at the learning styles and multiple intelligence from an
integral standpoint because most of our clients (students) are not technology savvy, and the ISD
model will not fully fit their learning styles and preferences. Thus, I recommend not continuing
with the current ISD model, especially in 3rd semester and, in addition, some of our students lack
technology skills.

Sincerely,
Sayed Nazari
snazari@csumb.edu

Week 2 Discussion Forum - Sharing Resources

Global Language Online Support System

Global Language Online Support System (GLOSS) is a website, which provides language
learners and teachers with independent lessons and activities to improve their language learning
and teaching skills. Gloss is user-friendly, and easy to navigate and utilize available online
authentic language learning materials. This website provides learning materials for over 40
languages, and it does have an option to down load and print. One of the things that I like about
this website is that it is accessible from any part of the world. Gloss is built based on Advance
Language Academy (ALA) and project-based approach by keeping cognitive learning process in
mind since it is for adult learners and educators from different walks of life with various
educational backgrounds.
The notion of Gloss is that that it functions as online teacher or tutor which helps language
learners to improve their language skills by reading, listening, and even watching authentic
educational videos and select from over seven thousand lessons (based on Interagency Language
Roundtable, ILR) that each lesson is at least consisted of 4-6 activities ranging from ILR level 1-
4 with listening and reading modality focusing on language discourse, lexical, socio-cultural, and
structural. Independent learners and educators are in liberty to choose from different topics, such
as culture, economy, environment, geography and military. The website is a self-explanatory
website, and you will be able to use it once you log-in. Oh! Gloss Certificates provide
documentation of work accomplished as well that not many online learning websites provide
such documentation. This option can add to its validity, and academic standards!
Here is the link: https://gloss.dliflc.edu/
Sayed

Week 4 Discussion Forum: Benefits of Human Performance Technology

After reviewing this weeks lecture and readings, discuss what benefits HPT can offer to
organizations. Specifically, what are the areas in which performance technologists could help
change or improve performance in your organization? If you are a fulltime student and are
not currently working, you may either pick a hypothetical organization that you would like to
work for or you had worked for in the past.
Since Human performance technology (HPT), also known as human performance improvement
(HPI) and mainly focusing on process enhancement, and methodologies, it can offer countless
benefits to organizations such as, enhancing strategies, developing organization, motivation,
instructional technology, training, learning, knowledge management and etc. Since we are
discussing a specific organization, I will briefly elaborate on those areas that best fit my
Schoolhouse within the DLIFLC.
DLIFLC is not only an organization, but also has been shaped into a society, in which we, as
Faculty, have the opportunity to meet and work with individuals from different walks of life.
That being said, there is always a need for performance technologists to help change and
improve performance. In our organization, we have been successful not only in meeting, but also
exceeding most requirements to achieve organizational goals. It might be my unfair judgement,
however, I do sometimes observe performance gaps, such as knowledge management, and
motivation; where the performance technologist can appropriately intervene to change, improve,
and more importantly sustain performance.
The concept of Knowledge Management (KM) is to focus on multiple areas or assets, but in case
of my organization, it applies to un-captured or unseen expertise, and experience in faculty,
which has resulted in arising motivational pitfall (lack of tracking progress). For instance, we
have individuals from different walks of life coming from various field of education, such as
linguistics, military, medical, instructional, and so on, and yet, un-captured expertise is being
observed for the most part. Faculty have been undergoing trainings and learning programs to fit
the organizations culture, and become suitable to fulfill its mission requirements, but somehow,
I see a partial failure in lower management, which is lack of tracking faculty progress (e.g.
faculty go through trainings, and learning programs, but there is less focus on sustaining learned
skills, information, and their performance, especially when incorporating new technology).
Without gaging expertise, it might be my unfair or judgmental view, simply deploying new
technology is not enough to pave the path to effectively provide a platform to enable information
and share knowledge using technology. It is important to keep human factor in to consideration
when deploying or implementing new technology; if not, it will result in a complete failure or
inefficacy. Senges work on the learning organization (Senge, Peter M., 1990 The Fifth
Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization) has explicitly discussed that how
such approach will lead to a complete failure at the organizational level.
Those are the areas, where I see the need for a performance technologist to intervene and capture
the knowledge, explicit knowledge in facultys head, make an interconnectivity by sharing such
knowledge in an integral setting to achieve further success in attaining organizational goals and
sustaining faculty performance and motivational factor. Thus, the performance technologist
could help change and improve performance at the organizational and individual faculty levels.
References
Molenda, M., & Pershing, J. A. An Integrative Approach to Performance Improvement and
Instructional Systems Design. TechTrends, 48(2).
Wilmoth, F. S., Prigmore, C., & Bray, M. HPT. Performance Improvement, 41(8), 17.

Week 5 Discussion Forum

Post your original forum entry by Sunday and comment on two postings by Tuesday.
Based on your overall understanding from the readings and materials, discuss any notable issues
or concerns you have in a given setting. For example, if you are a classroom teacher, what
barriers and problems do you see in P-12 technology integration, if any. How do you think these
can be solved? Do you have any opinion on the instructional methods and delivery methods that
would work best? Base your discussion on the field in which you work or intend to work in.
There is no one specific right answer; this should be based on your experiences, readings and
knowledge.

Let me begin this post by addressing the importance of technology integration in the traditional
education system to fit the digital-natives learning styles. Looking back at the history of
education across the globe, it has been proved that we no longer live in the industrial age
learning in the traditional learning environment. As 21st century began, technology started to
revolutionize and dominate the entire world, in which we have to deal with the immunes amount
of information that we receive on daily basis in the contemporary information age. The
importance of technology integration in our education system is vital, and yet a need since our
current generation is digital-native, as the majority of our population, regardless of age
differences, depend on the use of technology. Thus, it is important to prepare and increase our
generation and workforce technology skills in order for them to be competitive in the
information age, in terms of collaboration, access, organization, and automation.
The biggest barrier I see is our current curriculum. They talk about curriculum adaptation or
modernization, but still we have a standardized curriculum focusing on memorization pretty
much in every level of education, particularly P-12. I have also experienced at DLI, it might be
my unfair judgement, that the management lacks commitment when they introduce some sort of
technology. Instructors get trained, and invest their time to integrate technology in their
particular school to create interactive learning materials, and yet the learning management
system constantly changes, and they have to reinvent everything they have achieved or currently
working on it. Another barrier that I have not only seen at DLI, but also elsewhere is changing
platform. It is hard for teachers to catch up with the speed of information, and technology
upgrades. I have experienced such barrier at DLI that there are still some teachers who are aliens
to technology due to rapid issuance of new technology. For instance, we used to operate using
windows, then MacBook Pro, and now we are using another version of MacBook Pro, which has
faced some of instructors with new and different types of technology challenges. Hence,
changing platform itself is one of the barriers of technology integration because it is hard for
teachers to catch up with new information unless they undergo pre-trainings to get know the
importance of technology, and institutes expectations.
Getting buy-in is another common barrier that I have seen at our institution because the majority
of our faculty do not see the value in what they are pursuing. Such barrier exists due to the lack
of clear vision, and expectations because there is no explicit collaboration before the institution
introduces new technology. Time is also one of the barriers to integrate technology to increase
efficiency and efficacy because there is not enough time allocated to train personal before have
them be a part of change or technology integration. The main barrier to effective technology
integration in the instructional system I see in my institution is lack of skills, training, and
support. It is a common sense and an important step in the field of education that the
instructional expectations must be driven by instructional experts for many reasons; but I see that
pitfall in some schools at DLI that no experts have been consulted in this regard. Administration,
curriculum and instruction department, and technology services have to work together in order to
insure the efficiency and efficacy of new technology in instructions. Due to all obstacles
mentioned above, there is a good number of instructors who do not want change, and resistance
to change occurs when there are barriers. Thus, it is important to eliminate barriers for letting
effective technology integration to take place.

Week 6: Debate Forum

The Kozma Team
It is very intriguing, and yet informative to look at our schooling system from a traditional
perspective, and as that of modern. What I learned from Clark and Kozmas arguments was that
Clark believes claimed technology not only does not influence learning, but it will never
influence learning, and that media is neither sufficient for nor necessary to learning (Clark,
1994, p.23). Whereas, Kozma partially agreed with Clark that media does not influence learning,
but argued if we can find a relationship between media and learning then we will be able to see
how technology influences learning(Kozma, 1994, p. 8). Based on Clark and Kozmas
statements or claims, I have decided to join The Kozma Team because he has argued an
important point finding relationship between media and learning in his book.
Looking at this topic from Clarks position, he has claimed and defined media as a mean to
deliver instruction, but definitely dose not influence learning, academic achievement, and
motivation during such process. If we look at this from Kozmas position, he has claimed and
argued that it is important to find the relationship between media and learning that yet Clark has
not found it. Based on the evidence and references, I support Kozmas position not because he is
pro modern education or schooling system, but his idea of finding connectivity between medium
and method. Such concept results in creating an autonomous learning environment where
different learning styles or intelligence is valued, and being viewed from an integral
standpoint.
Of course, instruction is influenced more by method than by medium, but I believe that
technology does influence learning by all means since we learn in different ways, and each of us
possesses a different learning style. Technology has made connections, and promoted inclusion
in our schooling system both, in learning and teaching, where students and instructors have
access to multitude of learning and instruction venues available anytime, anywhere, and in any
format from anywhere that best fit our learning and teaching preferences. Such technological
revolution, which is unique in its nature in the history of education, has found that relationship
between media and learning that Kozma discussed in his book in 1994.
We have come a long way from 1994 when Clark and Kozma introduced their views on whether
technology influences learning or not. Now we are living in digital world and dealing with
digital-natives, so we have to get out of chaotic culture of education. I believe there is no need to
focus on education accountability and standardized tests anymore, but to teach students tangible
skills that enables deep and powerful learning. We still have traditional schooling system that
only focuses on cognitive abilities, but we need to get our students involved in economy,
environment, and global issues to improve their non-cognitive skills. Such approach will
promote autonomous learning, and allow teachers build relationship with students to point out
the differences between our beliefs and what we practice.
Method is crucial to learning, but we have to integrate medium in our schooling system
(instructions) to find the connectivity between our beliefs and practice. It is important to practice
what we believe in, not the other way around. Since students are unique in terms of learning,
there is a need to provide differentiated instructions to meet specific students needs, and his/her
learning preference. So, technology serves best in such circumstance, as Kozma emphasized and
argued to find connection between medium and method. It is important to get rid of traditional
ideology, and try to focus on modernizing the learning system since the world is changing in a
very fast pace where people deal with immunes amount information on daily basis. The narrative
of traditional schooling is breaking down, and we have to realize and accept the facts, and
integrate modern technology in instructions.
The level on engagement in the current system of education is probably not more than 4%, but it
can be increased to 90% or more if we integrate technology in our education system because the
old narrative does not apply with our current digital generation. Kozma said best that Clark has
not yet found the relationship between method and medium, which applies to our current schools
still running based on traditional system, and providing traditional concepts, and ideas that
simply do not exist anymore. Students want to engage in learning, but they need something to
influence them, as something they are invested in. We know what is required to influence current
generation students, but do you agree and support Kozmas idea to find connectivity between
medium and method?

Reference:
Kozma, R. (1994). "Will media influence learning: Reframing the debate." Educational
Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 7-19.
Clark, R. (1994). Media Will Never Influence Learning. Educational Technology Research and
Development, 42(2), 21-29. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30218684
[TEDx Talks]. (2013, September 25). The 5 principles of highly effective teachers: Pierre Pirard
at TEDxGhent [Video File]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=_jdTtnWMLVM

e-Learning Design
In your online learning experiences, at CSUMB and any other organization or institution, think
about the design and implementation of the content and interactive activities, assignments and or
discussions. What elements enabled you to learn, retain and apply the knowledge and or skills in
a beneficial manner?
Also think about your emotional connection to the course/program/content/classmates and or
professors; what dynamics were employed to encourage engagement and value of participating?
e-Learning Experience
I always liked online learning not only because it is convenient, but also it promotes inclusion,
and I get to learn from individuals, who have come from all walks of life and different
backgrounds. However, online learning at CSUMB is interesting, and yet effective in terms of
enabling my ability to learn, retain and apply acquired knowledge effectively in both, my
personal and professional lives. The elements enabled me to learn were the open architecture,
and coaching style of instruction. It really helped me navigate the assignments or learning
materials, and make use of the content in a meaningful manner applying interactive instructions
and integrating the method and medium.
My emotional connections that I can think about are the humble approach, instruction, and
interaction between students and professors. Everyone is valued regardless of differences and
status, and such approach has created an inclusive/diverse learning environment where everyone
is encouraged to be engaged and value participating in any form. Diversity comes in many and
various forms, and they are envisaged, valued, and integrated in meaningful way to meet
students perspectives of materials in this course. Providing such dynamic/learning environment,
has enriched my understanding of the content, and as well as prepared me to be competitive,
compatible and prepare for digital world in which the ability to interact and communicate with
people of other groups is a need. I have learned a lot from this course, and I hope I will be able to
apply the knowledge in a useful and beneficial manner.

Week 8: Final Thoughts Forum

This has been a fast moving 8 weeks of learning and engagement; you have learned a lot in this
very short amount of time. For this forum, please address the following questions:
1. How has your idea of Instructional Design and the field overall changed based on what you
have learned?
2. Have you been able to apply what you are learning in your current position or in any aspect of
your life?
3. What are you most excited to learn more about?
I began this program with having implicit knowledge of instructional design learned through
self-improvement process. Such knowledge helped me survive in this course, and now I am
equipped with explicit knowledge of instructional design in terms of presentations, instructional
strategies and etc., that how a course should be designed and executed in a way that ensures
learners comprehensions.
Due to the nature of my current position as a language instructor, I have been able to apply what
I have learned from this course in a formal way. As a language instructor, I have the opportunity
to modify the given curriculum to meet students needs using different instructional design
strategies and integrate methods and medium to create interactive lessons.
Everything about this program is excited! The theories and strategies learned in this program are
applicable and relevant to our current education system and learners preferences. What I am the
most excited to learn about is the delivery and application of instructional strategies in the real-
life scenarios that best fit digital-natives modern learning preferences in Pedagogy Learning
System (PSL).