UNDERSTANDING THE INSTRUCTIONAL COMMUNICATION

CIT261

INTRODUCTION

Instructional communication is the study of communication in the classroom.

Sprague (1992) defines instructional communication as “the investigation of the role of communication in the teaching of all subjects at all levels,” (p.1).

Vangelisti, Daly and Friedrich (1999) states that “the field of communication was founded,in part, because of a felt need to make people better communicators. That meant teaching them how to communicate more effectively whether it be in public setting or in private setting” (p.xi).

THEORIES

ADDIE Model

ASSURE Model

Smith & Ragan Model

ADDIE MODEL ADDIE came about with the development of

the Cold War after World War II as the United States military struggled with itself to find a way to create more effective training programs for increasingly complex subjects.

The result of this struggle for increased effectiveness bore fruit in the form of Instructional Systems Design which in turn, led to the design models that are in use today.

ADDIE model is designed to ensure: Learners will achieve the goals of the

course Allows the evaluation of learner’s needs The design and development of training

materials Evaluation of effectiveness of the

training program using processes with specific, measurable outcomes.

The Phases in ADDIE Model

The ADDIE instructional design model provides a step-by-step process that helps training specialists plan and create training programs. The ADDIE design model revolves around the following 5 components.

The Phases in ADDIE ModelANALYSIS

Identify the learning problem, aet the goals, objectives, any other relevant characteristics of the desired training and consider the learning environment, available delivery options and the timline for the project.

DESIGN

Systematic process of research, planning, identifying and specifying the complete design of t he course objective, lesson plan, topic content, training methodology, media, learner exercises, courseware content and assessment criteria.

DEVELOPMENT Actual production and

assembly of the materials that were developed in the design phase.

Its important to include whoever is responsible for which elements, time schedules and deadlines

All video and courseware materials are collected, prepared, created and ready to be tested.

IMPLEMENTATION

Developed course is actually put into action, and the final product, developed based on needs and errors discovered while testing with a prototype product, is presented to the target audience.

EVALUATION The Evaluation phase, in a systemic process, considers

feedback from the learners. The feedback gathered during this phase measures reaction, identifies what is working and not working, determines the effectiveness and quality of the delivery, and is designed to fine-tune the program.

It validates whether the course satisfied its objectives and the effectiveness of the training materials used.

It finds out whether the learning went as planned, and it may also uncover any obstacles that may have emerged, then, by making revisions, adjustments and corrections as needed, insures the success of the next presentation.

ASSURE MODEL

The ASSURE model was developed by Heinich, Molenda, Russell, Smaldino (1999) and is an instructional model for planning a lesson and the technology that will enhance it.

The ASSURE model contains six steps and the letters in ASSURE form an acronym.

ASSURE MODEL

•ANALYZE LEARNERSA

•STATE OBJECTIVESS•SELECT MEDIA AND

MATERIALSS

•UTILIZE MEDIA AND MATERIALS

U

•REQUIRE LEARNER PARTICIPATION

R

•EVALUATE AND REVISEE

Analyze Learners

The first step in planning is to specifically define your audience.

You must know the learners if you are to select the best strategies to meet the objectives you have set.

The audience can be analyzed in terms of their general characteristics (grade level, age) and specific entry competencies (prior knowledge, skills, and attitudes about the topic, and learning styles).

State Objectives The next step in planning

is to specifically state the objectives for the lesson or presentation.

Objectives must be stated in terms of what the learner (not the teacher or presenter) will do (stated in behavioral terms) as the result of instruction. Your lesson should include 2-3 specific objectives.

The ABCD’s of writing objectives are: Audience (who are

your students?) Behavior to be

demonstrated Conditions under which

the behavior will be observed.

Degree to which the learned skills are mastered.

Select Media and Materials When choosing the media and materials to help you

teach a lesson, you will first choose a method for delivering your instruction. For example, you might decide that having your students work

in small cooperative groups is most appropriate, or you might determine that a lesson is best taught using a tutorial.

You then select the media that best supplements or enhances the method of teaching you have chosen. The media could include technology solutions (e. g. , CD-ROMs, DVDs, calculators, software, Internet resources, videos); print resources, such as a textbook; or any combination of the various media types.

You will have to decide which materials and media can best help your students master the learning objectives you have identified.

Utilize Media and Materials Now it's time to do your

lesson and use the media and materials that you have selected. 

You should always preview the materials before using them in a class and you should also use the equipment in advance to be sure it works and you know how to use it. 

If you use electronic equipment, don't assume that everything will work.  Be sure to have a plan B. 

Hardware and software are created by humans.  Humans make mistakes and so software has mistakes in it.  Hardware can malfunction. 

Don't get discouraged if technology lets you down. 

Make sure that your instructional materials are suitable and working the best you can and then use it in the classroom.

Require Learner Participation Remember, students learn

best when they are actively involved in the learning. 

The passive learner has more trouble learning whatever we try to pour into his/her brain. 

Whatever your teaching strategy, you can incorporate questions and answers, discussions, group work, hands-on activities, and other ways of getting students actively involved in the learning of the content. 

It is up to you, the teacher, to make sure that all your students have opportunities to participate in the learning activities in the unit plan. 

Avoid lecturing for an entire hour. 

Listen to your students and allow them to become aware of the content.  Allow them to learn as opposed to trying to "teach" them.

Evaluate and Revise This last stage is often neglected but it is the

most important one.  Anyone can develop a lesson and deliver it,

but really good teachers must reflect upon the lesson, the stated objectives, the instructional strategy, the instructional materials, and the assessment and determine if these elements of the lesson were effective or if one or more of them need to be changed the next time the lesson is done

SMITH & RAGAN

Analysis There is usually a great deal of

uncertainty at the start of designing and developing learning programmes or instructional materials.

The designer’s job is to collect all relevant information and then to make sense of a variety of contradictions, inconsistencies and ambiguities.

During this phase, sometimes referred to as front-end analysis, the designer will analyse information on, for example, the performance requirements of the job for which the training programme or instructional materials are aimed at.

The designer will also collect and analyse information on the context in which the learning will take place, the learners’ characteristics, the learning outcomes and how learners will be assessed on newly acquired knowledge and competencies.

To collect and analyse all relevant information, designers will consult and interview a wide range of stakeholders such as members from the industry, subject matter experts, and learners who have completed a training course and even potential learners.

Design Information from the analysis

phase provides the basis for the design phase.

Designers need a sound knowledge of learning and instructional theory in order to translate the results from the analysis phase into specifications for the design.

These specifications are recorded in documents, sometimes referred to as a blueprint, and contains solutions to questions such as:

What is the purpose of the instructional programme and materials?

What are the learning outcomes and objectives?

How will we assess the learners’ newly acquired knowledge and competencies?

What content matter should be taught?

What teaching and learning strategies can we implement to achieve the set outcomes and objectives?

What delivery systems will best suit the training needs and characteristics of the target audience?

What strategy will we implement to evaluate the effect and effectiveness of the instructional programme and materials?

Development and Implementation The development phase entails the

process of authoring, reviewing, producing and validating the learning materials.

However, production changes as well as aesthetic changes must be consistent with the instructional intent to ensure that quality will be maintained throughout the ISD stages.

Depending on the design specifications, designers may work in project teams with authors, subject matter experts, editors, language practitioners, graphic designers, artists, film/video or other media producers, book designers and desktop publishers.

In this phase, designers would most probably deal with questions such as: How do learners respond

to the learning experience?

How effectively do the materials teach?

What are the results of the learning programme?

What unexpected problems arose?

What needs to be changed?

Evaluation Once the final product has been produced and learners use

the learning materials, the evaluation at this stage is referred to as summative.

Formative evaluation is intended to identify and correct shortcomings in the learning materials in the development phase. 

Summative evaluation, on the other hand, is intended to assist clients to establish the impact of the new materials and how well the instructional problem was solved, as well as the value of the solution to the institution or organisation.

Summative evaluation should ideally be carried out after the new learning materials have been implemented and users are familiar in using the materials in an effective manner.

This process can be very complex, costly and time-consuming depending on the nature of the project. Often, independent evaluators are called upon to conduct the summative evaluation to ensure objectivity, and not the designer who was closely involved in all the design and development stages of the final product.

Evaluators are concerned with issues such as:  What is the impact of the new learning materials on the

institution/organisation? How are grades and graduation rates or job performances affected? Are the learning objectives relevant? Are the materials being used correctly? Is the course content relevant? What aspects need to be changed or updated?