Abstract
What do we know about the process of designing instruction? We have a large body of literature and numerous prescriptive models, yet it is not clear that designers actually operate as the literature and models suggest. Other design fields, such as architecture and engineering, have similar concerns, but have acted upon those concerns by systematically investigating design processes. Considering the results of such studies may prove beneficial to instructional designers in terms of promoting critical analysis of processes and decisions and identifying questions and hypotheses for research. In this article, results from numerous studies of design are synthesized to provide a basis for considering instructional design as a type of designing rather than an isolated phenomenon.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akin, O. (1978). How do architects design? In Latombe (Ed.),Artificial intelligence and pattern recognition in computer-aided design (pp. 65–103). North-Holland Publishing Company.
Allen, C. (1988).Situated designing. Unpublished master's thesis, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.
Anderson, J. R. (1976).Language, memory, and thought. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Banathy, B. H. (1987). Instructional systems design. In R. M. Gagne (Ed.).Instructional technology: Foundations (pp.85–112). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Banathy, B. H. (1991).Systems design of education: A journey to create the future. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.
Bednar, A. K., Cunningham, D., Duffy, T. M., & Perry, J. D. (1991). Theory into practice: How do we link? In G. J. Anglin (Ed.),Instructional technology: Past, present, and future (pp. 88–101). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Carroll, J. M. (1990). An overview of minimalist instruction.Proceedings: 23rd Hawaii International Conference on Systems Science (HICSS-23), January 2–6, 1990. IEEE Computer Society.
Churchman, C. W. (1968).The systems approach. New York: Dell.
Cross, N. (1982). Designerly ways of knowing.Design Studies, 3(4), 221–227.
Dick, W., & Carey, L. (1990).The systematic design of instruction (3rd ed.). Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman.
Earl, T. (1987).The art and craft of course design. New York: Nichols.
Eastman, C. M. (1972). On the analysis of intuitive design processes. In G. T. Moore (Ed.),Emerging methods in environmental design and planning (pp. 21–37). Cambridge, MA: M.I.T. Press.
Foz, A. T. K. (1973). Observations on designer behavior.DMG-DRS Journal: Design Research and Methods, 7(4), 320–323.
Gayeski, D. M. (1991). Software tools for empowering instructional developers.Performance Improvement Quarterly, 4(2), 21–36.
Gregory, S. A. (1966). Design and the design method. In S. A. Gregory (Ed.),The design method. London: Butterworths.
Hayes, J. R. (1987).The complete problem solver. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. (Originally published in 1981 by The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia)
Higgins, N., & Igoe, A. (1989). An analysis of intuitive and model-directed media-selection decisions.Educational Technology Research & Development, 37(4), 55–64.
Holt, J. E., Radcliffe, D. F., & Schoorl, D. (1985). Design or problem solving: A critical choice for the engineering profession.Design Studies, 6(2), 107–110.
Hubka, V., & Eder, W. E. (1987). A scientific approach to engineering design.Design Studies, 8(3), 123–137.
Jones, J. C. (1970).Design methods: Seeds of human futures. London: Wiley-Interscience.
Jones, J. C. (1979). Designing designing.Design Studies, 1(1), 31–35.
Kerr, S. T. (1983). Inside the black box: Making design decisions for instruction.British Journal of Educational Technology, 14(1), 45–58.
Lauer, D. A. (1985).Design basics (2nd ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Lawson, B. (1980).How designers think. Westfield, NJ: Eastview Editions.
Lera, S. (1983). Synopses of some recent published studies of the design process and designer behaviour.Design Studies, 4(2), 133–140.
Lewis, T., & Bjorkquist, D. C. (1992). Needs assessment: A critical reappraisel.Performance Improvement Quarterly, 5(4), 33–54.
Luzadder, W. J. (1986).Fundamentals of engineering drawing (9th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Marshall, P.(Producer), & Kifer, V. (Producer/Director). (1989).The art and vision of James Hubbell [Video]. San Diego: WKPBS-TV.
Martin, B. L. (1984). Internalizing instructional design.Educational Technology, 24(5), 13–18.
Nadin, M., & Novak, M. (1987). MIND: A design machine. In P. J. W. ten Hagen & T. Tomiyama (Eds.),Intelligent CAD systems I (pp. 146–171). New York: Springer-Verlag.
Nelson, W. A. (1988).Selection and utilization of problem information by instructional designers. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA.
Newell, A., & Simon, H. A. (1972).Human problem solving. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Pahl, G., & Beitz, W. (1984).Engineering design. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. (Originally published in German, 1977).
Pirolli, P. L., & Greeno, J. G. (1988). The problem space of instructional design. In J. Psotka, L. D. Massey, & S. A. Mutter (Eds.),Intelligent tutoring systems (pp. 181–201). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Reigeluth, C. M. (Ed.). (1983).Instructional design theories and models: An overview of their current status. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Reiser, R. A. (1987). Instructional technology: A history. In R. M. Gagné (Ed.),Instructional technology: Foundations (pp. 11–48). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Reitman, R. R. (1965).Cognition and thought: An information processing approach. New York: Wiley.
Richey, R. (1986).The theoretical and conceptual basis of instructional design. New York: Nichols.
Rinderle, J. R. (1986). Function, form, fabrication relations and decomposition strategies in design.Proceedings ASME Computers in Engineering Conference, July 1986, Chicago.
Robinson, J. W. (1986). Design as exploration.Design Studies, 7(2), 67–78.
Rowland, G. (1992). What do instructional designers actually do? An initial investigation of expert practice.Performance Improvement Quarterly, 5(2), 65–86.
Schon, D. A. (1983).The reflective practitioner: How professionals think and act. New York: Basic Books.
Schon, D. A. (1987).Educating the reflective practitioner: Toward a new design for teaching and learning in the professions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Simon, H. A. (1981).The sciences of the artificial (2nd ed.). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Streibel, M. J. (1991). Instructional plans and situated learning: The challenge of Suchman's theory of situated action for instructional designers and instructional systems. In G. J. Anglin (Ed.),Instructional technology: Past, present, and future (pp. 117–132). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Suchman, L. A. (1987).Plans and situated actions: The problem of human-machine communication. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Thomas, J. C., & Carroll, J. M. (1979). The psychological study of design.Design Studies, 1(1), 5–11.
Tripp, S. D. (1991, February).Two theories of design and instructional design. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of AECT, Orlando, FL.
Ullman, D. G., Stauffer, L. A., & Dietterich, T. G. (1987, February).Preliminary results of an experimental study of the mechanical design process. Paper presented at the NSF Workshop on Design Theory and Methodology, Oakland, CA.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rowland, G. Designing and instructional design. ETR&D 41, 79–91 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02297094
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02297094