Introduction to Instructional Systems

Instructional designers represent instructional systems in highly articulated models to indicate learning objectives, activities, and outcomes. These models embody the non-tangible but all-important shape of the teaching-learning space, or the design of the teaching-learning environment that defines the form of a course or other types of instructional offerings. The theory of transactional distance describes how the format of a course or a similar learning program would optimize transactional distance for each individual learner. As such, instructional design models that instructional designers embed in a course or a similar instructional-learning offering enhance or inhibit the ability of the instructor to structure a course commensurate to the aptitude of the learner for autonomy. Similarly, such designs assist or hinder the learner to exercise autonomy in relation to a course’s structure. In this chapter, we will examine current instructional design models that are widely used in universities. Each of these models, depending on its characteristics, set the conditions for learner dialogue and autonomy, as they determine learner-instructor and learner-learner interactions. We put forward the proposition that models such as learner-centered design vs. instructor-centered design, constructivist vs. behaviorist, or individualized vs. collaborative learning are not mutually exclusive, and in actual practice, they represent two ends of a spectrum. Their stocks in formatting a course, or other instructional offerings, depend on the individual profile of a learner. In this section recent developments in instructional design and development that have a potential effect on the TTD is reflected.