Responsible faculty:

Prof. Dr. Tjeerd Plomp	Dr. Wilmad Kuiper

Core course 5 is an interdisciplinary synthesising course on designing instruction for education and training. The course emphasises both theory and practice. Basis concepts of educational design as well as insights from the core courses 1-4 are combined with opportunities for practical application through educational problem-solving exercises and analyses of design case studies. The course addresses and integrates key-steps, elements and activities (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) that are found in various models of and approaches to educational design. Attention is also paid to project organisation and management as most educational and training design assignments are worked out in projects.

Module 5.1: Theory and Policy

This module provides an overview of key theoretical components of design methodology for educational and training settings. Topics discussed include: (a) educational technology as a problem-solving methodology, (b) the systems approach in analysing problems and designing solutions, (c) theory bases of instructional design, (d) stages in the instructional design process, and (e) basic concepts of project management.

Module 5.2: Planning

Theoretical insights with respect to needs assessment at meso-level, front-end analysis (context, target group, task and content), specifying goals and objectives, preparing measuring outcomes, and implementation concerns are elaborated on. Needs assessment, context analysis, task analysis, and specifying objectives are applied in practical exercises. The emphasis in this module is on all the activities that should take place prior to further development and implementation of educational and training systems.

Module 5.3: Curriculum Development

Main design methodology questions like ‘what’ (objectives, content), ‘when’ (sequence of content), ‘how’ (methods), ‘with what’ (media), and ‘how well’ (evaluation instruments, evaluation criteria) are addressed at meso-level. Some curriculum preparation issues are put into practice with exercises (idea generation, decision tools). Instructional design processes are analysed by applying established guidelines to case studies. In addition, alternative instructional design models are considered.

Module 5.4: Design and Instrumentation

This module deals with rigorous design procedures versus rapid prototyping methods, formative evaluation planning, and revision of prototypes. Students apply what they have learned in a practical exercise.

Module 5.5: Project Organisation and Management

Attention is paid to project organisation and management principles and strategies, negotiation processes, people management, project planning, and project evaluation. Case studies examine ‘why projects fail’, and analyse faculty and organisational development projects in educational and human resource development settings.

Module 5.6: Concluding Assignment

Individual assignment or in-class individual written exam.

Study materials:

The course material consists of:

Weiss, J.W., & Wysocki, R.K. (1992). 5-Phase project management. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
A reader that contains carefully chosen readings on design for education and training systems;

Other programme elements
Click on a link below to learn more about the main phases of the programme (or elements thereof).

• Introductory Module (2 weeks)
  
• Core Phase (18 weeks) - 6 Core Courses

  -	Organisation and management perspectives of education
  -	Models and strategies of curriculum development
  -	Principles of learning and instructional design
  -	Instrumentation for instruction and training
  -	Design methodology for education and training systems
  -	Evaluation and research as tools of the educational technologist

• Specialisation Phase (24 weeks) - 6 Specialisations

  -	Organisation & Management
  -	Curriculum
  -	Instruction
  -	Instrumentation
  -	Evaluation
  -	Training Systems Design for HRD

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