Innovative Learning Environments are increasingly built and implemented in schools, but are not necessarily being used according to designers' intentions. The goal of this study was to examine teacher perceptions of the innovative learning spaces they were charged with using and to determine if they were being used effectively and as designed. The research was guided by three basic questions: what were the teachers' perceptions of these spaces, was the teacher pedagogy need to change to accommodate the space, and did the teacher feel support by campus leadership. The fourth research question centered around the goals and vision of the design team that created the innovative learning space. The crux of the issue was that the districts vision for the space came to fruition once the teachers were in the actual space with the students. This qualitative study interviewed seven teachers in the educational setting and separately interviewed the design team. The results indicated that some of the teachers were unaware of the definition of an innovative space and believed that they were utilizing the space in ways that met the designs of the campus leadership. Furthermore, teachers felt the new designs caused a classroom management issue as well as safety and security concerns. The design team felt that teachers needed more training on how to use the innovative spaces and that they were not being used as intended. To inform future school and district policies as well as educational leadership practices, more work is needed around what types of training might be more effective in helping teachers make a pedagogical change if assigned to an innovative learning environment.

While there are numerous models to practice instructional design, few instructional models to teach instructional design have been documented. This dissertation documents the development of a reflexive teaching model for the teaching of instructional design (ID) in a graduate education program. The model supports co-participatory learning of instructional design and mutual examination of one's learning and participation by both instructor and students. A design and development framework is used to describe the design decisions, model implementation, and evaluation of the model across six deliveries, or case studies, of a master's level instructional design course from 1994-1998. Design decisions included course sequence, learning tasks, instructional materials, and assessment rubric. Model implementation described student responses to instruction and instructor efforts to assist learners. The model was evaluated in terms of student performance on instructional design projects, student perceptions of their learning, and instructor responsivity to learner needs. The model's development was summarized in terms of changes in design decisions, model implementation, and model evaluation over the six cases. A discussion of the reflexive model is presented using Joyce and Weil's (1996) conceptual approach, describing the model's social system, syntax, participants' reaction, support system, plus the model's instructional and nurturant effects. Four categories of conclusions address improvements to the instructional approach, conditions that promote successful use of the model, impact of the model on student and teacher learning, and conditions conducive to efficient model development. Limitations of the study, future research options, and the implications of the model for ID instruction, the ID process, and teacher inquiry are discussed. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was (a) to determine which student support service resources should be included in an Online Wellness Resource Center (OWRC) available within an online course and (b) to create a paper-based schematic for such a prototype. To address these research questions, a needs assessment was conducted to determine whether learners perceived a need for access to wellness resources. Finding that they did express this need, the assessment then identified the specific wellness resources to include in the OWRC. A schematic was then created for OWRC development, incorporating the results of the needs assessment. The specific contribution of this study is its ability to provide a model that other institutions can follow to establish their own OWRC / Ph. D.

Although negative attitudes toward science are common among women and men in undergraduate introductory science classes, women's attitudes toward science tend to be more negative than men's. The reasons for women's negative attitudes toward science include lack of self-confidence, fear of association with social outcasts, lack of women role models in science, and the fundamental differences between traditional scientific and feminist values. Attitudes are psychological constructs theorized to be composed of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. Attitudes serve functions, including social expressive, value expressive, utilitarian, and defensive functions, for the people who hold them. To change attitudes, the new attitudes must serve the same function as the old one, and all three components must be treated. Instructional designers can create instructional environments to effect attitude change. In designing instruction to improve women's attitudes toward science, instructional designers should (a) address the emotions that are associated with existing attitudes, (b) involve credible, attractive women role models, and (c) address the functions of the existing attitudes. Two experimental instructional modules were developed based on these recommendations, and two control modules were developed that were not based on these recommendations. The asynchronous, web-based modules were administered to 281 undergraduate geology and chemistry students at two universities. Attitude assessment revealed that attitudes toward scientists improved significantly more in the experimental group, although there was no significant difference in overall attitudes toward science. Women's attitudes improved significantly more than men's in both the experimental and control groups. Students whose attitudes changed wrote significantly more in journaling activities associated with the modules. Qualitative analysis of journals revealed that the guidelines worked exactly as predicted for some students. / Ph. D.

This study examined the relationship between mentored ministerial field education's four components and student efficacy beliefs in 11 professional skills for students at several evangelical seminaries in the U.S. It also investigated whether students believed they had become competent practitioners of these skills or had received sufficient mentored field education in order for them to do so. A new self-efficacy survey was developed, and N=102 students from seven seminaries participated. Practice accounted for 7.9% of the variance in self-efficacy. Observation, instruction, and feedback were more weakly correlated with self-efficacy and not significant in the regression. On a scale from 0 ("I cannot do at all") to 10 ("Highly certain I can do"), participants' self-efficacy in the skills ranged from 6.89 in counseling to 8.98 in "using and interpreting Scripture;" and there were indications that many participants had received a somewhat uneven field education. Only 23% of participants reported receiving sufficient practice and 19% sufficient feedback for them to become competent professionals. Future directions for research are suggested; and implications for both schools and churches are discussed from the perspective of instructional design, including incorporating students' self-assessments into learner analysis and field education program evaluation. / Ph. D.

Learning objects (LO) reuse is one topical area in instructional design that is gaining popularity in the education economy. It hinges on high hopes and promises to transform how learning occurs in the information age. This study attempted to identify and interrogate the core characteristics of reusable learning objects and conceptualize them as innovations in the curriculum development process. The goal was to synthesize existing knowledge on learning objects, weave streams of literature and research to focus on core arising issues, and then develop an instructional design tool that can help learners easily and effectively find reusable learning objects. The learning objects could be categorized and deconstructed to the levels of their instructional design transformations with regard to macro and micro-level reusability. The researcher used combinatorial developmental research with integrative literature review methodologies to design and develop a metadata management tool. This study involved an in depth review of literature on learning objects, reusable learning objects and their associated metadata management schemes through the integrative literature review approach. Results and data from the integrative literature review were then utilized to design and develop a tool addressing meta-tagging schemes, metadata management, search, and access of learning objects. The researcher identified characteristics of learning objects within the reuse process and discussed best practices, reuse procedures and modeling, based on the analysis of existing cases such as the Open-Knowledge-Initiative (OKI) projects to aid in the tool development. Integrative analysis running concurrently with the development process allowed for rigorous identification and alignment of key factors in the learning objects reuse universe. If fully developed, the metadata management tool could contribute to effective metadata management for learning objects often reused by learning designers, deliverers, and consumers. / Doctor of Philosophy / Learning Objects (LO) reuse is gaining popularity in the field of instructional design. This is because it could transform how learning occurs in today's information age. In this study, I outlined the important characteristics of reusable learning objects and set them up as creative and re-creative products in the curriculum development process. My goal was to combine and reproduce existing literature on LOs that would allow me to develop an instructional design tool to help learning content designers, deliverers, and consumers to easily tag, search, then find reusable learning objects. I reviewed literature on learning objects, reusable learning objects and their associated metadata management schemes then used this data to design and develop the tool addressing meta tagging schemes, metadata management, search, and accessibility of learning objects. The tool allows LO categorization and deconstruction to the largest and smallest granular levels of their instructional reusability. I combined a developmental research method with an integrative literature review method to design and develop the prototype of a tool known as metadata management tool (mmt) for reusable learning objects. If successful, the metadata management tool developed could contribute to an effective metadata management for learning objects often reused by learning designers, deliverers, and consumers.

It is becoming more common for researchers to use existing recordings as a source for data rather than to generate new media for research. Prior to the examination of recordings, data must be extracted from the recordings and the recordings must be described with metadata to allow users to search for the recordings and to search information within the recordings. The purpose of this small-scale study was to develop a web based search tool that will permit a comprehensive search of spoken information within a collection of existing digital recordings archived in an open-access digital repository. The study is significant to the field of instructional design and technology (IDT) as the digital recordings used in this study are interviews, which contain personal histories and insight from leaders and scholars who have influenced and advanced the field of IDT. This study explored and used design and development research methods for the development of a search tool for use with digital video interviews. The study applied speech recognition technology, tool prototypes, usability testing, expert review, and the skills of a program developer. Results from the study determined that the produced tool provided a more comprehensive and flexible search for users to locate content from within AECT Legends and Legacies Project video interviews. / Doctor of Philosophy / It is becoming more common for researchers to use existing recordings in studies. Prior to examination, the information about the recordings and within the recordings must be determined to allow users the ability to search information. The purpose of this small-scale study was to develop an online search tool that allows users to locate spoken words within a video interview. The study is important to the field of instructional design and technology (IDT) as the video interviews used in this study contain experience and insight from people who have advanced the field of IDT. Using current and free technology, this study developed a practical search tool to search information from AECT Legends and Legacies Project video interviews.

The demand for online education has significantly increased in recent years, prompting many educational institutions to consider its continued adoption in many ways. However, some faculty members have encountered challenges in teaching online due to a lack of adequate training and guidance on effective online teaching practices. This study aims to provide evidence-based guidance for higher education instructors in selecting effective instructional strategies in online learning environments. It employs design and development research methodology to create instructional strategy selection guidelines for online courses in higher education. The guidelines, rooted in pedagogical approaches, are designed to assist faculty in selecting appropriate instructional strategies for online learning. They comprehensively outline the various instructional strategies and the factors influencing the decision-making process for selecting instructional strategies in online learning environments. The study makes contributions to research and content development by providing strategy selection guidelines for quality online education. / Doctor of Philosophy / Online education has become increasingly popular in recent years. Preparing for online teaching can be a complex process, and some instructors find it challenging to teach effectively due to a lack of preparation and guidance. As part of online teaching planning, selecting the appropriate instructional strategy is crucial to providing a quality online learning experience. Thus, instructional strategies aid in ensuring that students comprehend academic material, facilitate effective teaching and learning, and encourage student engagement. To address this issue, this study has been conducted to provide evidence-based guidelines for instructors in selecting effective instructional strategies for online courses in higher education. These guidelines are designed to assist faculty in choosing the right strategies for online learning, taking into account various factors that can influence this decision-making process. This study employs the design and development research (DDR) methodology to create an instructional strategy selection guide for online courses in higher education. The DDR methodology involves a systematic and empirical approach to developing and evaluating instructional and non-instructional products, tools, and models (Richey and Klein, 2007). The guidelines were created in four phases: analysis, design, development, and evaluation and validation. Each phase had a specific purpose in creating and refining the guidelines. These guidelines have been developed based on a foundation of theoretical concepts, a thorough analysis of relevant literature, and extensive evaluation and validation by experts in the field. By providing well-planned strategies for quality online education, this study contributes to research and content development in the field of online learning.

Change is a concept that has been studied for generations and continues to evolve in the literature. An area of change is diffusion of innovation which examines how new technologies or innovations are spread throughout a population. Using Ely's (1990) eight conditions that facilitate the implementation of educational technologies, this study was conducted to measure the influence of those conditions for the implementation of technologies in community college environments. Within this study, 634 participants from 18 community colleges across Virginia were surveyed and identified the conditions they perceived to be most influential in regards to their decisions to implement a specific technology. The perceived influence of Ely's eight conditions was analyzed for differences between various technologies, as well as within various demographic groups. The findings of this study identify those conditions with highly perceived influences which may lead practitioners to ensure the more influential conditions are in place prior to future technology implementations with the goal of more successful implementations. / Ph. D.

Components from the historic method, information seeking, and the history of IDT were used in conjunction with systems thinking to create a framework to determine the status of documented artifacts related to the history of IDT. The study used the following steps: (a) conduct a literature review in order to explore possible components for the framework; (b) analyze the results of the literature review to provide a rationale for selection criteria of these components; (c) design the framework that will be used to search for documented artifacts; (d) develop the framework and operationalize the components; (e) evaluate the framework with operationalized components; (f) where necessary, revise the framework based upon tests of the framework; (g) report the results (h) design a way to share the framework and the status of documented artifacts. Sixty-nine documented artifacts were searched for using the framework and sixty were located. / Ph. D.