This dissertation in practice utilized a sequential mixed methods research design to investigate the performance or exclusion of instructional design activities commonly prescribed by instructional design models during a typical instructional design project. The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of instructional design activities by practicing instructional designers with the performance of an experienced instructional designer to determine if instructional design models are being used to guide the practice of instructional design. In this study, quantitative data was collected from a sample of 224 instructional designers to determine the activities routinely performed and excluded from typical projects. Qualitative data was collected from a single case study of an instructional design project to assess whether or not the performance or exclusion of the same instructional design activities were identified in the work of an experienced instructional designer. Analysis of the data revealed the activities that are not routinely performed by instructional designers, reasons for the exclusion of activities, and possible factors for the decisions to exclude activities. The findings of this study indicate instructional designers may be sacrificing the quality and effectiveness of instruction in an attempt to increase the pace and reduce the cost of the instructional design process. The study concluded that instructional designers are not following the prescriptions of instructional design models during the practice of instructional design by routinely eliminating the fundamental activities involving the development of learner assessments, the performance of formative evaluations during the instructional design process, and summative evaluations after the implementation of the instruction.

<p>    </p> <p>The first article presents a study that measured exhibit visitors' reported attitudes as measured by an early iteration of the attitudinal learning inventory (ALI) (Watson et al., 2018). The study, which was conducted at the Indiana State Fair and measured visitors’ self-reported attitude changes after visiting an exhibit about hellbender salamanders, found that 73% of survey respondents claimed they would change their behavior and 70% claimed they would tell others what they learned by visiting the exhibit. The second article presents a study that measured visitors' time spent at the exhibit to calculate holding power. Holding power was calculated by dividing the amount of time spent at the exhibit by the minimum amount of time it takes to read the text and interact with the exhibit. The holding power for the <em>What's Bugging Belva? </em>exhibit was favorable at .67 and is compared with exhibits with holding powers of .47 (Boisvert et al, 1995) and .69 (Peart, 1984). The third study gathered visitor data using the validated ALI and analyzed the data using the FREQ procedure (SAS 9.4). The study was conducted at the Indiana State Fair and Purdue Springfest and measured visitors’ responses to an exhibit about animal welfare. At both events, visitors had positive perceptions in the categories of cognitive and general learning, affective learning, behavioral learning, and social learning.  </p>

<p dir="ltr">Creativity is often discussed as the representation of the highest human creation. It is essential to human development, innovation, and societal progress. It has been conceptualized as essential in various disciplines, from engineering to design. However, due to its complexity, creativity has been approached differently by different authors in different disciplines.</p><p dir="ltr">Instructional design is the systematic process of creating learning experiences that are effective and appropriate. Limited research has been conducted to describe what creativity means in instructional design and how to include creativity in instructional design education, in addition to which learning techniques or activities use instructional designers that can foster creative thinking. This dissertation consists of three research studies that explore the meaning and perception of creativity in instructional design and instructional designers and how they include creativity in their everyday practice.</p><p dir="ltr">The first study of this dissertation examines the extent to which creativity has been intentionally addressed in instructional design core courses. This multiple case study examines the degree to which one online instructional design master's degree program and its course designers incorporate elements (intentionally or unintentionally) that could foster students' creativity and creative thinking. Results indicated that core courses included learning activities and instructional strategies with the potential to foster creativity. However, explicit references mentioning creativity or being creative were scarce.</p><p dir="ltr">The second study explores the perception of creativity and creativity in instructional design through the lens of six academic experts in the field of instructional design, using a phenomenographic approach. Results showed four distinctive categories of experiencing creativity and creativity in instructional design. These categories of descriptions formed an outcome space with two main approaches: “Understanding of Creativity,” in which 1) <i>Creativity is a human skill that requires intentionality, </i>and “Perceptions of Creativity in instructional design” where 2) <i>Creativity is a fundamental element in instructional design but is not acknowledged</i>, 3) <i>Creativity is related to the development of the designer's character </i>and, 4) <i>Creativity as a pedagogical and conceptual challenge to include ID education. </i>Additionally, participants discussed their approaches to including creativity in their teaching.</p><p dir="ltr">The third study used a participatory design approach to co-create what creativity means and looks like for instructional designers. Participants included instructional designers and faculty from instructional design programs. No single definition resulted from the activities; rather, multiple themes arose throughout, adding to what is known about instructional designers' competencies related to creativity and adding a new dimension to the research about creativity in the instructional design field. Findings evidence the need for instructional designers to acknowledge the creative process better rather than focus exclusively or primarily on processes and products. Additionally, it highlights the intricated relationship between creativity and instructional design and the importance of adding creativity into instructional design education, developing creative self-efficacy in instructional designers, and exploring the role of creative thinking in the work of instructional designers.</p><p dir="ltr">Taken together, these three qualitative studies explored and described creativity in instructional design in different phases. The results revealed that creativity is a complex concept for instructional designers to conceptualize and define. However, it is beneficial to discuss it in different contexts, such as academia and the workplace.</p>

abstract: The traditional analysis, design, develop, implement, and evaluate (ADDIE) model is inadequate for dealing with the instructional design requirements of today’s constantly evolving world. This reality is especially true at the National Simulation Center where medicine and technology are constantly changing. To provide the best care for the nation’s veterans, the educational products must too reflect the current state of medicine. The Agile ADDIE Framework was developed to overcome challenges such as a constantly changing domain, external threats to the development process, and the need for expedited timelines while still creating quality products. Using agile theory, including the agile manifesto, as a theoretical framework, the Agile ADDIE Framework was created. The Agile ADDIE Framework implements agile elements into the traditional ADDIE model, such as an iterate, assess, and align (IAA) cycle in an effort to increases in flexibility, quality, and efficiency. A mixed method action research project reviewed the impact that agile elements had on the ADDIE model at the National Simulation Center. The working group participants underwent biweekly meetings using scrum methodology. Data collection included pre- and post-intervention interviews, weekly structured reflections, focus groups that occurred throughout the development process, and a burndown log to track performance. Additionally, the course that was created using the Agile ADDIE Framework was compared to a product that was completed using the traditional ADDIE model by a panel of instructional designers. Participants identified that the Agile ADDIE Framework was able to create a higher-quality product in a shorter amount of time when compared to a training support package developed using the traditional ADDIE model. Several themes emerged from the data, including the Agile ADDIE Framework was perceived to be more flexible and engaging to subject matter experts. There was also a discussion involving lesson learned, limitations, and implications for both practice and the domains. Future research considerations include the implementation of the Agile ADDIE Framework in a more generalized study. This study presents a framework that enables traditional ADDIE model instructional design operations into an agile era. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2020