Formal instructional design (ID) theories, intended to guide instructional designers' decision-making and design practices, have grown in abundance in recent years. These ID theories are based on learning theories that form the foundation for applied work in the field. However, researchers are concerned that these theories may not be applicable to the day-to-day practice of instructional designers. While some studies investigate the application of ID process models, studies of learning theory and ID theory in practice are rare. Consequently, there is little information about the nature and extent of the gap between our field's theory and its practice. This qualitative study investigated whether theory is actually being used by practicing instructional designers and why. Researchers interviewed seven practitioners on three occasions and examined the artifacts of their work. Drawing upon hermeneutic, phenomenological, and ethnographic traditions of inquiry, results were analyzed, generating eight themes and four suggestions. These themes highlighted that these practitioners generally valued learning and ID theory, but also found theoretical ideas from other disciplines applicable. Few referenced theory regularly and most did not spend much time updating themselves on the theory of the field. Most said they rely on intuition to make design decisions in their work, and that theory is one among several significant influences that impact their decisions. Most said that their training in theory would have been more useful if it was more practice oriented. The four suggestions were (a) to create reference implementations of new theories in multiple context via industry partnerships, (b) to create theories that adapt to practical pressures, (c) to allocate significant time for learners in ID training programs to apply theory in practical settings under expert theoretical guidance, and (d) to expand professional development opportunities for practitioners that focus on exemplary implementations of theory in practical settings. The overarching implication of this study is that the relevance of theoretical work to practitioners is directly impacted by the practicality of the theory in the hands of typical practitioners and that more measures can be readily implemented by theorists and by those who train and mentor practitioners to bring this about.

A major challenge for Information Technology (IT) programs is that the rapid pace of evolution of computing technology leads to frequent redesign of IT courses. The problem is exacerbated by several factors. Firstly, the changing technology is the subject matter of the discipline and is also frequently used to support instruction; secondly, this discipline has only been formalized as a four-year university program within recent years and there is a lack of established textbooks and curriculum models; finally, updating courses is seldom rewarded in a higher education system that favors research and teaching for promotion and tenure. Thus, continuously updating their courses place a significant burden on the faculty. A case study approach was used to describe and explain the change processes in updating IT courses. Several faculty members at two institutions were interviewed and course changes were identified and analyzed. The analysis revealed a set of recurrent themes in change processes. An instructional design architecture approach also revealed a set of design domains representing the structure of the change processes. The design domains were analyzed in terms of the design decisions they represented, and also in terms of structures, functions and activities, which are related to Structures-Behaviors-Functions (SBF) analysis. The design domains model helped to explain both negative and positive outcomes that were observed in the data. When design efforts impact multiple domains the design is likely to be more difficult. Understanding the design domain architecture will assist future designers in this discipline.

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to define and describe the work of external instructional design consultants. Study participants included seven instructional designers with varied educational backgrounds and work experience who work in a variety of contexts supporting clients in the design and delivery of learning experiences. All seven participants completed an initial survey with demographic and background questions. Five participants then took part in semi-structured interviews. Collected data was coded using both deductive and inductive methods with each case considered individually before combining the data for analysis across cases. Study findings support previous research suggesting that the work of instructional designers is dependent on context. Results further indicated that external instructional design consultants regularly engage in project management, communication and collaboration, and the analysis and evaluation components of the instructional design process, all in keeping with existing literature. External instructional designers differed in that they do more sales-related work, and, in the analysis process, focus more on client needs than learner characteristics. Study participants were invested in creating high quality, engaging learning experiences, while also willing to accommodate the unique challenges facing any given client. The study findings suggested that prospective employees' instructional design knowledge is of limited value during hiring interviews; instead, participants reported being more likely to hire former educators and subject-matter experts who can be trained to do instructional design work. Two broad themes emerged from the study's findings: 1) instructional designers can be organized into instructional designer and manager roles with corresponding responsibilities; and 2) the question of how best to prepare instructional designers is a question of what knowledge and skills are needed and where those skills should be developed. These themes formed the basis of five instructional design personas that resulted from this study, as well as a proposed program for preparing instructional design professionals.