ID Casebook, The: Case Studies in Instructional Design

With 20 cases, this is a thorough revision of the only ID casebook available. The thirty-six richly-detailed, authentic cases are all written by practicing instructional designers--and have been carefully chosen to provide enough depth to develop competence. Alphabetical arrangement by instructional designer hides case "problem" behind the anonymity of the designer, keeps the case titles from alerting learners to the issues involved, and challenges them to identify and define the challenge on their own. A thoughtful introduction to the book written by the editors speaks to the readers directly and takes them, step-by-step, through the case study method--explaining the study of cases in supportive, accessible language that will allay any fears of users unfamiliar with this type of learning. By giving readers opportunities to encounter many different challenges in a variety of settings (corporate, K-12, higher education) involving a range of issues and subjects, these cases effectively bridge the gulf between the complexities of the design world and the principles taught in ID courses. For future instructional designers.

It is possible that a person who is good at learning something from the book will not know how to deal with a realistic situation. Like some of the designers in the cases we discussed, we may have a master's or doctoral degree in instructional design, yet still not deal with a situation well. We need the opportunity to practice what we learn in our books. So began a graduate student at the end of one of our instructional design (ID) courses, when asked to describe the value of analyzing and discussing ID case studies. This student's comments summarize our primary purpose for this text: to provide students with opportunities to practice what they learn in class, to bridge the gap between the complex reality of the design world and the foundational principles taught in traditional textbooks. Although ID educators have recognized the potential of the case method of teaching in the education of instructional designers for a number of years, there have been relatively few materials available that help ID educators actually implement this approach in their courses. Most educators do not have the time or expertise to create ID cases for their courses yet would use such cases if they were available. TheID CaseBookoffers ID educators a rich resource of authentic design problems that can be used in either introductory or advanced design courses, as well as in more specialized courses related to any of the specific design steps or issues. Because of our commitment to the case method of instruction, we felt a sense of urgency to make case materials readily available, so that ID educators can begin to use cases in their classes, immediately as well as relatively easily. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Our book arises out of a view of ID as a complex, ill-structured domain of knowledge, for which there is a methodology and a set of guidelines but not a single set of procedures that will guarantee success. This view of ID recognizes that professional ID competence requires more than technical expertise. Although some design situations may involve well-structured and clearly defined problems that will benefit from the application of a set of technical procedures, many more situations are ill-structured and poorly defined. In addition to the necessary technical skills and knowledge, such situations depend on the artistry and skill of ID professionals to operate creatively and effectively in these ambiguous, uncertain, and open-ended contexts. Given the constraints of time and other resources, how does an instructor convey the complexity and ill-structured nature of ID while teaching the technical skills that are prerequisite for ID practice? We believe, as do many others, that the case-teaching approach has the potential to help bridge this gap by situating the learning of technical ID skills within authentic contexts. There are probably as many definitions of case-based instruction as there are ways of implementing it. In this text, we use an approach to case studies that is based on the business school model--that is, case studies are problem-centered descriptions of design situations, developed from the actual experiences of instructional designers. The cases in this book are designed to be dilemma oriented--that is, each case ends before the solution is clear. Students are expected to evaluate the available evidence, to judge alternative interpretations and actions, and to experience the uncertainty that often accompanies design decisions. In particular, we hope that, by analyzing the cases presented in this book, ID students will learn how to identify ID problems and subproblems, to recognize the importance of context in resolving such problems, and to develop, justify, and test alternative plans for resolving ID problems. ORGANIZATION The ID CaseBookis divided into three parts. In the introduction (Part I),