Originally published in the first quarter 1998 issue of Performance Improvement.

Abstract

In response to a call for theories of instructional design that are grounded in practice, I conducted a naturalistic study of the instructional design process for 3 permanent museum exhibits. An analysis of the data indicated that design involves a series of decisions, each of which has 4 components:

• Design goals, principles to be achieved through the decision process and that must be realized before the choice is considered complete.
• Design resources, the materials--physical and intellectual--available to present information.
• Design techniques, the strategies for achieving the goals using the design resources available.
• Constraints, outside influences such as budget and schedule that limit the use of resources and techniques to achieve a goal.

Each phase in the design process is characterized by certain types of decisions in which 1 of the 4 components dominates. Design team members participate to different extents in design decisions based on their roles. In theory, the model should transfer from museum exhibition design to instructional design. Further study would indicate the extent, as well as which design decisions are guided by research, theory, or instinct, so we might understand, and ultimately improve decisions about instructional programs.

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(c) Copyright. 1998. Saul Carliner. All rights reserved.