Conference Preview - October 2011

Dear Members of the D&D Division,

The 2011 AECT conference is fast approaching! The Design & Development Division has a fantastic conference program thanks to all of YOU, who contributed to the success of our Division program by submitting and reviewing 180+ proposals. Our Division sponsors the largest number of sessions at the 2011 AECT Convention.

Here are some of the highlights:

Wednesday Morning

Instructional Design & Technology Professor’s Forum: IDT Professor's Forum: Design & Research - Everyone is Jumping on the Bandwagon, But Do We Know Where We Are Going?

Wed., Nov. 9, 8:00 -11:30 AM at 2^nd Floor – Grand 8

As our understanding of the instructional design profession evolves, there seems to be a growing sense of confusion regarding the terminology and practice of “design” as used in design research, process/product design, research on designing, the impacts on faculty design practice, teaching design, working with graduate students carrying out research that includes design. For example, there is big difference between Research in Design and Research on Design, but could you adequately explain that to a colleague or graduate student? As a professor in Instructional Design and Technology you are invited to a special session at the 2011 AECT conference to join with other professors of IDT to help broaden our perspective on design and research, discussing a variety of topics, such as: Research in Design, Design for Research, Design for Pedagogy, Research on or through Designs (Design-based Research or Educational Design Research), and Research on Designing. You can expect to leave challenged to rethink your own design practice, teaching about design, and research associated with design – these issues are impacting your students and your colleagues. How will they impact your own practice into the future?
Key presenters: Brian Beatty, Elizabeth Boling, Andrew Gibbons, Thomas C. Reeves, & Monica Tracey.

****Special Note: This session is only open to Professors of Instructional Design & Technology. Students are not allowed to attend unless specifically invited.***

Wednesday Afternoon

Design and Development PacifiCorp Competition

Wed., Nov. 9, 1:30 - 3:30 PM at 3rd Floor River Terrace 3. 

PacifiCorp and the Design and Development Division of AECT are pleased to announce the Eight Annual PacifiCorp Design and Development Award for promising instructional design research by graduate students working with mentors in the Design and Development Division. On Wednesday afternoon, watch the finalist teams present their solutions to the distinguished panel of judges. The award winning team will be announced at the Design and Development Awards luncheon on Thursday.

Graduate Student Teams:

• Chapin Brinegar and Jean Snider, University of North Carolina Wilmington;  Mentor Debra O'Connor, Ph.D., Booz Allen Hamilton; (ii)
• Tara Bunag, Arizona State University, and Zahira Husseinali Merchant, Texas A&M University;  Mentor Tom Hergert, Ph.D.,  Northern Virginia Community College--Manassas Campus;
• Jason Baker and Michael Stewart, Emporia State University;  Mentor Suhan Chiktla, Ph.D., Wallace State; Honorary Director eLearning and Virtual Training, KTBLC, Thailand.

Wednesday Evening

D&D Table at the AECT Welcome Reception

Wed., Nov. 9, 6:00 - 8:00 PM in Grand Foyer 

Look for your Design and Development Executive Board Members and Division Officers at or around the D&D table. Stop by and say hello, meet fellow D&D members, pick up information on ways you can become more involved in D&D. 

Thursday Afternoon

D&D/R&T Awards Luncheon

Thur., Nov. 10, 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM in 2^nd Floor Grand 3

Join us for the D&D/R&T Awards Luncheon; you can purchase your tickets for the luncheon online via the conference registration system. We also hope to see you at the D&D Membership meeting directly following the luncheon.

Design and Development Membership Meeting

Thur., Nov. 10, 1:00 – 2:00 PM in in 2^nd Floor Grand 2

Plan to attend the D&D Membership Meeting immediately after the D&D/R&T Awards Luncheon. D&D leadership will discuss the work we’ve accomplished this past year and provide updates on key initiatives. We’ll be able to meet fellow members, share our key interests and discuss our plans for the coming year. Many AECT members find the most valuable aspect of their membership is the professional connections they maintain with other members with similar or complementary interests. The D&D Membership Meeting is a great place to establish, rekindle, and strengthen those relationships.

Design and Development Showcase and Presentation

Thur., Nov. 10, 2:00 – 4:30 PM in in 2^nd Floor Grand Foyer- Ballroom 3

D&D once again has invited practitioners, faculty and students to showcase and share their innovative training and educational programs grounded in theory and research. Eight finalist teams and the winner of 2011 D&D Outstanding Practice Award will present their “instructional designs in practice” in a showcase format. Talk with designers as you view their work. The D&D Showcase Award will be presented around 3:00 pm.

Design and Development Awardee Presentation

Thur., Nov. 10, 4:45 – 6:00 PM in in 2^nd Floor Grand 5

Following the D&D Membership Meeting we have the opportunity to participate in a presentation from the D&D Awardees for 2011. This is an outstanding opportunity to meet several colleagues whose work is especially noteworthy and listen to them explain their work in detail.

Award winners that will be presenting:

• Nova Southeast University AWARD for Outstanding Practice by a Graduate Student, Dabae Lee (Indiana University), with the project titled “WebQuest: Who Are the Digital Natives?”
• D&D Outstanding Book Awardee, David H. Jonassen, with his book titled, “Learning to Solve Problems: A Handbook for Designing Problem-Solving Learning Environments, Routledge 2010”
• D&D Outstanding Practice Awardee, Debbie Denise Reese and the CyGaMEs Team
• Robert M. Gagne Award for Graduate Student Research in Instructional Design TBD

Panel Sessions

This year, D&D also sponsors 9 panel sessions that are intended to foster an interactive discussion among the panelists and the audience focused on an important issue in the field of Instructional Design & Technology. Below is the list of the D&D panel sessions:

Wednesday, Nov. 9  

Current & Future Trends in the Field of Instructional Design and Technology

[1:00 – 2:00 PM at 3rd Floor City Terrace 5]

This panel session brings together four prominent thought-leaders in the field, who provide different but complimentary perspectives on current and future trends in instructional design, especially on the roles social media, blended learning, and other salient issues play in K-12 and higher ed environments as well as corporate training. Engagement with and questions from the audience will be encouraged.

Panelists: J. Michael Spector; Elizabeth Boling; Richard Schwier, & Andrew Gibbons

Comparing Instructional Design Studio Programs

[1:00 – 2:00 PM at 3rd Floor City Terrace 8]

Designers learn through designing. A number of leading schools of instructional design have adopted the studio form of education for their professional programs. Representatives from leading programs have agreed to present and discuss their programs and the advantages of studio-based education. Engagement with and questions from the audience will be encouraged.

Panelists: Brad Hokanson & Gregory Clinton; Elizabeth Bolingl Trey Martindale; Lloyd Rieber; Mable Kinzie; Patricia L. Hardre’

Expertise and the Education of Professional Instructional Designers

[2:15 – 3:15 PM at 3rd Floor City Terrace 5]

This panel discussion features two researchers who have investigated different aspects of expertise and instructional design. The focus of the discussion will be on the applicability of expertise research to the professional education of instructional designers. This panel addresses the conference theme of "theory to practice" as models, findings, and methods drawn from expertise research are connected directly to the preparation of professional instructional designers.

Panelists: Peter Fadde & Peg Ertmer

Thursday, Nov. 10 

Working as an Instructional Designer: Professional Practice in Higher Education

[3:30 – 4:30 PM at 3rd Floor City Terrace 8]

Instructional designers work in a variety of settings and on many projects. One area with tremendous growth is the development of online and blended courses in higher education. This panel discussion will bring together practitioners from public and private, not-for-profit and for-profit, large and small universities to discuss working as an ID: professional practice in higher education. The focus will be describing effective practice in instructional design, tools, and development approaches.

Panelists: Susan Colaric, Renee Cicchino, Martonia Gaskill, & Jennifer Staley

Friday, Nov. 11

Addressing Institution Challenges with Hybrid and Blended Instruction: An Analysis of Solutions with Proven Impact

[8:00 – 9:00 AM at 3rd Floor City Terrace 8]

This interactive panel will describe a variety of instructional programs and approaches that have been used by several universities in meeting specific challenges or in realizing new, significant opportunities. Panelists will provide an overview of the use of hybrid (or blended) instructional designs to support, enhance, and extend teaching and learning. Audience members will be invited to engage in a discussion of potential applications of hybrid instruction in their organization, and directions for research based on established theory.

Panelists: Brian Beatty; Amy Adcock; Charles Graham, & Karen Kaminski

Complex Problem Solving: Current State and Future Directions

[9:15 – 10:15 AM at 3rd Floor City Terrace 8]

Complex problem-solving abilities are particularly essential in the information age. The purpose of this panel is to bring together educational researchers to discuss current status of the research on complex problem solving and its implications for instructional design and technology research. In addition, panelist will address future directions in studying complex problem solving. Engagement with and questions from the audience will be encouraged.

Panelists: Deniz Eseryel, Dirk Ifenthaler, Woei Hung, & David H. Jonassen

Scaffolding Complex Problem Solving: Current State and Future Directions

[10:30 – 11:30 AM at 3rd Floor City Terrace 8]

Following the panel discussion on issues and challenges on complex problem-solving, a group of scholars and researchers will address the role of scaffolding in developing students’ self-regulation and complex, ill-structured problem-solving skills. They will synthesize and reflect on the work that has been done on scaffolding, identify issues and challenges concerning technology-supported scaffolding, and discuss future directions along the line of research on scaffolding. Particularly, the panelists will (a) address how to design advanced learning technologies to detect, track, model, and foster learners’ use of the key cognitive and metacognitive processes during complex problem solving, (b) redefine the role of and discuss the implications of scaffolding in supporting complex, ill-structured problem solving based on empirical evidence, and (c) propose a conceptual framework for designing scaffolding to guide future research.

Panelists: Xun Ge, Roger Azevedo, Michael Hannafin, & Deniz Eseryel

Is It Time to Consider a Career Ladder in the Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) Field?

[10:30 – 11:30 AM at 2nd Floor Grand 5]

Educators and professionals in instructional design and technology are acknowledging an emerging message that instructional design is changing as a profession. As ideas related to this change continue to grow, questions arise about what is being taught and how it should be taught to up and coming professionals. This panel discussion will explore changing landscapes of instructional design and technology, which may prompt others to consider the possibilities of a career ladder for the profession.

Panelists: Sonja A. Irlbeck, Nan Thornton, Molly M. Lane, Wilhelmina Savenye, & Sharon Smaldino

Saturday, Nov. 12

Engineering in the Classroom

[10:30 – 11:30 AM at 3rd Floor City Terrace 5]

This interactive panel describes an approach to elementary STEM Education, based on a novel combination of children’s engineering, instructional design, and new technology driving the emerging field of digital fabrication. Panelists will provide an overview of children’s engineering, demonstration of engineering design software for students, and a description of the ID process used. Attendees will discuss applications for STEM Education and beyond. Part two of this panel addresses the accompanying innovative online teacher training.

Panelists: Jonathan David Cohen, Daniel Tillman, Erika Renee Carson, Monty Jones, Susan Stansberry, Jennifer L. Chiu, Glen Bull, & Mable Kinzie

Whether you have been a division member for years, or are a new member to AECT and interested in learning more, this is the year to check out D&D!

Looking forward to seeing you in Jacksonville, FL.

Deniz Eseryel

D&D President-Elect and 2011 Conference Planner