Recently, diverse trends in instructional design emerged. As a rule, their development is related to broader availability of the instructional tools and increasing popularity of instructional practices (Reiser, 2017). At present, instructional design is under the influence of information technology and the trends are determined by the achievements in IT sphere. The major goal of trends in instructional design is the improvement of learning process.
Trends in Instructional Settings in the Next Ten Years
The diversity of instructional design trends makes them appropriate for various instructional settings and modalities. In the context of on-line education setting, mobile learning will probably gain more popularity. It can be explained by the rapid development of mobile technologies that empower access to learning facilities without being linked to the computer. In the next 10 years, education opportunities of mobile devices are going to increase. In the adult education setting, attention will be probably focused on the shift from tutoring to open learning design (Paquette, 2014). A rationale for this trend is that in adult learning, people usually value the opportunities for new skills and experiences than tutoring. Open learning design will provide interactions and problem-solving situations.
Predictions Concerning Academic and Professional Learning
In academic and professional learning, there will probably be two major trends. First of all, academic and professional learning of the future will be technology-based. It is not a new trend but a demand of time. Secondly, learning will focus on adaptive skills. Easy adaptation to new conditions that change due to the rapid technology development will be crucial for a specialist.
Impacts on the Content of Courses
The content of educational courses varies with time. It looks probable that the content of courses will be under the impact of learners’ demand. Learners as consumers of education service will select the courses they consider appropriate and necessary. Another factor that can have a strong influence on the content is the situation on labor market. The need for specialists can determine the direction of preparation and its content.
Stakeholders of Adult Learning Development and Design
The development and design of adult learning involves some stakeholders. Since adult learning is mainly professional, it will be significantly influenced by the labor market in general and employers in particular. They will define the need in specialists and thus determine the design of adult learning. Labor market, in its turn, will be influenced by the economic situation that will regulate the demand for the future working force. Research institutions that deal with education trends can become another stakeholder of adult learning development and design. They can predict the need for different professionals and thus stimulate change in learning design.
Influence of Changes on the Instructional Design
Changes in technology have a strong impact on the instructional design. The development of technology provides broader opportunities for learning that demand new instruction approaches. The demand of the society also is an influential factor for instructional design. Increasing interest in online learning with broad opportunities also need change of instructional design.
Conclusions
On the whole, instructional design is an integral component of learning process. The choice of instructional design depends on the instructional setting, the needs of learners, and the peculiarities of the course. Instructional design is constantly changing and is determined by the general trends in learning and society.
References
Paquette, G. (2014). Technology-based instructional design: Evolution and major trends. In J. Spector et al. (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology. New York, NY: Springer.
Reiser, R.A. (2017). Eight trends affecting the field of instructional design and technology: Opportunities and challenges. In F.Q. Lai, & J. Lehman (Eds.), Learning and knowledge analytics in open education (pp. 139-148). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.