Implications for ID practice of instructional designers' cultural identities.

Are there social and political purposes for design that are culturally based? A growing body of research is concerned with the design of culturally-appropriate learning resources and environments, but the emphasis of this panel is on the instructional designer as the agent of the design. Colloquially put, if we design for ourselves, we should understand the sociocultural influences on us and how they inform our practices. We should also develop respect for, and learn from, how various global cultures address similar design problems differently. This panel includes instructional design scholars and practitioners from a range of geopolitical regions, who will share culturally-based narratives and metaphors of ID, and invite participants to do the same.

Hierarchical topical segmentation in instructional films based on cinematic expressive functions

In this paper, we propose a novel solution for segmenting an instructional video into hierarchical topical sections. Incorporating the knowledge of education-oriented film theory with our previous study of expressive functions namely the content density and the thematic functions, we develop an algorithm to effectively structuralize an instructional video into a two-tiered hierarchy of topical sections at the main and sub-topic levels. Our experimental results on a set of ten industrial instructional videos demonstrate the validity of the detection scheme.

High level segmentation of instructional videos based on content density

Automatically partitioning instructional videos into topic sections is a challenging problem in e-learning environments for efficient content management and cataloging. This paper addresses this problem by proposing a novel density function to delineate sections underscored by changes in topics in instructional and training videos. The content density function draws guidance from the observation that topic boundaries coincide with the ebb and flow of the 'density' of content shown in these videos. Based on this function, we propose two methods for high-level segmentation by determining topic boundaries. We study the performance of the two methods on eight training videos, and our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the two proposed high-level segmentation algorithms for learning media.

Spoken mathematics as an instructional strategy: the public discourse of mathematics classrooms in different countries

This chapter examines the use of spoken mathematics in the public discourse of eighth-grade mathematics classrooms internationally. By “spoken mathematics” we mean the recognizably mathematical terms used in spoken interaction in the classroom. Our principal focus was the relatively sophisticated terms by which each lesson’s central concepts or procedures were named. In our analysis we addressed the question(s): “What is the occurrence of publicly spoken mathematics in the different classrooms studied and what efforts do the teachers appear to make to promote students’ use of technical mathematical terms in their public classroom talk?” A companion chapter examines the question of students’ private spoken mathematics in the classroom and the possible learning that might result.

Student speech as an instructional priority: mathematics classrooms in seven culturally-differentiated cities

Student spoken use of mathematical terminology in public and private classroom discourse distinguishes one mathematics classroom from another. While student-student spoken interactions were frequent in the classrooms studied in Berlin, Melbourne, and San Diego, and non-existent in Shanghai and Seoul, student use of mathematical terminology varied significantly. The variation between the practices of the mathematics classrooms studied in Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo problematizes any simplistic characterization of “the Asian classroom.” Our results demonstrate that student spoken facility with the technical language of mathematics requires deliberate scaffolding and, interestingly, this can be achieved through either public or private discourse.

Infusing instructional design principles into an active student-centred social learning framework

Social and participatory media offer a plethora of ways for students to communicate, collaborate, and learn in schools. Using a social learning approach, Casey (2013a) investigated ways that social media could be integrated into Australian public high school classrooms to enhance student learning. In the process, she developed a social learning framework as discussed in Casey (2013b). Similarly, Davidson-Shivers and Hulon (2013; Hulon & Daidson-Shivers, 2013) suggest ways to employ ID principles to prepare college instructors and pre-service teachers to integrate technology into classrooms. Prior to that, Davidson-Shivers with Rasmussen (2006) developed an instructional design (ID) model for creating effective Web-based learning environments. Through collaboration, Casey and Davidson-Shivers consider a wide range of social learning and instructional design principles and approaches to help develop frameworks for new media integration that can work within varying levels of education.

Greater cognitive effort for better learning : tailoring an instructional design for learners with different levels of knowledge and motivation

The capacity limitation of working memory is a widely recognised determinant of human learning. A cognitive load exceeding the capacity hampers learning. Cognitive load can be controlled by tailoring an instructional design to levels of learner prior knowledge. However, such as design does not necessarily motivate to use the available capacity for better learning. The present review examines literatures on the effects of instructional design, motivation, emotional state, and expertise level on cognitive load and cognitive effort, which ultimately affect working memory performance and learning. This examination suggests further studies on the effects of motivation and negative emotional states on the use of working memory. Prospective findings would help better explain and predict individual differences in the use of working memory for cognitive learning and task performance.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation in autism spectrum disorder: challenges, promise, and roadmap for future research

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a behaviorally defined complex neurodevelopmental syndrome characterized by impairments in social communication, by the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors, interests and activities, and by abnormalities in sensory reactivity. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a promising, emerging tool for the study and potential treatment of ASD. Recent studies suggest that TMS measures provide rapid and noninvasive pathophysiological ASD biomarkers. Furthermore, repetitive TMS (rTMS) may represent a novel treatment strategy for reducing some of the core and associated ASD symptoms. However, the available literature on the TMS use in ASD is preliminary, composed of studies with methodological limitations. Thus, off-label clinical rTMS use for therapeutic interventions in ASD without an investigational device exemption and outside of an IRB approved research trial is premature pending further, adequately powered and controlled trials. Leaders in this field have gathered annually for a two-day conference (prior to the 2014 and 2015 International Meeting for Autism Research, IMFAR) to share recent progress, promote collaboration across laboratories, and establish consensus on protocols. Here we review the literature in the use of TMS in ASD in the context of the unique challenges required for the study and exploration of treatment strategies in this population. We also suggest future directions for this field of investigations. While its true potential in ASD has yet to be delineated, TMS represents an innovative research tool and a novel, possibly transformative approach to the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Autism Res 2015. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Faculty Instructional Quality Assessment Practices Incorporating Teaching Portfolios and Peer Review with Student Course Evaluations

Program directors and department chairs require different means of assessing faculty quality due to the unreliability of student course evaluation data. This report outlines alternative strategies for review committees to assess faculty instructional quality. This report also details incorporation of annual performance reviews for tenure-track faculty into tenure decisions.