The instructional design process walkthrough

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The first step is to know the rationale behind the conception of the module. Here are questions whose answers would normally guide the decision of whether or not to go forward with the module:
 * Why was it developed?
 * What were the needs and demands for such a module?
 * What is it aiming at?
 * What are the resources needed and whether they are available or not?

Module Information Sheet
Example of an aim and rationale for a module: ILT1020 module


 * "To introduce an innovative edge in the University’s wide range of curricula by inculcating in our students the basic concepts of pedagogical design and engineering of e-learning courses. Many of our young graduates take up employment in the educational sector and their university experience is mainly based on the academic mastering of the subject matter. This module will help them in their future career as educators as well as keeping them up-to-date with the technological advances in education."

Once you have the aim which depicts a kind of the broad vision you have set yourself, you can break these into specific objectives. Remember that objectives of the module are generally things that you want to achieve with your learners and not what they (learners) are going to achieve at the end of the course.

The objectives of module on Educational Designs - ILT1020

The main objectives of the ILT1020 module are to:


 * Introduce our to-be graduates (aspiring teachers) to the field of educational technology with particular emphasis on e-learning.


 * Provide the learners with knowledge of a range of technology tools that can be used to improve the teaching and learning process.


 * Initiate the learners to simple instructional design and prototyping of computer-based learning modules.


 * Develop the learner’s ability to evaluate an e-learning module from a pedagogical, cognitive and human-computer interaction perspective.

The Learning outcomes - ILT1020

While the objectives of the modules specify what the module is about i.e. what its going to teach to the students, the learning outcomes specify what the students will be able to do after following the module. Of course there is a kind of causal relationship that exists between the module's learning objectives and the learning outcomes. In a sense, when we know the objectives of the module, it can be used as the basis to formulate the learning outcomes.

The learning outcomes of the module can be in one or more domains of learning. It can be in the cognitive domain, psychomotor or affective domain of learning. Furthermore, the learning outcomes can be either subject-specific skills, IT-specific skills or Learning-specific skills.