ABSTRACT
Capturing and representing the true nature of design is elusive, and, therefore, the assertion that the process of instructional design is clearly defined is problematic especially given the complexity of our practice and related research today. Our field has relied upon broad and reductionist stage models that work toward framing the design problem and constraining the solution space but may also overlook the true complexity of the act of design itself. Some design theorists purport that the act of design involves the creation of a unique particular design and involves interpretive design thinking and judgment rather than a definitive, abstract process and absolute truths (Nelson & Stolterman, 2012). The challenge of applying abstract and systematic design processes to learning situations may be similar to the limitations and inherent complexity of a physician’s diagnostic process. The type of process that relies solely on clear, clinical algorithms for common diagnoses and treatments may “quickly fall apart when symptoms are vague or multiple or confusing, or test results are inexact. In such cases-the kinds of cases where we most need a discerning doctor-algorithms discourage physicians from thinking independently and creatively. Instead of expanding a doctor’s thinking, they can constrain it” (Groopman, 2007, p. 5). The same might be said for the practice of instructional designers in relying on limited design models and prescriptive approaches without deep, experiential knowledge of the intellectual activity of design. Reliance on learning principles or broad, prescriptive models can quickly prove less useful without full acknowledgement of the current complex, vague, and confusing environments that we attempt to orchestrate for learning. Confronting today’s ambiguous and complicated learning environments is also just when we most need innovative designers; however, we may be ultimately constraining their design thinking and creativity through our approach and limited understanding of design itself.
