Running head: An Online Reference Guide on Instructional Design and Technology 1

Capstone Project Proposal: An Online Reference Guide on Instructional Design and Technology

Dona Thanushi Hettipathirana

EDUC 696 – Current Issues in Education Capstone

Liberty University

Dr. Clifford Churchill

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An Online Reference Guide on Instructional Design and Technology

This is a proposal for a research-based capstone project based on a current issue in the

field of education developed as part of Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction in

Educational Technology and Online Instruction at Liberty University.

Prompt Your Response

Name: Dona Thanushi Hettipathirana

Title of the Degree I am Master of Education: Curriculum and Instruction –

Seeking: Educational Technology and Online Instruction

Current Position: Substitute Teacher – Loudoun County Public Schools

Independent Teacher of Piano/Music
A STEAM Educator
City and State Where I Live: Ashburn VA

Project Description

The capstone project will involve the development of a website as an online reference

guide encompassing several current and relevant issues and trends in instructional systems

design and technology, a major sector in the field of education. It will contain evidence-based

peer-reviewed information, material, and resources presented in a concise and user-friendly

manner on a diverse range of topics on instructional design and technology for professionals and

enthusiasts in the fields of education, education technology, instructional technology, e-learning,

and instructional design. The topics will include instructional strategies, instructional models,

instructional and learning theory, instructional media, instructional/learning environments,

instructional material development, assessment and evaluation design, diversity and universal

design, and syllabus/course/curriculum design. The site will also include a glossary of terms, a Q
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and A forum for discussion, feedback, and suggestions, and list of research-based resources for

further reference.

Rationale

The rationale of this project is to enable and equip educators with at a glance access to

frequently referenced information and resources on instructional designing and technology. The

reference guide will facilitate the users with the ability for quick access to research-based

resources on instructional designing and technology without perusing through entire papers,

journals, websites, or books. The site will benefit instructional design experts in jogging the

memory and novices in getting a quick glance at evidence-based and peer-reviewed information

and resources on instructional design before digging deep.

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this website is to function as a professional online reference guide on

instructional design, containing evidence-based, peer-reviewed information, material, and

resources at a glance for professionals and enthusiasts in the fields of education, education

technology, instructional technology, e-learning, and instructional design. The key areas of

instructional design referenced on the website will include the following: what is instructional

design / instructional systems design / Instructional Technology?, instructional strategies,

instructional models, instructional and learning theory, instructional media, instructional

technology trends, instructional/learning environments, instructional resources and materials,

instructional technology standards, data privacy and security, diversity and universal design,

assessment and evaluation design, syllabus/curriculum/course design.

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Research Base

The research base for website on instructional design will include examination of

evidence-based articles that target the following current issues and topics in education: what is

instructional design / instructional systems design?; instructional strategies; instructional models;

instructional theory; instructional media; instructional technology trends; learning theory;

instructional/learning environments; diversity and universal design; assessment and evaluation

design; and syllabus/curriculum/course design. The resources will be derived from various peer-

reviewed journals such as Tech Trends; The Journal of Applied Instructional Design; American

Journal of Distance Education; British Journal of Educational Technology; Contemporary

Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE); Current Issues in Education Technology;

Education Technology Review; International Journal of E-Learning; International Journal of

Instructional Media; Journal of the Learning Sciences; Technology, Instruction Cognition and

Learning; and The Technology Source. Education databases will include Liberty University

library databases found at https://www.liberty.edu/library/databases/, Wiley Online Library at

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/, Association for Education and Communication Technology

(AECT) at https://www.aect.org/, Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online

Teaching (MERLOT) at https://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm, Center for Applied Special

Technology (CAST) at http://www.cast.org/, CAST UDL Studio at http://udlstudio.cast.org/,

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) at https://www.iste.org/, and

Partnership for 21st century learning (P21) at https://www.iste.org/. Resources from books will

include information and material on instructional design, instructional science, e-learning,

distance learning, universal design, instructional models, instructional theory, learning theory,
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assessment and evaluation design, instructional technology trends, and curriculum and course

design.

Project Application

The project application will be to utilize the website as a professional online reference

guide on instructional design and technology with quick access to frequently needed references

and resources. The evidence-based information, material, and resources being available at an all-

in-one online repository will benefit professionals and enthusiasts in the fields of education,

education technology, instructional technology, e-learning, universal design for learning (UDL),

and instructional design. I will personally be using this guide as a pocket reference on the vast

range of topics and issues on instructional design and technology covered by the website as and

when needed in the future for research and development.

Project Outcome

The outcome of this capstone project will be a website that will serve as an online

reference guide to instructional design and instructional technology with peer-reviewed

references and resources, encompassing several current and relevant issues and trends in

instructional systems design and technology. The reference guide will be of benefit to

professionals in instructional design, education, instructional technology, e-learning, distance

and online education, education content development, instructional design research, universal

design for learning (UDL), and students and enthusiasts of instructional design and technology.

The website will have the following pages (at a minimum):

 Home - What is instructional design / Instructional Technology?

 About

 Contact
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 A Q and A Forum – Discussion and Feedback

 A Glossary of Terms

 A List of Resources and References.

 Assessment and Evaluation Design

 Data Privacy and Security

 Diversity and Universal Design

 Instructional Media

 Instructional Models

 Instructional Resources and Materials

 Instructional Strategies

 Instructional Technology Standards

 Instructional Technology Tools and Trends

 Instructional and Learning Theory

 Instructional/Learning Environments

 Syllabus/Curriculum/Course Design

 Research Topics in Instructional Design and Technology

The Q and A page of the reference guide will function as a user interface and forum for

discussion, feedback, and suggestions for further enhancement of the website. This section will

also serve the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of the website through gauging what

information the users are searching for and how useful and user-friendly is the reference guide

on instructional design and technology in catering to their needs.