During Weeks 4–6, you will build on your understanding of instructional design (ID) models as you move from individual exploration to collaborative design practice. Working with your team, you will consider how instructional design theories, models, and principles can inform the design of learning in different contexts. You will also explore how collaboration, diverse perspectives, and generative AI can support and influence instructional design decisions.
Throughout Weeks 4–6, you will work collaboratively toward completing Assignment 2: Instructional Design Field Guide. You will form your design team, establish a shared direction for your work, and collaborate to develop a field guide that brings together your collective understanding of instructional design and its application in practice.
Use the information provided to keep track of key activities and important dates for Weeks 4–6. In addition to these activities, you are expected to explore the associated weekly readings and resources to support your learning and refer to the course schedule to ensure you are aware of all due dates.
Learning Activities and Assessments Weeks 4-6
| Activity/Assessment | Deliverable | Due end of Week: |
| Community Reflection | Participate in the synchronous session or email your instructor a link to your blog reflection (Topic to be introduced at synchronous session) | Four (4) |
| Assignment Two | Access the Assignment Two description | Six (6) |
Week 4-6 Activities: Team-based Inquiry
As you begin Assignment 2, you will form your instructional design team and begin exploring how your individual experiences, perspectives, and emerging design identities can contribute to your collective work.
Take time to connect with your team members, discuss your respective strengths and interests, and establish a shared understanding of your approach to the assignment. Consider how you will communicate, collaborate, distribute responsibilities, and make decisions throughout the design process.
As you work together, consider how the instructional design models you explored in Assignment 1 might inform your team’s approach and how your collective understanding of learning and design may evolve through collaboration.
Questions for you and your team to reflect on (Weeks 4-6):
- How do designers approach complex instructional challenges and determine which perspectives, needs, assumptions, and contextual factors should shape their design decisions?
- How do we translate ID models and frameworks into meaningful design decisions in practice?
- How is AI changing what instructional designers do?
- When should we trust AI, and when are human expertise, judgment, and lived experience essential?
- What ethical, environmental, and other consequences should influence whether and how we use AI in our design practice? Your team may want to consider using the EcoLogits calculator (Rince et al., 2025), as you consider the impact of AI on ID).
Developing Your Instructional Design Field Guide
Throughout these weeks, your team will collaborate to develop an Instructional Design Field Guide that reflects your collective understanding of instructional design and its application in practice.
As you develop your field guide, consider how the needs of learners, learning environments, delivery modes, and other contextual factors influence instructional design decisions. Draw on relevant course concepts, scholarly literature, and your individual and collective experiences to inform your work.
You are encouraged to approach this assignment as an opportunity to explore, question, and refine your thinking together. Consider how different perspectives within your team can strengthen your design decisions and how generative AI might support your collaborative design process.
Refer to the Assignment 2 description and associated rubric for the complete assignment requirements, deliverables, and assessment criteria.