The instructional technology community is in the midst of a philosophical shift from a behaviorist to a constructivist framework, a move that may begin to address the growing rift between formal school learning and real-life learning. One theory of learning that has the capacity to promote authentic learning is that of situated learning.The purpose of this three part study was firstly, to identify critical characteristics of a situated learning environment from the extensive literature base on the subject; secondly, to operationalise the critical characteristics of a situated learning environment by designing a multimedia program which incorporated the identified characteristics; and thirdly, to investigate students' perceptions of their experiences using an multimedia package based on a situated learning framework.The learning environment comprised a multimedia program for preservice teachers on assessment in mathematics, together with recommended implementation conditions in the classroom. Eight students were observed and interviewed to explore their perceptions of the situated learning environment. Findings suggest that the use of the situated learning framework appeared to provide effective instructional design guidelines for the design of an environment for the acquisition of advanced knowledge.

Among the wide variety of backgrounds, many of those active in defining and applying educational design research appear to have arrived through an interest in psychology, the learning sciences or instructional design. Although most design studies are carried out in multi-disciplinary teams, participants need to conceptually understand the marriage between the design discipline and scientific research traditions.Conducting Educational Design Research emphasizes the application of design knowledge and skills in research programs, guiding readers through the various disciplinary backgrounds and scientific developments current today. Therefore, this book on design research will be especially useful for faculty and students in (a) graduate education programs where exposure to research methodologies is strong but exposure to design methodologies is limited; and (b) graduate programs in instructional design where participants have strong backgrounds in design, but may lack the scientific research orientation.In a time when design research is gaining momentum, it seems notable that educational research programs are being confronted with the randomized field trials movement; and educational design programs are at risk of diluting their design character as valuable curricular time is being usurped by more traditional research skills. This book not only offers an invaluable classroom resource, it also provides for the ongoing university dialogue on how to best prepare the next generation of educational researchers.Conducting Educational Design Research will be of special interest to graduate students, serving as a sourcebook for masters and doctoral courses in educational programs that are tied to design research agendas. Conducting Educational Design Research Running head T&F Proofs: Not for distributionEducational design research blends scientific investigation with systematic development and implementation of solutions to educational problems. Empirical investigation is conducted in real learning settings -not laboratoriesto craft usable and effective solutions. At the same time, the research is carefully structured to produce theoretical understanding that can serve the work of others. For decades, policies for educational research worldwide have swung back and forth between demanding rigor above all other concerns, and increasing emphasis on impact. These two qualities need not be mutually exclusive. This volume supports readers in grasping and realizing the potential of educational design research. It demonstrates how rigorous and relevant investigation can yield both theoretical understanding and solutions to urgent educational problems.

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The use of authentic activities within online learning environments has been shown to have many benefits for learners in online units and courses. There has been renewed interest in the role of student activities within course units, as constructivist philosophy and advances in technology impact on educational design and practice. Courses based on these principles have been used successfully across a wide variety of discipline areas. In spite of the growing evidence of the success of authentic learning environments, they are not without their problems. In this paper we discuss patterns of engagement that have emerged from our own research on authentic learning tasks, in particular, the initial reluctance to willingly immerse in learning scenarios that some students experience, and the need for the suspension of disbelief before engaging in the task. The paper proposes ten characteristics of authentic activities, based on educational theory and research, which have been used as criteria for the selection of existing online units or courses for in depth investigation. The paper includes a short review of the literature, a description of the research and some preliminary findings and identification of issues related to the necessity for students to willingly suspend disbelief in order to fully engage in learning scenarios based on authentic tasks.

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