Instructional design and learning management systems in a multi-course, rapid prototyping environment

Memorial University has been offering courses via distance technologies since the mid 1960s, first through correspondences, and then hybrid course offerings made up of combinations of various media that included print, video, and teleconferencing. In the mid 1990s course offerings started to migrate to Web-based delivery. In the early stages of Web-based development, instructional designers used traditional instructional design models. They quickly realized, however, that traditional instructional design models would need to be modified to address a number of compelling issues that emerged. Developing and maintaining a large repertoire of courses presents compelling challenges for instructional designers. Instructional design in a multi-discipline, multicourse context is an ill-structured domain requiring unique and flexible design models that tie in seamlessly with complex learning management systems. This paper will explore these issues and highlight some of the solutions implemented by the staff of Distance Education and Learning Technologies at Memorial University.