So a few things stood out to me this week: writing goals from the learning standpoint (not teaching), being specific with each step, and determining if you need substeps or not

First of all, I thought it was interesting that instructional designers struggle at times between writing things in the way they would teach it as opposed to what the learner should be able to do at completion. To be honest I hadn't ever considered this and am certain that there are times I consider how I am going to teach something as opposed to considering what the learner should be able to do after instruction. I can really see how this line of thinking can help guide instruction as you have the student in mind the whole time instead of just thinking about how you would teach the topic. I feel that this really helps you be able to assess if the students are learning because you are explicit with what that process should look like. I know that many teachers have activities that they like to teach cause they are fun, but if you asked what the students are taking away from the activity they would have a hard time expressing just what that is.

Secondly, I thought the specificity with each step, while a bit tedious in the planning stage, can really help flesh out what you are trying to do and help you get there. I see the process as one that you will have to frontload, but will pay off because you are prepared and know how and why you are instructing. Also, the students should see each step as a natural progression, not as an arbitrary way that the material is presented. I always feel that it is of utmost importance for the teacher to know what the student is going through in the learning process and see this a great way to facilitate this process for instructors. It will help with design and overall knowing how to get from point A to Z in a much clearer and efficient fashion.

Finally I thought idea of substeps was a bit ambiguous, but I think that was the point. It is up to the designer to determine whether or not substeps are necessary and if so why? Really everything in the design process is getting the instructor to consider why they are designing the material the way they are and determining if there is a better way of arranging the material. I see substeps as a great way to make sure instruction is explicit and yet a place to make sure that you are not over or under doing it. When you look at the steps you need to question whether the steps can and should be broken down, if so then you do, if not then you don't. It sounds so simple when put like that, but in reality there is a lot more to making these determinations. Much like the second point I see this as a lot of work in the beginning but it definitely pays off in the end.