Dara Young, faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Health Sciences, is a co-author on Exploring instructional designers' utilization and perspectives on generative AI tools: A mixed methods study. The article was published in Educational Technology Research and Development.
Lead author of the article is Dr. Tian Luo, faculty at Old Dominion University. Co-authors from Old Dominion University and the University of Tennessee conducted cutting-edge research to determine how instructional design professionals (ID) are using generative AI (GenAI).
While the field has existed for several decades, instructional design is a rapidly advancing field that seeks to match learners to methods of delivery of instructional materials that will most effectively facilitate the learning process. The field combines pedagogical technologies (online courses, simulated learning, etc.) with an understanding of differences in the needs of different learners. GenAI uses machine learning to create new content and ideas. While it, too, has existed for several decades, it has seen explosive growth in recent years, especially as a result of GenAI tools that are available to individuals.
Following an in-depth literature review, the authors surveyed 70 IDs from higher education, industry and the non-profit sector. They also conducted in-depth interviews with 13 of the population. The study identified four key areas where IDs use GenAI tools: 1) brainstorming ideas, (2) handling low-stake tasks, (3) streamlining design process, and (4) enhancing collaborations. The study also identified three key areas where IDs are concerned about the use of GenAI: (1) quality concerns, (2) data security and privacy concerns, (3) concerns over authorship, ownership and plagiarism, among others. The authors identified a need for guidelines and policies regarding the ethical use of GenAI.
“Generative AI has rapidly become an inevitable part of the world we live in.” said Dean Randy Wykoff. “At the same time, we have come to increasingly rely on the science of instructional design to assure student learning. Studies such as these will become essential as both fields evolve rapidly, and I am deeply appreciative of Ms. Young and her colleagues for publishing one of the first articles studying the inter-relationship of both fields.”