A Designer’s Log Case Studies in Instructional Design- P17:This book deals with the design of distance education at an emerging dual-mode university, that is, a university offering courses both on-campus and via distance education or online in a variety of manners. It was written from the point of view of an instructional designer (ID) working alongside university professors in designing their courses for distance delivery | the ID has doubts about his her competency as a subject matter expert. As an ID I m not aiming to do that but I feel that I have the duty to make sure that what is being presented to students is actually based on knowledge and not impressions. Consequently by testing the quality of the information the ID runs a risk of being accused of trying to wrest control of the design process from the professor rather than doing what he or she has been paid to do counsel the professor and design whatever the professor decides he she wants designed. This of course reminds me of how rare the professor-ID tandem is in traditional universities where there are so few IDs compared to the number of professors. As a result most professors have difficulty understanding the role and responsibilities of the ID whose discipline is virtually unknown. This session ended with a bit of stand-off. We both stuck to our guns and decided it was time to break for the day. I m thinking I must be nuts risking seeing the professor drop everything there and then after what may only amount at best to a Pyrrhic victory on my part. But this episode leaves me deeply troubled about the extent to which an ID must assume responsibility for his her work. At what point does the professor s work become the ID s work Is there a solid membrane separating the two. it doesn t feel that thick. Session 7 At the request of the professor we started discussing oral exams that her students have to take towards the end of the course. It became clear that given the large number of students and the lack of time in class she was going to have students team up for these presentations. Yet she maintained that every presentation would be individually marked even though students would jointly present a single subject. They would have to divide it in two parts and each would take an equal part. A question loomed how were we going to get students to divide up their presentations She explained that she expected each team would .
