{"id":930,"date":"2021-11-11T16:55:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T16:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/?p=930"},"modified":"2026-06-29T14:06:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T14:06:36","slug":"given-equal-results-instructional-designers-recommend-the-least-expensive-option-or-do-they","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/?p=930","title":{"rendered":"Given equal results, instructional designers recommend the least expensive option. Or do they?"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n

To my regret, I recently deleted this sentence from my soon-to-be published book chapter:<\/span><\/p>\n

Instructional
\n designers are ethically bound, that if all learning outcomes are equal,
\n to recommend the least expensive, most environmentally sensitive, and
\nmost socio-culturally aware method.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I was asked to provide references to back up this claim. Hmm…isn’t this considered a tenet of instructional design?<\/span><\/p>\n

Actually, isn’t this a basic truth about all designers everywhere<\/i>? Part of the job of a designer is to<\/span><\/p>\n

A) know all of the options and<\/span><\/p>\n

B) know the strengths and weaknesses of those options which naturally leads a designer to<\/span><\/p>\n

C)
\n present the options to their client, highlighting the designer’s
\njudgment of BEST choice, even if that best choice is not what the client
\n is hoping for.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

But this lead to me to stop to really think about this: First, do instructional designers follow this<\/i><\/b> prioritization when recommending media:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. least expensive, aka cheapest, most cost effective<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. environmentally sensitive<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. socially just?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I
    \n know the priorities’ positions are open for debate. Is most cost
    \neffective the same as efficient? (Reigeluth would say no.) Should social
    \n justice in a resource be considered equal with cost effective? (The
    \ngeneralized failure of MOOCs says no.) I think a debate is overdue!<\/span><\/p>\n

    Second,
    \n and more importantly, do instructional designers reach out and engage
    \ntheir own powers in first assessing options and then being the voice of
    \nwisdom in their work situations? I feel more passionate about this second conundrum than the first one.<\/b> It is this point that I did write and keep my <\/u>    book chapter<\/u><\/a> (publishing soon) and I am glad I stood my ground on that.<\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

    “Instructional
    \n designers have the critical role of consulting on media choices for
    \ntheir campuses. IDs can lead the way by advocating, recommending,
    \ndesigning, assessing, and researching learning options.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    This
    \n ability is powerful. You’ll find I’m first in line to advocate that
    \ncampus administrators should acknowledge that they have consultants on staff<\/i><\/b>
    \n in the form of instructional designers. After all, if one of the
    \ncharacteristics of wisdom is to hold within one’s mind simultaneously
    \nconflicting truths, I can’t think of a better description of a designer!
    \n We often hold many truths (this is good for this, that is good for
    \nthat) and yet it does not bother us that no one media choice will solve
    \nall problems. We are trained and paid to be wise; to recommend and to
    \nhelp with real world messy choice.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    I don’t have to be stuck in my contemplation. I have over 11,600 instructional designer friends in the Instructional Designers in Education Facebook group<\/a>; a group that has grown and welcomed discussions of many kinds.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Instructional<\/a><\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    Thus, I asked for some wisdom of the crowds.<\/span><\/p>\n

    My concern was: Had they been exposed to this series of ideas (they have the power to recommend and they should engage priorities when doing s0) <\/i>in their ID training?<\/span><\/p>\n

    So I ran an unscientific poll asking this, with the option for respondents to add their own answers, which they did.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Capture<\/a><\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    Were you taught this as a tenet of instructional design:<\/span><\/p>\n

    Given
    \n that all learning outcomes are equal, you are obligated to recommend
    \nthe learning resource that is: 1) cheapest 2) most environmentally
    \nresponsible 3) socially just.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The results:<\/span><\/p>\n