Systems Thinking in Instructional Design

The word system in Instructional Systems Development tends to connote systematic process. Yet systems scientists suggest this is a limiting interpretation. What would it mean to incorporate more powerful notions of system, for example wholeness and interdependence, in designing instruction— Perhaps experienced practitioners do so and can offer us direction. The study reported here asked designers to identify what they considered to be key relations among components of an instructional system—those things that made the relations among parts important to consider. The results reveal that components are seen as highly interdependent and suggest that simple ISD models and procedures fail to capture much of the systemic nature of the process. Possibilities for supporting practice and developing expertise are implied.