Wow, what field did you say you were in spoke volumes to me; the article is written by Robert A Reiser 2018. I enjoyed reading this article because I still remember people asking me what kind of major is Instructional Design and Technology (IDT)? And, I would say it was a great program where you can teach, develop and train. And some would say it sounds like you should just major in education to become a teacher because they felt the name just didn't fit. But, still, I didn't care because it was introduced to me by an upperclassman who said if I didn't want to stay in the computer science program, I should give the IDT program a try, and I thank him because I actually did enjoy the program.
When I was studying IDT during my undergrad, the major focused on developing courses for grad school, project management, instructional materials for targeted audiences, and video game creation. The classes sometimes involved group projects and presentations. Everything was a learning experience because we were critiqued about our presentations. I can remember staying up late using PowerPoint to fix the slides my group members messed up (Shh, I was the only female in my group).
According to Reizer (2007), "the latest definition includes instructional design and technology which encompasses the analysis of learning, performance problems, design, development, implementation, evaluation, and management of both instructional and non-instructional processes and resources…" (p. 7). This is what IDT meant when I was an undergrad, and to my surprise, after reading the article, the meaning constantly changes, so I can see where confusion falls. Everyone has an meaning and to me it means, providing instructional trainings to improve educational procedures for school and work.
Well, what is Instructional Technology? To me it is knowing how people learn and incorporating the best method to teach the learner. Basically it is a process that begins with a need and ends with a solution.
Reiser, R. A. (2018). What field did you say you were in? Defining and naming our field. In R. A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th Ed.), (pp. 1-7). New York, NY: Pearson Education.
Thank you for sharing about your undergraduate learning experience, Debbie! You did a right choice switching the major, eventhough it is difficult to explain to someone who knows very little about this field. It's true, as the field is evolving the definition is broadening too.
I like how you pointed out that Instructional Technology is a process with a solution at the end.
I agree that the definition seems to continue evolving. As a project manager, I appreciate the emphasis placed on a systematic approach to instructional design and technology in more recent iterations of the definition. However, I think you and Claudio are right to point out that we should not miss the forest for the trees. Who cares whether an organization uses a waterfall or agile approach to project management if educational improvement, ethical treatment of learners and "doing good" aren't at the forefront of that organization's SMEs, instructional designers and technologists, and academic administrators.
The definitions about instructional technology have changed over the last few decades. I agree with you that it could still be confusing for some people to describe what instructional design. As you said, the most recent definition emphasizes that the main goal of instructional technology is to improve education. Do you think that this new definition will change over time, as well?