Distance Master's Degree Program
See also: Is Distance Education Right for Me? | Distance Orientation | Planning Your Program | Program Forms
Purpose and Basic Requirements
The Instructional Systems Technology (IST) Master of Science in Education (M.S.) degree program is designed for individuals seeking to be practitioners in the field of instructional technology. Students learn to build and test processes, products, and services that are ready for operational use in education and training settings. M.S. program graduates typically assume design and/or development roles in public or private agencies and organizations involved in one or more aspects of instructional technology.
The IST Master's at a Distance is a 36-credit-hour program, generally spread over a 3-year period. Up to 9 of these credit hours may be transferred from other institutions if they fit into your overall goals and the program structure; talk to your advisor about the possibility of transferring particular coursework.
For additional help in planning your program, please visit our Planning Your Program section.
Program Overview (Table of Contents)
Macintosh and DOS/Windows operating systems, word processing, graphics, a general theoretical understanding of how computers work, electronic mail, file transfer, information retrieval, scanning and Web publishing.
Note:
The planning and approval of a student's program of study is accomplished with the help of a program advisor. The advisor must be an IST faculty member. Regular meetings with the advisor are recommended. The program advisor and the IST Chairperson must approve the program of studies.
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Prerequisite
Students entering the IST program are expected to have basic computer competence on either Macintosh or DOS/Windows computer systems, in the following areas: operating systems, word processing, graphics, a general theoretical understanding of how computers work, electronic mail, file transfer, information retrieval, scanning and Web publishing (see the appendix). Students who do not meet the competence requirements must arrange to study independently to make up their deficiencies before entering the program. These skills are necessary for successful participation in IST courses. More advanced knowledge and skills taught in IST courses assume these skills. Indiana University has licensed a series of computer-mediated learning tutorials from NETg. Students can access these tutorials online in order to acquire and practice these basic skills.
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IST Core Courses (12 hours)
R511: Instructional Technology Foundations (3 credits).
Learn about the field, theory and profession of instructional technology including definitions of instructional technology, the history of the field, and current trends and issues.
R521: Instructional Design and Development (3 credits).
Introduces the instructional systems development process, from analysis through evaluation and implementation, and includes practice in all phases.
R541: Instructional Development & Production Process I (3 credits).
Given design plans for interactive products, you are introduced to the entire multimedia production process.
R561: Evaluation & Change in Instructional Development Process (3 credits).
Methods and principles for evaluating instructional products during each stage of the instructional systems development process. Also, learn about change theory and principles as they relate to adoption and use of instructional products.
**Note: Students can test out of R541 if these competencies have been already attained.
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Core Content Areas
Instructional Analysis
- Needs analysis
- Content analysis
- Learner/audience analysis
- Context analysis
- Constraints analysis
- Implementation analysis
Design
- Content selection and strategy design
- Content sequencing
- Instructional approaches
- Tactics design (memorization of facts, generalities, procedures, causal models, attitudes)
- Message design
- Interaction design
Instructional Production
- Skills in production technologies (multimedia software and World-Wide Web)
- Rapid prototyping
- Usability testing and product revision
- Production management (paths, roles and reporting)
- Craftsmanship
- Project management
- Group Process
Instructional Evaluation
- Reporting skills
- Planning frameworks for formative and summative evaluation
- Design of assessment situations
- Simple data summary and decision techniques
- Transfer of training
- Productivity, cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit
Implementation and Change
- Innovation and adoption practices
- Strategies for implementation
- Preparation of implementation plans
- Systemic change in education and corporations
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IST Electives (15 hours--must be IST courses)
R519: Effective Writing for Instructional Technology (3 credits).
Develop reader-centered writing skills in the creation of instructional materials.
R547: Computer-Mediated Learning (3 credits).
Intermediate level course on design, development and formative evaluation of computer-mediated learning programs.
R626: Instructional Strategies & Tactics (3 credits).
An elaboration on the instructional-strategies portion of R522. Aims to help students develop a deeper understanding of instructional theory and a greater ability to create effective, efficient, and appealing instruction.
R667: Educational Systems Design (3 credits).
Introduces students to the opportunities and challenges of systemic restructuring in education and corporate training. It is concerned with both product and process issues: what an educational or training system should be like for a post industrial information-age society, and what process will most facilitate transformation to such a system.
Note: Other online IST courses not listed above may be used as IST electives. Check with your advisor. These electives must all be IST courses.
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Other Required IST Courses
R505: Portfolio Workshop in IST (3 credits).
Provides a "capstone" experience, one that pulls together what you've learned into an integrated whole. Details>
R625: Designing Instructional Systems (3 credits).
An advanced course in instructional development. Students work in small groups to solve real or simulated instructional problems of substantial scope. Details>
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Outside Courses (9 hours)
Outside Required Course (3 credits)
P540: Learning & Cognition in Education (3 credits).
Surveys theoretical positions in the areas of learning and cognition, with emphasis on their relevance for the design of classroom learning situations.
Outside Electives (6 credits)
Consult your academic advisor about identifying appropriate outside electives. The nature and mix of courses taken outside of IST must be structured to support the overall thrust of your program of studies, i.e., courses which support the focus and/or setting for which you are preparing. Typical options include courses in: Business, Computer Science, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Psychology, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Adult Education, Library and Information Science, Telecommunications, etc. Also check IU Online's Web page, which provides information about courses offered online by IU that you may be interested in taking as your outside electives. Depending on your interests, you may take your electives at another institution and those could be your transfer credits.
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Graduation Requirements
One month prior to graduation a student is required to submit for review his or her instructional project and a portfolio. These are reviewed by a faculty committee with the student approximately two weeks before graduation. The purposes of the graduation examination are to provide a capstoning experience for the student and to provide quality career counseling.
Instructional Project Certificate
An instructional project must be developed. If this is not done in a course for credit (e.g., R547, R641, R625, R586), then it must be submitted to the to the IST Department for review and approval. The project must address a real world instructional problem and contain evidence of the student's successful application of at least three of the five components of the instructional systems development (ISD) process: analysis, design, production, evaluation, and implementation/management. Each student will choose a project mentor from among the IST faculty. One other Indiana University faculty member (in or outside of the IST Department) may serve as a co-mentor. The mentor(s) will lead the student through the process. The instructional project may or may not be included as part of the portfolio, explained below. This project can be done prior to the student's final semester if desired.
Portfolio Certificate
A portfolio must be developed and submitted for examination to the IST Department for review and approval. The portfolio will present two sets of information in an organized fashion.
The first will be a set of products developed by the student. Included in the portfolio may but not necessarily be the product developed in the Instructional Project. Additional products developed by the student in other research or development courses, via practicums and internships, in conjunction with a graduate assistantship, etc. may also be included in the portfolio.
The second set of information will consist of the following four items: (1) a completed program of studies form, (2) a statement of the student's career goals, (3) a professional resume, and (4) a listing of professional references.
Portfolios are evaluated only once in the fall and once in the spring semester. For more information check portfolio site.
NOTE: We recommend that you submit your completed Program of Studies to the IST office one semester before graduation. The Masters Program of Studies form is available in electronic format. Please print out the form, fill it out, and scan it. Then send the form to the IST Department via email. You must then apply for graduation with the Graduate Studies Office. For more graduation application procedure and deadline information, please visit Grad Studies. Then wait for at least three months to get the hard copy of the diploma.
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Appendix: Prerequisite Computer Competencies
Operating systems basics:
Launch or run an application, create a folder/directory, name a folder/directory/file, move a folder/directory/file from one location to another, rename a folder/directory/file, copy a folder/directory/file from one device to another, delete a folder/directory/file, initialize a disk, open a file, save a file, find a file, print a file.
Word processing basics:
Create running header and footer with pagination, apply a font to text, change size of font, center text, make text bold, italicize text, underline text, indent paragraphs, change line spacing, doubly indent paragraphs, set right and left margins, set tab stops, force a page break, insert and position a graphic into the document as a figure and label it in other words make a document such as the one you are reading.
Graphics basics:
Create and position an unfilled rectangle with a black border; create and position a rounded box, filled with light shading; create lines of different thickness; create ovals and circles both filled and unfilled with black borders; create and position text of different fonts, sizes, boldness, transparency and italics; create polygons filled with shading such as solid arrowheads; be able to place graphics "objects" such that they are layered on top of each other to give the desired appearance; select an area, copy it, and move the copy to a new location; erase or otherwise modify a graphic object.
Theoretical understanding:
Persons should understand how computers all work the same way. In other words, they have a theoretical understanding of computers at a level that helps them solve day-to-day problems. They should understand the basic classifications for functional components for computer systems: Peripherals: input devices for humans, output devices for humans, secondary storage, communications devices; Internal components: RAM, ROM, CPU; information flows between and among these components; know basic functions of the operating system; know how computers execute programs (compiled vs. interpreted); be able to solve many day-to-day problems when things don't work like they're supposed to; realize when a problem cannot be personally solved and an expert should be consulted.
E-Mail:
Use one of the standard electronic mail systems at IU, such as Pine, Eudora, Unix mail, etc. Be able to read new messages, reply to messages, forward messages, create and send to a distribution list, create folders and file messages in those folders.
File Transfer:
Upload and download ASCII text files and binary files from an FTP server.
Information Retrieval:
Find information on various information resources, including: World-Wide Web, IU Libraries (IUCAT, ERIC, etc.)
Scanning:
Use a flatbed scanner to scan line art, grayscale and color graphics or pictures. Be able to resize such images, and do minor corrections to improve the appearance (e.g., brightness, contrast, blurriness, sharpness). Be able to convert such files to different color coding schemes (1-bit, 4-bit color, 8-bit grayscale, indexed 256 color (8-bit), etc.) to minimize file size while retaining picture quality. Be able to save the image in a format suitable for the application into which the image will be subsequently imported (e.g., for WordPerfect, Photoshop, Word, World-Wide Web).
World-Wide Web Spinning:
Create a home page, which includes text, graphics and links to other documents in the World-Wide Web. Requires knowledge of HTML (hypertext markup language), graphics creation and conversion to .gif or .jpg format, file transfer with FTP, and some Unix.
Hardware and Software Requirements
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