The IST Design Research Group, led by Professor Elizabeth Boling, has been awarded the 2021 Outstanding International Research Collaboration Award by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Technology, Instruction, Cognition & Learning Special Interest Group (TICL SIG). The award was conferred during the AERA 2021 Annual Meeting.

The award recognizes the international research efforts, led by Boling, of the following Research Group Members: 

• Kei Tomita, IST Ph.D. alumna, Assistant Professor of Interactive Design at Kennesaw State University
• Husa Al-Angari, IST Ph.D. alumna, Assistant Professor of Instructional Design & Technology at Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Saudi Arabia
• Meina Zhu, IST Ph.D. alumna, Assistant Professor of Learning Design & Technology at Wayne State University
• Ahmed Lachheb, IST Ph.D. alumnus, Learning Experience Designer at the University of Michigan's Center for Academic Innovation
• Fatih Ergulec, IST Ph.D. candidate

The award was based on two major papers authored by the Design Research Group members, published in Performance Improvement Quarterly and TechTrends. In these two major papers, the team reported a groundbreaking and highly cited study and emphasized the human and subjective element in their research work that is not often noted in IST literature: the design process of a study. As Boling explained, the study was conducted to investigate an element of design knowledge that is important in guiding design but that is not usually fully conscious for the designer: core judgment or the beliefs a designer holds about what is important and how design should be carried out.

“As an international research team from various countries and several institutions, we have had the pleasure of working together over the past few years to not only contribute to the discipline of instructional design and technology, but also gain experience in the international research arena,” Lachheb said. “Members of this research team hail from China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the United States and have embraced the differences in our cultural backgrounds to shed light on research through different lenses.”

“Despite the differences in cultures and English language abilities, our research team always exhibited a climate of cooperation and respect,” Lachheb continued. “One exemplary example during the collaboration was the willingness of team members to assist one another when language barriers were presented, providing a safe, judgment-free research environment. Also, we cannot neglect to mention the role of our wonderful professor and research team leader, Professor Elizabeth Boling, the mentor of mentors, who always exhibited the utmost professionalism and care in helping us through the collaborative research process.”

Boling added, “It was a pleasure to lead this team, as it is my current team which is likewise made up of students from around the world. They are thoughtful, resourceful and above all, supportive of each other as fellow researchers.”