Week 9. Design for Education

According to G. Cox (2005) design links creativity and innovations. As educators, we always try to improve the quality of the materials we use while creating delivering instruction. It is important for educators to stay creative and use technology and innovations efficiently. However, having those two ingredients does not guarantee designing a good product for the learner. Learning more about the principles of design is especially important for those instructors who create their own digital content for their classes or interactive modules.

Robin Williams introduced 4 design principles known as CRAP: contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity.

Contrast is often considered to be the leading design principle that should be applied for any type of web content. It has a great effect on the dynamism on the screen. Designers should choose colors, shapes, forms, fonts, lines carefully in order to make the objects be different from each other and make the content more accessible.

Repetition helps designers to create cohesive and coherent content. It is possible to use similar textures, backgrounds, fonts, pictures, symbols, etc. for every module. This way of organization contributes a lot to the consistency of a module and every unit in it.

Alignment is the principle that the designer should also think about while creating their products. If the objects on the screen are visually connected with each other, it makes it easier to acquire the information presented in it.

Proximity is the principle that should be utilized for grouping objects on the screen. It also improves the organization and coherence of the content.

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I keep working on my gratitude entries for the course in Instructional Design. This week I am grateful for being able to set myself free and "get rid" of the white rabbit that I had been chasing for years. Leaving certain things that hold you back means a lot for setting yourself free and preparing for a new life and an exciting future. I am also grateful for finding time to watch a few documentaries that I thought I had to watch but kept choosing something less informative over them. I am also grateful for having a few nice conversations with my friends and family who are far from me.