Architecture – Like Engineering – Is Structured and Is Not Whatever 

I read from time to time the word architecture in the Instructional Space – that some call Learning and others (like me) might call Performance Support.

What’s in a name? Is a Rose, a Rose, a Rose?

But I digress. But only slightly.

Instruction Architecture in an Enterprise Learning Context – versus an Educational Learning Context or a Personal Learning Context – IMO – should be Concerned With…

• Performance Improvement by the existing metrics
• Authentic Performance Improvement Transfer
• Authentic Performance Improvement Mastery
• Authentic Performance Improvement Practice/Application
• Authentic Performance Improvement Outputs, Measures and Tasks
• Authentic Performance Improvement Task Enabling Awareness/ Knowledge/ Skills
• Content Architecture Paths, Events, Modularity Rules and Templates
• Enterprise Content Architecture Taxonomy/Framework
• Enterprise Content Architecture Taxonomy/Framework enabling tools for storing and authoring and updating

It Takes a Logic

My logic – really a sub-set of it that focuses on PACT – my ISD system…

My PACTLogic.

But Architecture – and Engineering – require something like this Logic above – otherwise you’ll have whatever, whenever and however.

Maybe that is OK….

But if not – you need to address that.

Nothing New

Much of this architectural approach to ISD/ Instruction – was first published back in 1984 – and written in 1983.

Here is a recent Blog Post about those two articles from 1984.

Links to the two articles

CAD – Training Mag – 1984 – 6 page PDF – the first publication about Curriculum Architecture Design via a Group Process – published in Training Magazine in September 1984. Original manuscript (30 pages) – How to Build a Training Structure That Won’t Keep Burning Down.

Models and Matrices- NSPI PIJ -1984 – 5 page PDF – the first publication of the performance and enabler analysis methods for ISD, from NSPI’s (ISPI’s) Performance & Instruction Journal, November 1984.

And then all of this – as evolved – was captured in my 1999 book … lean-ISD …

Quote from the late Geary Rummler in 1999…

Dr. Rummler also designed the cover and back cover for the book.

The book received a Instructional Communications award from ISPI in 2002.

Quote from Miki Lane in 1999.

Get a free 410 page PDF copy of lean-ISD – here – and/or the 410 page paperback version – here.

Bottom Line

Architecture and Path/ Event/ Instructional Activity design – is much more than naming topics and aligning them into some semblance of a Path.

Path is sometimes the wrong approach.

Sometimes a Path – and that guidance is needed.

Sometimes it needs to be more of a Menu – with little guidance.

As Always – It Depends

It depends on the Performance Context and the individual’s level of Performance Competence.

Just as Buzz often says…

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