Depending on the domain field and the leaders of an instructional design project, any number of “design principles” may guide a project. Design principles are the main concepts and values underlying a curricular build. These concepts are rarely explicitly spelled out, possibly because the subject matter experts assume these concepts as a matter-of-course. These are not defined in the documentation supporting projects like grant documents or official course descriptions. And yet, these principles are important for a successful e-learning project because contravening these will cause all sorts of havoc and not be conducive to constructive learning in the field. Sometimes, it takes running up against these principles to realize that they even exist.

Years ago, when I was teaching overseas, I would give talks to several hundred students at a time. I was asked to teach a writing course to several hundred students, and the administrators suggested that I respond to a few “sample” essays and use those to teach the others in terms of a response. This involved the idea of a “generic.” That would be near-unthinkable as a solution stateside because of the idea of original and unique work from each student.

Understanding these principles is easier in fields that an instructional designer already has some background in. The larger cultural environment also informs the principles of a field, so having that background also his helpful.

Some Places to Begin

Some key understandings may be gained from reviewing the professional ethics and standards of a field. A professional in a particular field is expected to be honest; not to harm to others; treat others with dignity; protect privy information; work in a collegial manner; give credit where it’s due, and so on. There are expectations for how legitimate research may be done. There are ideas about how student “apprentices” should be trained.

Other design principles point to foundational understandings required in a particular field. These paradigmatic aspects address issues of where the truths come from, how they were arrived at, and how new knowledge is vetted and integrated (or rejected). These deal with the idea of processes at arriving at new learning. Should there be solid mathematical proofs to support an assertion? Quantitative measures that show significant results? Compelling cases full of evocative details? Sufficient datasets to uphold a particular interpretation?

Reading the literature of a field surfaces some of these inherent values. These are the works lauded by practitioners in the field and the main “gatekeepers” to that domain field. While this requires inferences and analyses, these are not a bad place to start.

Surfacing the Questions

Of course, there are more direct ways of figuring out the design principles. During the early steps to a curricular build, it may help to outright ask the subject matter experts (SMEs) about the design principles. Some may be substantive, and others may be idiosyncratic. For example, some design principles may be personal preferences in terms of depictions or design colors.

Another helpful strategy is to listen on a number of levels while engaging with the SMEs and other members of the design team. A recent interaction with a university attorney showed me how careful they must be with language, and how they vet every aspect of language—from word choices to punctuation. An interaction with an administrator showed me the level of care required for human-based research, even surveys. A project involving “citizen science” came into clearer focus for me when the scientists around the table brainstormed ways that they could use citizen support for information collection, sample collection, peer education, and other methods. It’s no big revelation that people reveal a lot about their fields and themselves with their actions; it’s also informative to hear the professions of principles underlying those actions.