Identifying Support Structures Associated with Informal Formative Evaluation in Instructional Design

Instructional designers perform informal formative evaluation in design practice. An evaluation may be used to locate errors in alignment of instructional objectives or to increase the quality or effectiveness of a design. An instructional design review is similar to peer reviews in higher education which are often structured, and tools are provided to contribute to the review. A study was performed to identify the support structures and tools that contribute to building a community of feedback within the practice of instructional design reviews. Six instructional designers and design managers were interviewed to gather the processes they use in design reviews and to understand their perceptions of the practice. There was an alignment between manager support and an environment that promotes a supportive review. The designers described a “culture of feedback” when there was structure and there were supports provided for reviews.