A Delphi study of best practices of online instructional design practices in Malaysia

The purpose of this Delphi research study was to create an organized representation of best practices to guide and support the instructional design of online learning in higher education in Malaysia. Delphi research methodology was used to enable the collection and analysis of data from a panel of experts through three rounds of Web-based surveys. This study engaged 12 academic experts who presently implement online learning in five institutions of higher education in Malaysia. There was general consensus reached among these experts regarding the theories, components, facets, and aspects used in the Malaysian higher education environment. This study also determined these experts consider a blended model of online learning more effective at this time in the Malaysian environment. There was no agreement as to when 100% online learning would be acceptable, but an imminent trend toward a creative and constructive environment opened possibilities for increased online learning. The utilization of multiple theories of learning in the instructional design process is important to meet the needs of the students and content, but the application of constructivism is recommended over all other theories. The study concluded that cultural diversity impacts the design of e-learning instruction. The rounds of research also revealed that the ADDIE instructional design model was deemed effective, but not necessarily the most effective in this environment. There was agreement on all topics covered in the study, and where a consensus was not reached, the disparity was due to nuances in the ranking of the findings.

Fulltext of the thesis is available at OUM Digital Library's Online Database.