Before we jump into the theme of our topic: how instructional design can be used as a tool for social change. For those of you who are not from South Africa, or those who may have heard of but are still unfamiliar with #FeesMustFall, here is a brief overview of what the hashtag represents and what it stands for. #FeesMustFall is a South African movement by the tertiary students for the tertiary students of South Africa. Student representatives from the various political parties in S.A. stand together in solidarity with the aims of alleviating the requirement for students to pay for tertiary education.
Their reasoning is due to the high unemployment rates (Le Cordeur ,2015). It is believed that because a majority of the population, who have matriculated but do not have access to tertiary education, due to a lack of funds are inhibited from being employed in blue to white-collar industries thus making it impossible to escape poverty. Those who are granted student loans, also form part of the youth that is impacted by the high costs of tertiary education because they are indebted upon graduation.
Due to the history of South Africa and with only 25 years as a democratic republic, this wicked problem technically has its roots in 1994, the movement however did only began to sprout and gained popularity in 2015. The students believe that they are justified in their demand for access to free tertiary education as declared: our parents were sold dreams, in 1994, we are just here for a refund (Kunene, 2017). She further back this statement, for us 1994 carries the weight of unfulfilled democratic promises (Kunene, 2017). A comment that referring to the electoral campaigns and policies by the then democratically elected party.
On that note let us drive deep into what exactly instructional design (ID) is, what the role of an instructional designer entails and how ID fits into a greater landscape, with the focus being placed on how in this instance ID can be a tool for socio-economic change. There is no one definition of Instruction design however, the term can be characterised as being holistic. All stakeholders involved simultaneously are considered as important, than the individual entity or sector on its own. In the approach of designing an instructional system, the end goal should serve as the starting point for the design resolution.
An instructional designer is a person who ideally should hone two important skill-sets: knowledge of learning design and be adverse in the use and navigation of technology. They are required to create effective learning courses and materials. Their responsibilities include the design of instructional management systems, evaluation of new eLearning materials, creation of educational podcasts, videos, and content, etc. They are also required to familiarise themselves with innovations.
A quick idea on how instructional design can be a tool in finding a solution to #FeesMustFall is if the tertiary institutions considered hosting a fraction of their courseware and content online. And the students to instead pay for access to computer and library facilities, and opt for self-studying as a means of learning. The courseware could also be offered in the student’s native language to ensure clear comprehension.
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