Constructivist Instructional Design Models Applied to the Design and Development of Digital Mathematics Game Modules

Faculty and Doctoral Students in a Learning Design & Technology program have been researching and studying instructional design models over the last year in light of current changes in learning and design theory. This work is part of a yearlong project related to the following two questions: 1) What are instructional design (ID) models that emphasize constructivism, and 2) How can these ID models be applied to the design of digital learning resources, in this case their application to digital math game modules to facilitate constructivist learning? This article is focused specifically on the application of several emerging design models to the development of digital mathematics game modules for two NSF-sponsored Discovery K-12 projects (#0918794, #1503507). The games (Math Snacks) and learning modules in this learning games project are based on researched conceptual gaps in elementary and middle school mathematics and the development of game-based and inquiry models for addressing these gaps.