December 10, 2004. Design Research has grown in importance since it was first conceptualized in the early '90s, but it has not yet been adopted for research in instructional technology in higher education to any great extent. Many researchers continue to conduct studies that principally seek to determine the effectiveness of the delivery medium, rather than the instructional strategies and tasks.

At the University Seminar for New Media Teaching and Learning on Thursday, December 9, Dr. Tom Reeves of the University of Georgia explored the various incentives for conducting research on the impact of computing and other technologies in higher education, examined the social relevance of that research, and recommended design research as a particularly appropriate approach to socially responsible inquiry. He described the characteristics of design research, together with an argument for the more widespread adoption of this approach to enhance the quality and usefulness of research in computers and other technologies in education.

University Seminar: Design Research Interventions