Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT)
AECT Division of Design and Development
Wayne State University
Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT)
Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Professor of Instructional Technology, Wayne State University
Rita C. Richey is Professor Emeritus of Instructional Technology at Wayne State University’s College of Education. She joined the Wayne State faculty in 1971, coordinated the Instructional Technology program for over two decades, and retired in 2008. Richey is widely known for advancing design and development research in instructional design, co‑authoring the field‑defining AECT volume Instructional Technology: The Definition and Domains of the Field (with Barbara B. Seels), the methods text Design and Development Research (with James D. Klein), and the synthesis The Instructional Design Knowledge Base (with Klein and Monica W. Tracey). Earlier, she authored Designing Instruction for the Adult Learner and The Theoretical and Conceptual Bases of Instructional Design, and later edited the Encyclopedia of Terminology for Educational Communications and Technology. She was elected to Wayne State’s Academy of Scholars and received multiple AECT honors, including the Distinguished Service Award and several James W. Brown Publication Awards. She was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology at Wayne State (1971).
Field‑defining framework that articulates instructional technology as the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning, and maps relationships among these domains for research and professional practice.
Educational Technology Research and Development • Journal
Reports a Type 2 developmental research study to construct and internally validate an instructional design model that systematically incorporates Multiple Intelligences theory. Through literature synthesis, model drafting, and a three‑round Delphi review with ID experts, the study yields a revised, validated MI design model and a framework for internal validation of ID models.
Journal of Computing in Higher Education • Journal
Positions developmental research as a pragmatic approach for generating usable knowledge from instructional design and development work. Distinguishes two categories of developmental research (context‑specific and more generalizable), and details procedures for problem definition, adapting literature reviews, research design, participant/setting selection, data collection/analysis, and reporting, with examples that align research rigor to practical design goals.
Educational Technology Research and Development • Journal
Argues that context is a pervasive, powerful influence on learning and transfer, yet most ID models under‑specify how to analyze and accommodate contextual factors. Defines types and levels of context, identifies key contextual variables, proposes methods for conducting contextual analysis, and outlines implications for making design models both systematic and systemic.
Performance Improvement Quarterly • Journal
Synthesizes theoretical developments shaping future instructional‑design models, including shifts in linearity, enhanced roles for analysis and evaluation, greater learner control, and attention to transfer. Discusses the influence of general systems theory, cognitive learning, constructivism, chaos theory, situated cognition, new technologies, designer decision‑making research, and performance/quality movements on model evolution.
Springer • Book
A reference work compiling approximately 180 concise, literature‑supported definitions and discussions of key terms across educational communications and technology. Entries, authored by over 50 scholars, address salient attributes, alternative interpretations, and future trends across six content categories (foundations, instructional design, technology and media, analysis and evaluation, management and organizational improvement, and research and theory).
Routledge • Book
A synthesis of foundational and contemporary theories that underpin instructional design and technology. The book surveys general systems, communication, learning, media, conditions‑based, constructivist design, and performance‑improvement theories, illustrating how theory informs practice through concise summaries, examples, research issues, and a taxonomy of the field’s knowledge base. Designed as a core resource for graduate preparation and scholarly practice.
Routledge (Lawrence Erlbaum) • Book
A methods text devoted to design and development (D&D) research in instructional design and technology. The book explains two major D&D research categories—product/tool research and model research—covering problem identification, methodological options, participant and setting selection, data collection instruments (including technology‑based approaches), analysis, and interpretation. It provides step‑by‑step checklists, sample tools, and guidance on addressing common design/research challenges to generate usable knowledge that bridges research and practice.
Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology (2nd ed., Lawrence Erlbaum) • Chapter
Clarifies the nature, history, types, and methodologies of developmental research in instructional technology. Differentiates context‑specific (Type 1) and generalized (Type 2) studies; reviews representative projects; analyzes common methods (e.g., case studies, mixed methods, validation studies); and discusses issues, findings, and future directions for research that explicitly studies design and development processes.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology, Syracuse University (editor) • Book
An edited volume surveying Robert M. Gagné’s contributions to learning and instructional theory. It reprints several seminal Gagné articles, includes analyses of his impact on instructional theory, design practice, military training, and technology, and closes with forward‑looking reflections on Gagné’s continuing influence on the field.
Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) • Book
This AECT volume provides a field‑defining statement of instructional technology, organizing its scope across design, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning. It clarifies terminology, depicts domain relationships, and offers a shared conceptual foundation for scholarship and professional practice.
Kogan Page • Book
Based on multi‑year research in corporate training contexts, this book proposes a systemic model for designing instruction for adult learners. It analyzes learner characteristics, workplace learning environments, delivery systems, and organizational factors, and translates these into practical design recommendations for effective employee training programs.