Formal education of curriculum and instructional designers

In practice, few researchers and designers have strong conceptual understanding of the marriage between the design discipline and scientific research traditions. Rather, most have strong exposure to either research methodologies or instructional design methods, theories and/or practices. Within the faculty of Behavioral Sciences, the University of Twente offers an education program in which design and research traditions are intertwined. This program has been shaped by four main concepts: initiation in professional roles; focus on instrumental and alternate design approaches; introduction to generic and domain-specific practices; and explicitly linking educational design and research. This paper examines the ways in which research and design are brought together in Twente’s educational program, and offers critical reflections on how it might be better aligned with recent developments which place high value on design research and especially the societal relevance of (in this case, educational) research.