Another extremely important result is that from an important economic point-of-view, the use of this project has reduced costs by an average of forty percent; coupled with cost savings ranging from 20% to 77% (Twigg, 2004, para. 4). The issue of increasing learning ability and accessibility through the use of technology is nothing new. However, what Twigg suggests in this article is that until the implementation of this project there had not been an optimal relationship between instructional design and technology.

One of the central ideas that illustrate the above point is the change in students from being passive note-takers to a more dynamic instructional model that stresses self-exploration and problem solving. This approach also involved more comprehensive and ongoing feedback, as well as continual assessment of work via technological aids. According to Twigg the project also places emphasis on more online tutorials. While these aspects are not revolutionary in themselves, the author makes the important point that, "What has changed dramatically is our capacity to incorporate good pedagogical practice into courses with very large numbers of students -- a task that would have been impossible without technology" (Twigg, 2004, para. 5).

The central issues of this article and Twigg's enthusiasm for the redesign project are further elucidated on in an enlightening interview with Twigg conducted by William H. Graves (2006). In this interview the difference between the use of technology in this project and previous methodologies becomes clear. As Twiggs states;

Some people confuse course redesign using technology with putting courses online. That is not what it is about. It is about using technology, where technology makes sense, to reorganize instruction to better achieve goals for student learning in a more cost-effective manner. (Graves and Twigg, 2006)

Twiggs goes on to point out that central to this project is to show educational institutions how to improve and leverage technology investments and "…to show measurable increases in learning at a reduced cost to the institution" (Graves and Twigg, 2006).

As Twigg points out this has to a large extent already taken place and finance has been forthcoming to extend the redesign project. Since the inception of the original redesign project the new Roadmap to Redesign project has been implemented, which is intended to … streamline the course redesign methodology that was developed in & #8230;and, in turn, expose more institutions to the principles of course redesign. This effort includes another 20 plus institutions that are redesigning common courses in precalculus, statistics, psychology, and Spanish. (Graves and Twigg, 2006)
In essence this means that more and more educational institutions are adopting the modes and methods that were developed in the initial project. This seems to augur well for the future. In the final analysis, a more appropriate and streamlined use of technology in instructional design is becoming a growing necessity in a contemporary world where technology is better understood and accepted by students and where costs and quality of learning in a continual fight for balance. Projects such as The Program in Course Redesign as discussed in this article are therefore an essential part of the future trajectory for educational and learning improvement.

References

Instructional design. Retrieved from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/

Graves, W., and C. Twigg. ( 2006) The future of course redesign and the national center for academic transformation: An interview with Carol A. Twigg. Retrieved from http://innovateonline.info/pdf/vol2_issue3/The_Future_of_Course_Redesign_and_the_National_Center_for_Academic_Transformation-_An_Interview_with_Carol_A._Twigg.pdf

Program in Course Redesign (PCR). Retrieved from http://www.thencat.org/PCR.htm

Twigg C. (2004) A Promising Path for Education: Technology. Retrieved from http://www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=321