Instructional Systems

According to Banathy (1968) the term system can be defined as "deliberately designed synthetic organisms, comprised of interrelated and interacting components which are employed to function in an integrated fashion to attain a predetermined purpose" (p. 2-3). An instructional system can be defined as "deliberately designed instructional materials that are intended to function interrelatedly to achieve predetermined learning outcomes" (Harris and Harrison, 1988, p.6). Instructional systems or design is the systematic planning of instruction including needs assessment, and evaluation of materials and practices. Robert Glasser describes an instructional system in 1962 (p.1-30) that is comprised of five components:

• Instructional Goals (system objectives)
• Entering Behavior (system input)
• Instructional Procedures (system operator)
• Performance Assessments (output monitor)
• Research and Development (analysis and evaluation)