Instructional design theory and practice has evolved over the past 30 years from an initial narrow focus on programmed instruction to a multidimensional field of study integrating psychology, technology, evaluation, measurement, and management. The growth of instructional design (ID) has occurred because of direct needs, problems, and goals from society. Its application in planning instruction first developed in the United States with the Department of Defense during World War II with the purpose of meeting immediate concerns for effective training of larger numbers of military personnel. From the beginning, ID has rapidly expanded into applications in industrial and executive training, vocational training, classroom learning, and professional education. Although ID has its roots in the U.S., applications and theoretical growth is an international activity. However, literature at the international level is still limited to either individual author contributions or collections primarily represented by single countries. As a result, there is no standard reference source that contains the rich variety of theories and applications to form the international foundation for the field.

The goal of this two-volume set is to establish international foundations for ID theory, research, and practice within the framework of the two following objectives:
* to identify and define the theoretical, research, and model foundations for ID, and
* to bridge the gap between ID foundations and application.

Volume I includes chapters on philosophical and theoretical issues on learning theory and ID models. Volume II provides an overview of the state of the art of solving ID problems. The contributors offer contrasting points of view which provide a rare opportunity to see the diversity and complexity in the field. The editorial committee has selected a wide range of internationally known authors to make presentations in the topic areas of the field.