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This page highlights the contributions that Dr. Richard E. West has made to the field of Instructional Design & Technology. Theories may be descriptive or prescriptive in nature. Simultaneously, design theories are also goal-oriented and normative. The evidence-based recommendations made by Dr. West through his research reflect that of prescriptive theory. Furthermore, his life work and aims to develop Communities of Innovation are also indicative of him as a theorist.

Biography
Dr. Richard E. West (dubbed ‘‘Rick West’’) is a contributor to the field of Instructional Design & Technology (IDT). Therefore, his work should not go unnoticed. R. West (personal communication, October 2 2019), recalls much of his background:

Product of the 20th century, Dr. West was born and raised in Blackfoot Idaho and is the first of six offspring. Accordingly, his family remained close knit. Even too, he was a passionate reader with tastes in a wide variety of genres. Growing up, he maintained an interest in sporting activities, particularly basketball. It was his sporting interest that fueled a spark for sports journalism-this marked an important step towards his writing career-and other roles that he currently plays (R. West, personal communication, October 2 2019).

Like many, Dr. West was not always certain about the career direction in which he was headed. Over time, his interests expanded from a mere fascination with technology use to communication design (R. West, personal communication, October 2 2019). However, with cues made available from a colleague he met along his path, he has selected the path for which he is known. These events resulted in completion of graduate and doctoral studies.

Professionally, he is established as a professor, author, instructional researcher and evaluator. Yet he has not overtly asserted any particular theory, he may be considered a theorist as his evidenced-based guidelines on strengthening online communities and developing ‘Communities of Innovation’ are prescriptive in nature. Moreover, much of his life work and ideologies on improving teaching and learning are aligned with that of a theorist. To date, Dr. West provides tertiary level instruction at Brigham Young University in Idaho. His award winning text book, ‘‘Foundations of Learning & Instructional Design & Technology’’, is a collection of theoretical frameworks and syntheses for guiding individuals being integrated into the field. To those who know him personally, Dr. West plays varied roles in their lives. Of these, he regards being a husband to his wife, and a father to his 5 children, as most vital (R. West, personal communication, October 2 2019).

Education & Academic Career
Dr. West’s tertiary educational journey commenced at Utah State University in 2002 where he pursued baccalaureate studies in English and Technical Writing. In 2005, he attained a Master of Science degree in Instructional Psychology & Technology at Brigham Young University. During this time here, he also functioned as an assistant professor. Thereafter, in 2009, he completed his doctoral studies in Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia .He has receive numerous accolades for his work. Said awards are inclusive, but not limited to the following:


 * Nancy Mariott Outstanding Scholar Award, 2012
 * Young Scholar Award, 2008
 * Young Researcher Award, 2006

Highlights of Research
Noteworthy works of Dr. West are delineated below. Much of his research has roots in social learning theory, but other theories come influence the same. As the scope of his efforts are numerous and vary, only two of his peer reviewed articles have been highlighted to illustrate his impact on implementing collaborative schemes for improving online learning. In the work ‘‘Improving problem-based learning in creative communities through effective group evaluation’’ examined, Dr. West joined other researchers, in a case study, to devise key measures for improving gaps in a problem-based learning self-evaluation. Among recommendations, was advice for creating an authentic setting while developing a culture of high standards and collaboration. He also recognized the role that human-to-human interactions play in improving learning outcomes. Accordingly, Dr. West created guidelines for interacting, network building and improving learning in distance contexts. He emphasized the importance of strengthening the online community to meet the above mentioned goals through rules governing 4 broad fundamental interactions: learner-learner, learner-content, learner-teacher; and, learner-tool. Though not yet available for citation purposes, Dr. West's framework for developing Communities of Innovation is a commendable work in progress.

Other Work
The Open Badges system is another proposition and intervention by Dr. West and his colleagues. This involves issuing meaningful ‘‘badges’’ or merits to instructors for what they have achieved. For instance, badges may represent competencies of the instructors. Thus their reformed system of badges may have both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational qualities.

List of Publications
Dr. West's professional portfolio encompasses an extensive list of work for which he has either completed individually, or collaboratively. The list that ensues is abbreviated. For a full outline of his work, please view the link.


 * Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design and Technology, 2018
 * I don't think that word means what you think it means: A proposed framework for defining learning communities, 2017
 * Giving credit where credit is due: Designing open badges for a technology integration course, 2016
 * Improving problem-based learning in creative communities through effective group evaluation, 2013
 * A student’s guide to strengthening an online learning community, 2010