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1940s

Overview

The 1940s marks the beginning of Information Science. Because of World War II there was an immediate need for the training of thousands of military personnel. To address this need the government created and distributed training films and other instructional tools.

Highlights

• World War II led to increase of funding for education research and development
• (1942) Smith and Tyler provide evaluation manual which dominates educational evaluation for next quarter century
  
• (1946)Edgar Dale's developed the Cone of Experience
• (1949) Ralph Tyler publishes Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction
• emergence of the role of instructional technologist and instructional design team

World War II

• military personnel had to be quickly trained on thousands of tasks critical for survival
• mediated Instruction
  • training films, still photos, audio recordings, transparencies, slides, instructional simulations
  • Division of Visuals Aids for War Training within the U.S. Office of Education
    produced:
    • 457 sound motion pictures
    • 432 silent filmstrips
      
    • 457 instructors' manuals
• predisposing the military toward innovative instructional systems concepts

Edgar Dale (1946)

• developed the Cone of Experience. The purpose of
  the cone was to provide a visual example of various teaching
  levels and materials