Read the【Case Reflection】in this section and think about the questions:

Instructional design has become a hot subject and is often chosen as a topic for reports and contests. However, Mr Y, who has been working as a teacher for 30 years, is an exception to this increased awareness. In his view, instructional design is just preparation for class and design of teaching plans. As we know, instructional design is a branch of teaching pedagogy.

In China, instructional design is a research field of educational technology which itself is a sub-branch of education.

In your opinion, what makes instructional design an academic field? What are the essential differences between instructional design, preparation for class and design of teaching plans?