# data[].attributes.body
Click here to go there

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
by Connie Malamed

People employed as instructional designers come from wildly varied educational backgrounds. I've met writers, teachers, media specialists, psychologists and programmers who somehow have ended up designing web-based and instructor-led courses.

Free eCourse on an Instructional Design Career

Let's start with this. If you're interested in learning more about a career in instructional design, you can sign up for my free eCourse at Breaking into Instructional Design. You'll get two lessons a week explaining what instructional designers do, whether you need a degree, the best places to network and find jobs, and instructional design books to read.

Do Instructional Designers Need a Degree?

There is an ongoing debate within the instructional design community as to whether a degree is needed to be most effective in this field. Sure, having a solid foundation in learning theory and cognitive science enables the designer to adapt learning strategies to varied audiences and content. On the other hand, there are degreed instructional designers who create poor learning products.

Perhaps what is most important is that the instructional designer is a self-didact. That the designer is motivated to read cognitive psychology, instructional design and eLearning textbooks, trade books, journals and blogs. That the person takes advantage of tutorials, podcasts and certification programs. That he or she can learn something in a completely different field and transfer this knowledge to instructional design. As professionals in a learning field, we should be able to get the knowledge needed to fill in our gaps as well as to grow and expand.

Top 10 List

So, what does it take to be an effective and innovative designer of online courses? Having been in the field for 20 years, I have managed, mentored, learned from, watched and analyzed the skills of many instructional designers. As a result, I have distilled the qualities, knowledge and skills I think the ideal instructional designer should possess or develop into a Top 10 List. This list focuses on instructional design for eLearning.

The successful instructional designer should:

1. Conceptually and intuitively understand how people learn.

2. Know how to connect with an audience on an emotional level.

3. Be capable of imagining oneself as the learner/audience member.

4. Be obsessed with learning everything.

5. Brainstorm creative treatments and innovative instructional strategies.

6. Visualize instructional graphics, the user interface, interactions and the finished product.

7. Write effective copy, instructional text, audio scripts and video scripts.

8. Meld minds with Subject Matter Experts and team members.

9. Know the capabilities of eLearning development tools and software.

10. Understand related fields-usability and experience design, information design, communications and new technologies.

What qualities would you add to this list? Comment below.
Related Articles:
35 More Qualities Of The Instructional Designer (An updated and crowd-sourced list)
Is This Instructional Design?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Qualities of the Ideal Instructional Designer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by Connie Malamed People employed as instructional designers come from wildly varied educational backgrounds. I've met writers, teachers, media specialists, psychologists and programmers who somehow have ended up designing web-based and instructor-led courses. Let's start with this. If you're interested in learning more about a career in instructional design, you can sign up for my free eCourse at Breaking into Instructional Design.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Welcome to ibstpi - international board of standards for training, performance and instruction

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
international board of standards for training, performance and instruction

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Association for Educational Communication & Technology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Click here for more information or download thesubmission form.

# data[].attributes.body
The leaders of 21st century produce change and movement within institutions of higher education. Leadership within higher education requires a vision and an ability to communicate goals and align people with specific tasks (Northouse, 2010). Instructional designers are able to envision the future of education and provide direction for others when working towards a common goal.

The future of higher education lies in delivering robust and interactive online instruction. The realization of a successful online program will depend heavily on the vision of leadership within the institution (Wang & Berger, 2010). Instructional designers are visionaries that are able to organize and construct a strategic plan to move an institution into the future of online delivery. The instructional designer can facilitate goal attainment by providing the leadership and motivation that is necessary to orchestrate a large-scale program design.

An instructional designer will provide an organization with the leadership and the necessary skill-set to orchestrate the development of high quality online programs. Learning instructional design on the job often does not provide the necessary skills for faculty to become proficient in instructional design (Koh & Branch, 2006). The instructional design leader that provides an institution with expertise in the development of online programs is formally trained in instructional design for online learning (Wagner, 2011). Instructional design is a unique niche that allows for leadership in higher education.

It has been common practice for course design within higher education to be constructed individually by faculty or subject matter experts (Chao, Saj & Hamilton, 2010). However, in recent years, there has been a rise in instructional design participation in course development (Chao, Saj & Hamilton, 2010). The presence of the instructional designer is essential in the development of high quality course design, as instructional designers possess the necessary theoretical background in learning theory and instructional strategy.

Visit this site to read more. (http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall153/shaw153.html)

# data[].attributes.body
Full text.

# data[].attributes.body
Seels and Richey (1994) describe management as one of five domains of the instructional technology field. Galbraith, et al. (1990) add that, "The successful application of technology in education depends not so much on the technology, but how it is managed" A recent study by Johnson (2001) that looked at issues in academic technology leadership in higher education found few ET professional in top leadership positions. Bates (2000), who visited several colleges and universities during a study, states this case precisely and succinctly, "In all the organizations that I visited where technology was being used successfully for teaching, strong leadership was a critical factor. Without leadership and a strong sense of support for change in an organization, the barriers of inertia will be too great". Effective management of the instructional development process and technologies used in instruction, and the preparation of faculty, will likely result in the efficient use of the technologies, and in the improvement of both teaching and student learning processes. Management implies leadership and by virtue of their placement in leadership positions, ET practitioners are advantageously positioned as change agents, especially as it relates to the use of technology in instruction. As a result of their preparations and understanding of educational systems change, instructional systems approach, and knowledge of learning technologies, educational technologists can exert considerable influence through technology in reshaping educational settings.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Instructional Design and the Instructional Designer's profile are integral and indispensable to the burgeoning eLearning space. Before we take a closer look at the layered and ever evolving role of the Instructional Designer, here's a brief historical perspective about the origins of Instructional Design:

During the mid-1940s, training programs were developed during World War II: The US Air Force produced hundreds of training films and filmstrips marking the initiation of technology for educational and training purposes.

Over the course of the 1950s and 60s, methodologies for instructional learning material continually evolved and the " Instruction Design Model" was conceived in 1965 by Robert Gagné; the model, also known as "Nine Events of Instruction", continues to be relied on as guidance to create a broad framework for eLearning.

"Creativity in the workplace starts with creativity in education." - Adobe

What Do We Really Understand By "Instructional Design"?

Connie Malamed explains that the fundamental purpose of Instructional Design is to "identify the skills, knowledge and the attitude gaps of a targeted audience and to create, select and suggest learning experiences that close this gap". Complementing the scope and purpose of this definition, Christopher Pappas further elaborates that

"Instructional Design aims to compress the learning process and fill the gaps in our knowledge in the most effective way."

The Instructional Design competencies have been identified by the IBSPI (International Board of Standards for Training, Performance, and Instruction) and although this isn't an exhaustive list, key skills can be broadly categorized under Professional foundations, Planning & Analysis, Design & Development, and Implementation & Management.

In context of this background, let's take a look at some of the key responsibilities an Instructional Designer undertakes while working on eLearning projects:

1. Planning And Analysis.

Building blocks of designing instruction for an eLearning course entails a thorough "needs assessment" of the targeted demographic: Learners' goals, concrete understanding of their expectations from the course, likely study environment, ease or comfort level with a variety of technologies, etc. Based on the relevant data collated, an Instructional Designer would then "design a curriculum", identify which methodologies would be used to deliver curated content, and zero-in on existing and emerging technology that will form part of the final course.

2. Design And Structure.

Primarily, the success to an effective and appealing eLearning course boils down to the fluidity and structure of the content -despite availability of top-notch content and seamless technology- to ensure that learners remain engaged and courses see a minimal attrition rate. The Instructional Designer's prime focus would be on how content is required to be organized: Flow of information is sequential and smooth without losing context, moving from complex, simple, or elaborate concepts in an uncluttered manner that caters effectively to a wide variety of learners, an essential hallmark of eLearning courses.

3. Collaboratation With Subject Matter Experts.

Christy Tucker explains that an Instructional designer, in close collaboration with the respective Subject Matter Expert (SME), will be responsible for not just curating the most relevant content to include in the course, but will be required to devise modes of assessment and interactions (tests, quizzes etc.) to ensure optimum efficacy of the eLearning course.

4. Multimedia Tools.

Within just one segment of an eLearning course, a user can find themselves going through a gamut of tools: Infographics, mini-videos, graphs, links to sources, PDF extracts etc. It would be awfully easy for it to become overwhelming for a first time learner who is required to consume this wide range of data. And here's where an Instructional Designer comes in the picture: In collaboration with the tech-team, design team and the Subject Matter Expert, the Instructional Designer would brainstorm in context of aesthetics (size, font, design, and experience), placement, frequency of use of tools, content format, and more, to ensure learners are not overwhelmed by the experience.

5. Implementation And Management.

The Instructional Designer, in addition to all the above, is also required to maintain relationships with a wide range of interested parties on the team (faculty, Subject Matter Experts, students, tech teams) with the least amount of friction as possible. This would require enormous amounts of communication of all kinds (writing, speaking, listening, presenting) as this job essentially personifies "collaboration" in order to keep teams running as well-oiled machines, implementing decisions after thorough discussions, and managing people with enmeshed roles; a visual review tool like zipBoard could seamlessly complement this process of collaboration ensuring these goals are met with relative ease.

What Kind Of Evolution Could The Role Of The Instructional Designer Role Undergo In The Future?

Justin Ferriman believes that an Instructional Designer in contemporary times would need to wear multiple hats and juggle roles far more frequently than in the past. Times have changed when proficiency in a couple of core skills sufficed; Instructional Designers must develop skills that allow them to don the roles of a facilitator, researcher, and innovator amongst others.

In recent years, there has been explosion in the number of people accessing alternative forms of learning: Wide disparity in age groups, work experience levels, learners at different career stages has been constantly fluctuating.

"We have to personalize education, not standardize it." ― Sir Ken Robinson

As the learner/user profile begins to evolve, the role of the Instructional Designer is bound to evolve at a rapid pace as well. Connie Malamed is of the view that in the future, Instructional Designers, in addition to creating courses for a specific user profile, would also begin to play a crucial role in enabling learning via online communities, social media technologies, curating content, and providing guidance to faculty and teaching experts on how to generate more relevant content.

According to Shauna Leblanc Vaughan, it will be key for Instructional Designers to acquire familiarity with user experience (UX) to holistically comprehend learners' interactions and responses to content when transmitted over a range of devices.

Other experts in the field like Sahana Chattopadhyay are of the view that there is a massive transformation due in the field of Learning and Development over the next few years impacting learners, instructors, and every other professional that plays a role in curating, creating, and designing learning content. Wearable technologies, open resources like MOOC, the rise of self-learners with a consumerist mindset, morphing of the traditional mode of learning with eLearning will blur the demarcations between the two and professionals like Instructional Designers would have to take on the mantle to design and create experiences that are seamless across different ecosystems.

Given the pace of change in this continually evolving field, Instructional Designers that can keep up with the change and transformation that's just over the horizon, have immense career growth to look forward to.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Is The Role Of The Instructional Designer? - eLearning Industry

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Instructional Design and the Instructional Designer's profile are integral and indispensable to the burgeoning eLearning space. Before we take a closer look at the layered and ever evolving role of the Instructional Designer, here's a brief historical perspective about the origins of Instructional Design: During the mid-1940s, training programs were developed during World War II: The US Air Force produced hundreds of training films and filmstrips marking the initiation of technology for educational and training purposes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We are having a debate on my campus about job titles and I'm losing.

My institution is in the process of strengthening our educational technology team. We are recruiting for someone to: " Provide leadership and support for the development of innovative and effective teaching and learning practices using information technology."

The title for this position is "Instructional Designer".

I've been arguing that "Learning Designer" is a better title, but I'd like your opinion.

The reason that I like "Learning" rather than "Instructional" is that "learning" feels like a more inclusive term. We strive to be a learning organization, and we understand that learning occurs for everyone involved in the teaching process and can happen during non-teaching times.

What do you think? What would you rather be called, and why?

What you call the profession, be it instructional designer or learning designer (or some other title), what is inarguable it that these are some of the most amazing gigs in higher ed. Working at the intersection of learning and technology is fascinating because both fields are changing so rapidly.

The demands on institutions to address issues of quality, cost and access are relentless.

Increasingly, the mechanism that school's look to improve productivity run through learning technology.

The growth of blended and online learning has greatly accelerated the demand for instructional / learning designers.

I don't know of any institution that is not looking at ways to improve the efficacy of traditional courses, particularly those larger introductory classes that have traditionally relied on lectures and high-stakes testing.

The transformation of the traditional large enrollment lecture class to a more blended, flexible, and personalized learning experience is one of the most under-appreciated and under-reported trends in higher ed.

And of course, if any school wishes to introduce fully online or low-residency courses or programs then instructional / learning designers are a key asset to have in place.

The growth of blended and online learning has meant that it has gotten more difficult to find qualified instructional / learning designers, professionals with strong academic backgrounds in pedagogy and learning theory.

The number of people with formal training in how people learn, and who can demonstrate both expertise in translating learning goals to digital platforms or physical classroom settings, is actually pretty small.

Add that demand into a desire to find folks with strong presentation, collaborative, and planning skills and you can see why the best instructional / learning designers are hot commodities.

Do you see the demand for instructional / learning designers growing on your campus?

Are the people who are moving into these roles folks with degrees in these disciplines?

Or do they more closely follow my path to the profession, coming from an academic discipline and then embracing learning theory with the passion of the converted?

And who is right in this debate we are having on campus?
Instructional Designer or Learning Designer (or something else entirely)?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"Instructional Designer" vs. "Learning Designer" | Inside Higher Ed

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We are having a debate on my campus about job titles and I'm losing. My institution is in the process of strengthening our educational technology team. We are recruiting for someone to: " Provide leadership and support for the development of innovative and effective teaching and learning practices using information technology."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Uploaded by Anna Sabramowicz on 2014-11-11.