According to Instructional Design Central, instructional design is “the process by which learning products and experiences are designed, developed, and delivered. These learning products include online courses, instructional manuals, video tutorials, learning simulations, etc. The terms instructional design, instructional technology, learning experience (LX) design, curriculum design, and instructional systems design (ISD), are sometimes used interchangeably.”

Simply put, instructional design is creating learning or instructional experiences that facilitate the acquisition of new knowledge.

https://www.td.org/talent-development-glossary-terms/what-is-instructional-design

I think Instructional Design is like a mode of transportation (airplane, bicycle, car) that assists the passenger in traveling from destination to destination.  In this case, it is to assist the learner through a learning journey from lacking the appropriate tools (knowledge, skills, motivation, environment, and communication) to obtaining the correct tools (knowledge, skills, motivation, environment, and communication).

2. What do some "official" sources say about what instructional design is?

According to Arizona State University, "Instructional design is a systematic process used for developing learning experiences."(https://instruction.thecollege.asu.edu/instructionaldesign)  What I got out of it is that there are a set of questions in which an ID must ask in order to know how to proceed in providing a high quality learning experience for the learner to utilize.

3. What do instructional designers DO?

According to the posting for an Instructional Designer at UPenn, the ID "will support the translation of the subject expertise of faculty to educational technology platforms for effective educational outcomes." (https://careers.insidehighered.com/job/1708872/instructional-designer/) What I got out of it is that the ID will use their knowledge of technology in collaboration with faculty and their subject knowledge, to combine for a high quality learning experience for their students to utilize.

4. Summary and Reflection!

Prior to beginning this course, my understanding of ID is that the ID would take the material from the faculty member, then locate the appropriate tech tool, and Vwala! Job Well Done!  Obviously, what I thought ID was is now what I call an incomplete summary of ID, because in this first week alone I can see that much more goes into ID, therefore now I understand the "Finished, not perfect" quote.  My reflection is that I am glad that my initial view of ID was incorrect, because now I see there is much more to ID.  This motivates me to challenge myself as an academic, designer, researcher, team oriented, etc.