Instructional Design and Career Choices
Instructional designers (ID's) have become an integral part to almost all businesses and institutions. The career path an individual chooses as part of instructional design can range from academia, government, and military. The United States Department of Labor estimates that job growth in instructional design is estimated to be 13% (Purdue Online, n.d.).
Instructional designers maintain a set of skills including learning design theory, application of technology into curriculum, design instructional management systems, and continue to research new innovations in education and learning design (Purdue Online, n.d.). These specific skills allow for a vast array of career choices. In this blog I will cover some of the more common areas of employment and what each entails from instructional designer.
Business and Industry
The business sector has seen a constant growth of instructional designers due to the increase in internal training. As of 2007, the training industry spending was estimated at $134 billion, up from $62 billion in 1999 (Tracey and Morrison, 2007). Instructional designers have broad categories within the corporate world, which will differ from the same role in academia. These include the sole designer, a team member or leader, and the consultant.
Each role will vary based on the size and needs of the business or corporation the ID is part of. The Sole Designer may be part of a smaller company where they represent the only member of an ID team (Tracey and Morrison, 2007). The Team Member or the Leader will usually be part of a larger organization with the funds to carry many team members. These team members may be local or remote with many meeting through remote software such as Zoom or TEAMS.
Finally, the consultant will be an outside resources a company hires to come in and develop the resources or lead a team that will work on the project. Economic trends have led many companies to reduce the in house trainings and utilize outside experts to build out training needs (Tracey and Morrison, 2007).
Military
The military represents a branch of the government responsible for the protection of it citizens. Those who volunteer and enlist in the military must be trained properly. The ramifications of poor training can result in severe consequences (Jeffrey and Jeffrey, 2007). The ID who chooses to work within the military environment, must be able to meet strict and rigid guidelines, meet budgetary constraints, and work within the military culture.
A designer must be able to apply learning theories to a wide range of training courses and do it in multiple environments. Military instructional designers come up against different constraints that other designers may not, including funding, cutting edge technology, delivery environments, design constraints, and a diverse population to delivery information to (Jeffrey and Jeffrey, 2007).
There are various scenarios that may pertain to the military instructional designer, that will not relate to a civilian designer such as enlisted individuals that may be working towards a degree during deployment. The ability to work towards the degree may be hindered by the remoteness of the active deployment. Scenarios similar to this will result in new approaches to design (Jeffrey and Jeffrey, 2007).
Healthcare Care Education
The healthcare industry is ever changing and adopting new technology in a rapid manner. Students are graduating in the field of healthcare every year and must be trained in the newest technology that may not have existed as they were making their way through school. This lends towards a fast paced and always changing learning model. As with the military, the need for up to date training and learning design models are needed to keep students and professionals current. The risk of under-developed training can lead to catastrophic results (Locatis, 2007).
Again, similar to the military, the environments that must be overcome and addressed, such as hospitals, college and university campuses, government agencies, professional associations, and private companies. Each environment represents a different approach to instructional design and the target population. Most notable is the academic arena, where students are learning new ideas, practicing medicine, and constantly being measured by those responsible for their education.
Government agencies that oversee regulations on the healthcare system, must stay current on new trends and technology, to provide information to the public, and train professionals on consumer health information (Locatis, 2007). With the advent and advancement in simulation using augmented and virtual reality, new methods of learning design are needed designers are forced to stay current with the newest trends in technology (Locatis, 2007).
P-12 Technology Integration
The instructional designer embedded in academia face challenges and opportunities distinctly their own. The use of ID in the P-12 sector includes working with schools, for-profit corporations, as well as non-profit organizations. These may be based on contracts or the ID may be employed by each of these as an internal resource (Lowther and Ross, 2007). Each of these roles differ in their nature, but ultimately, contribute to success in the classroom. Working with school systems entails managing, designing, developing, and evaluating professional development opportunities for administration and teachers (Lowther and Ross, 2007). There are two main learning models that are prevalent in the instructional design - ASSURE and NTeQ.
The ASSURE model was established in 1982 as computers were being introduced into classrooms across the country. The ASSURE model utilizes a 6 phase process that integrates teacher and student uses of technology. ASSURE stands for Analyze learners, State Standards, Select Strategies, Utilize Technology, Require Learner Participation, and Evaluation. The system provides a systemic approach for teachers to integrate technology into their curriculum (Lowther and Ross, 2007).
The NTeQ model encourages the development of lessons that focus on the use of technology and problem solving. This model strives to develop real scenarios for students, to increase their knowledge of technology and how to solve problems. This model uses a ten step lesson process, from specifying objectives to creating assessments to measure student progress. Overall the relationship between ID and P-12 institutions has changed and is constantly changing as technology advances. The ID must stay current in the knowledge of learning models and continue to research technology adoption (Lowther and Ross, 2007).
Five University Roles - Three Nations
The final chapter of the text focuses on the differences and similarities between of instructional designers of three different modern nations. Similarities exist between the structure of the universities, colleges, and how instructors progress through the rankings. There may be slight differences in the rankings, but overall instructors move up the ranks through various steps and promotions. Day to day processes seem to be very similar with each of the instructors moving into more leadership roles as they progress through their career. Instructional designers go through relatively similar processes as well, learning current models, testing, development, and working with faculty. Regardless of which position one takes in a university, ID's and faculty play a crucial part in the development of engaging curriculum and student success (Litchfield et at., 2007).
Works Referenced:
Bratton-Jeffery, M. F., & Jeffery, A. B. (2007). Instructional Design Opportunities in Military Education and Training Environments. In Reiser, R, & Dempsey, J. (2007). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (2nd edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Litchfield, B. C., Dempsey, J. V., Albion, P., McDonald, J., & Nemoto, J. (2007). Five University Roles for Designers From Three Nations. In Reiser, R, & Dempsey, J. (2007). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (2nd edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Locatis, C. (2007). Performance, Instruction, and Technology in Health Care Education. In Reiser, R, & Dempsey, J. (2007). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (2nd edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Purdue Online. (n.d.). What do instructional designers do?. Purdue University Online. https://online.purdue.edu/blog/education/what-do-instructional-designers-do#:~:text=Instructional%20designers%20are%20paramount%20in,teaching%20manuals%20and%20student%20guides.
Tracey, M. W., & Morrison, G. R. (2007). Instructional Design in Business and Industry. In Reiser, R, & Dempsey, J. (2007). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (2nd edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
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