Instructional Designer

While you may know that instructional designers oversee curricula and educational materials, did you realize they rely on science, technology, engineering, and math to develop innovative learning tools? From personalized learning to virtual reality, STEM is transforming classrooms into educational supercenters capable of preparing students for technical careers. Are you ready to be educated on the nuances of instructional design?

Personal Connection

An instructional designer is someone who creates learning tools and oversees curricula. Becoming an instructional designer is all about attention to detail and applying science, technology, engineering, and math to develop resources that will help to communicate ideas effectively:
  • Do you like creating things?
  • Do you tend to think creatively?
  • Do you relate well to children?
  • Do you want to help kids succeed?
  • Do you enjoy working with technology?

Other Connections

Even if you don’t end up becoming an instructional designer, several different career paths also involve attention to detail and design, including:
Creating financial models to make predictions as a financial analyst
Calculating heating and cooling loads to design efficient, environmentally-friendly HVAC systems as a mechanical engineer
Bringing products to life by modeling ideas using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software as a CAD technician
Designing 3D graphical overlays of educational topics for augmented reality headsets as an augmented reality designer
Developing physical products, clothing, and more as a product designer

STEM Connection

Here are just a few ways that new and emerging technologies are transforming instructional design:
Personalized learning takes inspiration from Amazon:
By now, pretty much everyone has heard of Amazon – the tech giant that has oozed into every aspect of our lives. One way Amazon excels is by serving personalized ads or recommendations, tailored to individuals based on a variety of data. Now, instructional designers are taking note and want to do something similar for education. Rather than having a set curriculum and one way to teach it, students would have a personalized experience designed for them to excel. For example, an educational program can give students that struggle with fractions additional practice in that area, while decreasing time spent on writing for students that shine in that area. Read more:
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Virtual reality and augmented reality bring science to life:
Imagine being able to look inside the human body to learn about organs. Well, for students, they may soon be able to do that, thanks to virtual reality and augmented reality. These tools allow students to explore 3D environments and visualize concepts. For younger students, this can help those that have difficulty imagining a 2D image from a textbook in 3D. And for college-age students, this technology can help them prepare for a career by practicing surgical techniques in a safe virtual environment before moving onto a real patient. Read more:
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Virtual classrooms help to connect students:
Although the concept of virtual learning has been around for a while, this concept got put into mass use when the coronavirus brought the world to a halt in 2020. With virtual classrooms, students can interact with a teacher and their peers all from the comfort of their homes. While there are some challenges with this, such as ensuring everyone has a way to connect, and some drawbacks, such as limiting face-to-face interactions, virtual classrooms have the potential to do a lot of good. For example, schools can have smaller buildings, which will allow them to reduce maintenance expenses and therefore increase spending on educational resources. Read more:
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Games make learning fun:
If there’s one thing everyone can agree on, it’s that students love technology. From tablets to smartphones, students today have access to the world in an unprecedented way. While games in the classroom are not a new idea, technology has become readily accessible, making it easy to incorporate digital games into a lesson. Unlike physical games, digital games offer personalization through artificial intelligence, tools to track progress, and a vast content library. Read more:
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Journeys to Becoming an Instructional Designer

The path to working as an instructional designer may seem like a faraway dream, but did you know that you can get started on that path even in high school?
Read about how one instructional designer incorporates technology into her career:

Pamela Gutman is an experienced instructional designer with more than 10 years under her belt, but keeping up with technology is no easy feat. Pamela graduated with a master’s degree in computing and education, as well as a master’s degree in instructional technology and media. These degrees have helped prepare her for a rapidly-evolving career, with new technology popping up every few years. 

In an interview, Pamela explained how she uses technology to create effective learning resources. For example, Pamela works at John Hopkins University, which encompasses a large campus. She designed a scavenger hunt to help people become familiar with the campus, incorporating augmented reality tools that provide videos and other information overlaid on top of the real world as participants go through the scavenger hunt. Pamela is continuously working to develop new learning resources and has become an expert after spending more than a decade in the field.

Read more about Pamela’s career here:

 

Read about how one instructional designer made a career change:

 

Keith O’Neil is an established instructional designer, but making the transition from teaching to instructional design was quite the challenge. Although Keith had a successful teaching career, he quickly realized the lack of educational content accessible to students, especially online. Considering the internet was in its infancy back in 2003, when Keith was making this transition, it’s easy to appreciate how online educational resources were limited. Keith’s transition resulted from his desire to help students, which involved designing learning resources his students could access outside of the classroom. Parents appreciated this, causing administrators and Keith’s colleagues to take notice. It wasn’t long before he was helping other teachers to design online resources, after which he was promoted to an instructional designer so he could help the entire district in a full-time position.

Since becoming an instructional designer, Keith has moved on to Lipscomb University, where he has the resources and freedom to make a significant impact. In addition to consulting with faculty to help them design their courses and ensure the quality of content in them, Keith has the freedom to share his expertise with other universities. He can present at other colleges and conferences, consult with faculty outside of Lipscomb University via digital conferencing tools, and promote learning in the classroom and online. Keith’s career demonstrates how you can take fate into your own hands by going above and beyond expectations to stand out. Keith also shows that even though a career transition can be difficult, it is possible and gives students multiple paths to become an instructional designer.

 Read more about Keith’s career here:

Articles, Videos, Podcasts of Interest

The Bureau of Labor Statics provides accurate information on salary, job growth, work environment, and more:
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O*NET provides an in-depth look at the skills you’ll need and the technology you’ll use:
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Listen to an instructional designer describe what it’s like to work in the field:
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Hear from an expert on the importance of instructional design:
Watch Now
Don’t wait for college! You can get started learning the fundamentals of instructional design right now thanks to the vast amount of online resources available:
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Fun Facts

Some fun trivia about instructional design:
Military Roots:
Did you know that instructional design theories were first used in the military during World War II? To train soldiers in technical weapon systems, the military used instructional design methodologies to prepare these soldiers quickly. Read more here:
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Designing Learning Resources is Difficult:
Did you know practice isn’t always helpful? While some practice is critical to succeeding in sports, music, and other fields, research has shown that excessive practice is not beneficial. Read more here:
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An Invisible Career:
Did you know that many teachers and professors do not utilize instructional designers in designing course material? A survey showed that only a quarter of faculty at one university worked with instructional designers in developing their courses. This practice can be detrimental to students if the course content is of poor quality, which indicates that instructional designers need to work extra hard to make professors and teachers aware of their services. Read more here:
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