Kapp Notes: Value of Instructional Designers
Karl Kapp explains his view of the value of instructional designers in integrating multiple theories and making learning experiences more effective. If the delivery medium doesn't matter (and the research says it doesn't), then the quality of the design is what matters.
The discipline (and it is a discipline) borrows heavily from psychology, cognitive science, behavioral science, information design theory, and media design theory. However, it is the blending of these theories and ideas into the design of instruction that makes the difference between merely presenting information and creating an event in which learning actually occurs.