In the Middle of the Curve: Spit-Takes and Good News
Instructional Design Central: Instructional Design Forums, Resources, and Community
Resources, job openings, college degrees, and communities related to instructional design
5 Simple Ways to Get Started with E-Learning Development - The Rapid eLearning Blog
Good advice for getting started by doing simple projects using rapid development tools. Includes good resources for people just starting out in e-learning (or hoping to get into the field).
Learning Visions: Instructional Designers with Degrees: Survey Update
Update on Cammy Bean's survey results. Only about a quarter of IDs have an advanced degree; very few of those who don't have ever been denied work due to the lack of a degree. Interesting comments from Brent Schlenker about how degrees may open doors but don't necessarily teach much useful for skills needed today.
Online Programs that Offer Training in eLearning? : eLearning Technology
Bookmarking an old post of Tony Karrer's since I had to hunt for it today--check the comments for suggestions on online programs for elearning and masters degrees
TravelinEdMan: Job Searching in Educational Technology and Instructional Systems Technology?: Hold Your Head Up High!
Collection of sites for finding jobs in ed tech and related fields. (I'm not looking, but I get requests from people looking sometimes.)
Instructional Technology Program Student Resources Instructional Designer Skills
An old (1995) list of skills for instructional designers, very focused on the corporate training side of the field. I wonder why there's so little here about working with others; communication skills are kind of tacked on the end of the list as an afterthought. Communicating and collaborating with SMEs is such a big part of instructional design that I'm surprised that's never mentioned here.
Ruminations of a Learning Professional: Call a Spade a Shovel - but make sure you describe!
One learning professional asks if the title "instructional designer" is perhaps not the most accurate description for what we do, especially with learning 2.0 and increases in learner control.
Is the term Instructional Designer a dead description, title, category or classification?<br><br>In light of web or learning 2.0, there are theories that in fact a better name would be an <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">information and instruction architect</span>.
Learning Visions: Instructional Designers with ID Degrees? Survey Results...
Cammy Bean has updated her ID degrees survey results. It's up to 34% of IDs having an advanced degree in instructional design--higher than it was the last time she reported, but still clearly a minority.
Getting Started with Instructional Design
Manish Mohan on getting started in the field of instructional design, responding to several reader questions. Includes links to blog posts about ID careers (including my 2007 series), companies that hire IDs, courses and certificates available in India, and salaries.
In the Middle of the Curve: Wendy W - Knowledge Gardener
Tony Karrer suggested we might be known as "management consultants" in the future, but I like Wendy's "Knowledge Gardener" much better
Thinking about the tools I'm building and the programs I'm developing - that seems more akin to the way I want my job to evolve. As a "knowledge gardener."
So I've decided that my next 5 years will be spent as a "knowledge gardener." Helping people get the information they need. Encouraging people within my organization to talk to each other and share what they know. Facilitating learning when they need and want it (preferrably in much smaller chunks than they are getting now).
Jonathan's ID: The Various Roles of Instructional Design (work in progress)
Ideas on the different types of roles played by instructional designers, attempting to differentiate between instructional designers vs. instructional developers, instructional multimedia developers, etc.
Here’s Why You Need an E-Learning Portfolio - The Rapid eLearning Blog
Benefits of a portfolio plus tips on what to include and what to do if everything you do is proprietary
Clive on Learning: It's not enough to be a professional, you also have to act like one
Good points on acting like real professionals, not just "order takers" when developing training/learning
<p>You wouldn't hire an interior designer only to inform.them that you've already chosen all the colour schemes and furnishings; you wouldn't engage an accountant and then explain to them the way you wanted them to process your figures; you wouldn't employ a fitness trainer and then tell them what to include in your workout; you wouldn't buy a dog and then insist on doing all the barking.</p> <p>So why, then, do we continue to encounter situations in which line managers tell the guys from l&d exactly what they want in terms of learning interventions, with the expectation that the they'll simply take those instructions and run. </p>
Volunteer Opportunity to Build Your eLearning Portfolio | onehundredfortywords
Info on an organization looking for volunteer instructional designers/developers to create content for job seekers. They are OK with content being used in a portfolio, so this is a good place to gain some experience and get something to show for a portfolio.
Learning Visions: Accidental Instructional Designers #dl09
Notes on a DevLearn session on how people got into instructional design and what they feel are the important skills. Out of 25+ IDs, only 2 had advanced degrees in ID.
Kapp Notes: Accidental Instructional Designers May Want to Just Say No
Karl Kapp revisits the value of instructional design degrees, arguing that people who accidentally find themselves in the field should decline to develop learning until they've been trained. Karl also identifies what he feels is the most important skill instructional designers should have.
So, to me, the most important skill an instructional designer can have is being able to apply instructional strategies. To know when to use a mnemonic and when to use an analogy. When to model the behavior to be learned and when to provide a check list. When <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructivism_%28learning_theory%29" target="blank">Constructivism </a>is a good theorietical underpinning for a topic and when a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitivism_%28psychology%29" target="blank">Cognitivism</a>-based approach is necessary. <br>
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Instructional designers add value by serving as catalyst who accelerate the process of learning for individuals.
Custom E-Learning Training & LMS Solutions Kineo - New Skills for Instructional Designers
Slides from a presentation on ID skills, specifically at the intersection of instructional design and IT. Especially interesting were the comparisons of word clouds from descriptions of graduate programs in ID with word clouds from ID job descriptions.
Interviews with Designers - Christy Tucker
My interview with the UW-Stout ID certificate students in March 2010. Students contributed possible questions on a wiki, then decided as a group what the top questions would be for me to answer.
Cammy Bean's Learning Visions: What’s Your Experience? ID Degree or Certificate Program
Check the comments for responses from people who have ID degrees or certificates and share their thoughts
Joining The eLearning Tribe: The eLearning Coach
Tips on how to enter the field of e-learning or instructional design, with ideas for networking, job searching, and improving your skills
Online Education for Instructional Designers: Picking the Right Program by Lorna Collier : Learning Solutions Magazine
Learning Solutions Magazine article on online education programs for instructional designers. Compares certificates to masters degrees and PhDs. Includes ideas on how to pick a program that is the right fit for you. The table at the end with a list of schools, programs, and costs is very helpful.
The 2011 Non-Official Global eLearning Guild Salary & Compensation Calculator — Travis's Thoughts
Calculator based on the data from the eLearning Guild salary survey report. Choose your variables and see the average salary.
The eLearning Guild Publishes 2012 Global eLearning Salary & Compensation by Bill Brandon : Learning Solutions Magazine
Summary of the salary report (salaries declined slightly) and a calculator where you can enter variables and see a baseline salary.
Excuses for Not Having a Portfolio | Ileighanne's Blog
List of common excuses IDs give for not having a portfolio, with responses and solutions. There's a list of portfolio resources at the end of the post.
5 Essential Qualifications to Look for in an Instructional Designer | WPLMS
Justin Ferriman's list of ID qualifications. I disagree with almost everything on his list. Justin misunderstands the role of IDs and thinks we need to be mini-SMEs with industry experience so we don't "annoy" SMEs with our questions. I've written a lengthy comment rebutting his arguments.
Definitely Not One-Size-Fits-All: Learning and Development Job Titles — TheWorkSocial
A large list of job titles in the L&D world. This might be helpful for people job searching to have some other phrases and terms to look for.
Updated list 2014: http://theworksocial.com/blog/2014/4/25/learning-and-development-job-titles-2014
Answers To Instructional Design Career Questions
Connie Malamed shares her answers to a number of ID career questions she's received from readers, including transitioning from teaching, getting a second master's degree or certificate, and getting a first job in ID.
Articulate - Word of Mouth Blog - 5 Tips to Launch Your Career as an E-Learning Freelancer
Summary of tips from the Articulate freelancer community
1. Find your focus.
2. Save some money first.
3. Set up an online base of operations.
<strong>4. Create an online portfolio.</strong>
5. Track your time.
KeelWorks - Learning to live: Living to Learn
KeelWorks is a non-profit that regularly engages ID interns. Right now it's a 12-14 week unpaid program for 5 hours a week. It's a good way for people to get some experience before their first ID job.