Instructional Design Made Easy
Hey Coach,
Do I have to be an instructional designer to create an engaging learning experience for my students?
Sincerely,
Novice Designer
Dear Novice Designer,
Great question! You’ll be happy to know that teachers are instructional designers, too! You do not have to be certified as an instructional designer in order to create a learning module that is rigorous and highly engaging. Both teachers and instructional designers can create curriculum, select appropriate learning activities, develop assessments, and make meaningful materials for learners.
As you begin your journey with the instructional design process, you might want to check out InstructionalDesign.org for a deeper dive. Here you can find information about the conditions for learning, as well as theories and models of instructional design. This resource can also help with selecting appropriate tools to deliver instruction.
As an instructional designer, you are the architect of the learning experience for your students. Instructional technology is often utilized to develop, create, and deliver lessons or units, called modules, which can be taught in an online environment. These modules have several elements that remain the same, regardless of if learning takes place in-person or online.
In a module, it is critical to first gain the learners’ attention through an instructional hook. After establishing the learning objectives, content is presented to learners in a variety of modes, including strategies such as direct instruction, content videos, video segments, and audio recordings. Then, learners are provided with learning activities that allow them to apply their newly acquired knowledge.
Learners receive feedback in a variety of ways, such as formative assessments, interactive learning activities, collaborative tasks, and individual learning activities. The feedback can be provided by the instructor or from the learning program, for example an auto-graded quiz.
Learners must demonstrate mastery of the content taught in the module. Learners may take a summative assessment or an authentic assessment, depending on the learning objectives and the overall design of the learning experience.
Educators also work to create a supportive environment during the implementation of a learning module. This might include promoting collaboration, discussions through social media technologies, curating content or generating and sharing your own content. No matter how you decide to design the module, remember to protect the learning. Our module designs should lead with pedagogy that is supported by tools that authentically engage the learners.
Instructional design can feel like a daunting two-word, six-syllable phrase. Without carefully unpacking what it entails, it leaves a lot of us wondering how we’re supposed to put it into practice. The not-so-secret secret is that we already do it everyday when we design ways to connect learners to content, key understandings, and their community. Teachers are instructional designers by default, and we specialize in it through our practice. Don’t let the phrase intimidate you - it describes what we, as educators, do best!
All the best,
Coach
