Education is a constantly evolving process. As new innovations and findings occur, educational materials need to be revised and adapted to accommodate these changes. However, it is not as simple as revising a textbook or adding in the new information to a course. The entire learning process often needs to be reshaped, so individuals are able to digest and retain the material in an effective manner. This is where the instructional designer’s role comes into play. Instructional designers are paramount in the process of learning. They are tasked to build online courses, redesign courses, develop entire courses or curriculums and create training materials, such as teaching manuals and student guides.

What is instructional design?

The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) defines the responsibilities of instructional designers as “the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management and evaluation of processes and resources for learning.” Essentially, instructional designers implement theory and research processes to design and implement learning materials that produce greater outcomes for a specific group of people and ensure online corporate training programs are effective.

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Where Do Instructional Designers Work?

Instructional designers are employed across in a variety of industries, ranging from kindergarten and college to business, government and the military. They can work individually or as part of a team. A career as an instructional designer also equates to job security, given that the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, anticipates job growth for this role to increase by 13 percent within the next ten years, coupled with a median salary of $60,050.

What Are An Instructional Designer's Responsibilities?

Like all of The Learn Tourism Instructors, instructional designers need to possess a versatile skill set in order to create effective learning courses and materials to meet their intended goals. These professionals not only need to have a mastery of learning design but technology as well, given that they:

• Design instructional management systems

• Evaluate new eLearning materials

• Create educational courses, podcasts, videos and content (including instructional materials)

• Build complete online corporate training programs

• Evaluate and create instructional design process

• Design and revamp both new and established learning models

• Implement feedback from program reviews

• Train others on how to deliver learning material

• Research new innovations in both learning design and education

What Level of Education Does An Instructional Designer Need?

Given the high level of responsibilities and requirements that instructional designers are asked to facilitate, many individuals in this role hold a master’s degree. An advanced education in the subject ensures that these individuals are properly equipped to meet the rigorous demands of the field and craft lessons and curriculums that are both thorough and meet designated outcomes.

Additional Resource: Purdue University’s online Master of Science in Education in Learning Design and Technology; the online MSEd in Learning Design and Technology can help students design, develop, implement and evaluate learning methods for a variety of contexts. Learn more about the online MSEd in Learning Design and Technology at Purdue University today and help redefine the way in which individuals learn. Call (877) 497-5851 to speak with an admissions advisor or click here to request more information.

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