eLearning & Instructional Design for Beginners

Dr. Luke Hobson is a senior instructional designer, a program manager at MIT X Pro, an instructor for the University of Miami School of Education and Human Development, and the founder of instructional design institute. He is the author of the book, "What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming an Instructional Designer." Dr. Hobson first learned about instructional design in 2013 and became an instructional designer in 2015. He was inspired by meeting someone who was an instructional designer and realizing that he could care about students' learning experiences for a living. Dr. Hobson considers project management aspects and organization to be important daily activities for an instructional designer's success.

He attributes his success to his refusal to quit and his determination to prove doubters wrong. He believes that turning negative feedback into a learning experience is important and has helped him build his confidence. He predicted that chatbots, specifically Chat GPT, will become increasingly important in the instructional design industry, as it has the ability to generate ideas and boost creativity. He also discusses his experience with using Chat GPT to bounce ideas off of and receive feedback.

Tune in to learn more about Luke's work as a senior instructional designer and the exciting world of instructional design.

In continuation of last week's podcast episode, Amanda discusses various topics related to learning and instructional design. She mentions a chatbot called Chit Chat, developed by OpenAI, which was found amusing by a video creator who had debates and conversations with it. Despite concerns about AI taking over jobs, the video creator reassures Amanda that it is a tool and companion, not a threat.

Amanda then talks about different ways to measure success in learning, including assessment scores, evaluation of applied learning projects, performance KPIs, and feedback from learners. She emphasizes the importance of learner feedback as it can provide valuable insights and help improve the learning experience, recommending the inclusion of optional surveys at the end of courses.

Moving on to her own reading and listening habits, Amanda mentions a trauma-related book by Dr. Peter Levine, which she is listening to for her volunteer work, and two podcasts she follows: one by Dr. Luke Hobson about ID and the other by Sarah Canestra about transitioning into the L&D space.

She advises those interested in instructional design to explore their options and start small, developing skills beyond just learning technology, and finding their own niche in the field.

Overall, Amanda provides valuable insights and advice for those interested in instructional design, emphasizing the importance of ongoing evaluation and improvement in the learning process.

In this exclusive interview, we had the pleasure of chatting with Amanda Hewitt, a seasoned senior instructional designer at DaVita, who has an extensive background in supporting nursing and pharmacy students in higher education. Amanda shared with us her journey in navigating the learning management system (LMS) and virtual proctoring, which ultimately led her to pursue a career in instructional design. Her empathy for nursing students, who would often visit her desk to share their struggles with exams and navigating school, also played a significant role in inspiring her to become an instructional designer.

As a senior instructional designer, Amanda's role is multifaceted, requiring her to be adaptable and open to changes, with the needs of subject matter experts and clients taking priority over building a complete course. She emphasized that her company places a strong emphasis on work-life balance, allowing her to manage her time effectively. While she may occasionally work longer hours, her company discourages employees from overworking, ensuring that their well-being is a top priority.

Throughout our conversation, Amanda shared her insights on the instructional design process and her passion for designing learning solutions that meet the needs of both clients and learners. She emphasized that not every learning solution requires a complete course, and that a quick reference guide or job aid may suffice. We learned about the challenges that instructional designers face and how they tackle these obstacles with creativity and expertise.

Tune in to learn more about Amanda's work as a senior instructional designer and the exciting world of instructional design. Come back next week for this episode Amanda Hewitt: A Journey through Instructional Design Part 2.

Are you a teacher looking for a new adventure? Instructional design could be the perfect fit. In this podcast, Crystal shares her journey from teaching to instructional design and highlights the skills teachers already possess that are valuable in this field. These include analyzing learners' needs, creating engaging activities, and developing curriculum.

Instructional design tasks involve writing objectives, organizing content, creating multimedia materials, and developing assessments. Teachers who are transitioning to instructional design should highlight their strengths and familiarize themselves with the language and tools of instructional design and build a portfolio.

Join social media groups, find a mentor, and take online courses to be successful. With skills like being comfortable with technology, time management, communication skills, and flexibility, teachers are well-equipped for a career in instructional design. Tune in to learn more about this exciting field.

Are you interested in breaking into the field of instructional design but don't know where to start? Look no further than this workshop! Designed specifically for beginners, this workshop provides a step-by-step process to build an instructional design portfolio and land a job in the field.

This workshop covers all the basics of creating a strong resume, portfolio, and cover letter, even if you have no experience in instructional design. You'll learn how to adapt your education jargon to instructional design language, how to highlight your skills and accomplishments, and how to use keywords that match job descriptions.

Successful instructional designers possess a range of skills, from web design to project management, and this workshop offers tips on how to develop these skills and showcase them in your portfolio. You'll also learn how to host your portfolio on Weebly or Google Sites, two platforms known for their customizable themes and easy-to-use templates.

Crafting a compelling cover letter is just as important as creating a strong resume and portfolio, and this workshop offers advice on tailoring your letter to each organization and making it personal. By following the tips and suggestions provided in the workshop, you'll greatly increase your chances of getting noticed and landing your dream job as an instructional designer. So don't wait any longer and take the first step towards your new career!

Meet Danielle, an accomplished instructional designer whose journey in the field began with converting on-ground classes to online courses. Her diverse background in visual communication, adult learning, and digital media gives her a unique perspective and approach to the world of instructional design. With no two days alike, Danielle enjoys the challenge of deciding what content to include or omit when creating online courses.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the education industry, but Danielle remained adaptable and coped with the changes. She shares valuable tips for effective time management and believes that learning anything is possible with the right mindset. Embracing imperfection and constantly improving are also key motivators for her.

As a member of the Public Relations Association and an accredited PR professional, Danielle highlights the importance of communication and persuasion in the instructional design field. Her dedication to creating top-notch online learning experiences is a testament to her passion for her craft. Join us as we delve deeper into Danielle's insightful journey in the world of instructional design.

In this interview, Rivka Rosenberg, an e-learning foreign language and online marketing specialist, shares her inspiration for entering e-learning and instructional design. She attributes it to her background in education and taking courses in language learning that used technology and different activities to make the courses fun and engaging.

Rivka’s typical day consists of creating courses and researching learning management systems and technology. She also trains teachers in English and virtual reality for language teaching and entrepreneurship education. At night, she works on curriculum development on a virtual reality platform for a chain of schools in Australia called VR Bella.

Being a member of the World Environmental Solutions team, Rivka takes part in educating individuals about their eco-friendly method for cattle feed, which effectively lessens methane emissions. She specifically focuses on educating users on the implementation of this green process for their own cattle. Through social media, Rivka and her colleagues were able to connect, and she strongly recommends LinkedIn and Instagram as valuable tools for networking and discovering new prospects.

She emphasizes the importance of LinkedIn for connecting with other instructional designers and learning from them. She notes that solving problems through education is a way of inspiring people to change their set of minds or the way they do things.

Impostor syndrome is a common problem faced by many high-achievers, particularly in the field of instructional design. This phenomenon refers to the persistent self-doubt and fear of being exposed as a fraud, despite being successful in their careers. Imposter syndrome can have a detrimental effect on performance, satisfaction, and can lead to burnout.

A survey conducted by the "elearning and instructional design for beginners mastermind" showed that impostor syndrome is rampant in the field of instructional design, with issues like confidence in using technology, understanding jargon, designing content, and seeing others succeed causing feelings of self-doubt. Impostor syndrome can arise due to factors such as highly skilled individuals thinking others are just as skilled, leading to feelings of inadequacy, or due to pluralistic ignorance, where individuals feel like they're the only ones experiencing these feelings, when in reality others do too.

To help overcome impostor syndrome, it is recommended to talk about it with others who understand, separate feelings from fact, reward yourself for starting out, recognize failure as an opportunity, ask for help, visualize success and fake it till you make it. By following these steps, individuals can feel more confident in their careers and can succeed in instructional design.

Infographics are an excellent tool for instructional designers to use in elearning courses. They help to reduce cognitive overload by decluttering the screen and organizing information in a simple, easy to understand format.

Infographics use a visual format such as a chart or diagram to present data, with thoughtfully chosen graphics to tell a specific story and guide the learner through the information. They are educational, entertaining and useful, and can enhance the effectiveness of an elearning course while increasing its visual appeal.

They are great for all content types, including concepts, storytelling, comparative analysis, and processes and procedures. Infographics typically include text, sources, images, themes, characters and data. There are 12 tips for creating the perfect infographic. These include creating it for your target learners, keeping it simple, focused, easy to view, a manageable length and size, adding whitespace, having an attractive headline, focusing on the flow and more. The headline is extremely important as it grabs the learner's attention.

The flow of an infographic is critical, it should be like a good story, moving the viewer from one phase to another seamlessly. Incorporating infographics into elearning courses can not only enhance their effectiveness but also increase their visual appeal, making the learning experience more enjoyable and memorable for learners.