At a recent OLC event, an instructional designer who was excited about generative AI discreetly asked the question that has likely crossed many minds for at least a split second: “What does my job look like in the age of generative AI?”
I asked ChatGPT if the job of instructional designer was at risk with the advent of generative AI. I will pull some elements of the response I received to provide my thoughts in this post.
If instructional designers are viewed as content creators, then the role of instructional designer may be much less needed in the future. After all, attracting and retaining high-quality instructional designers is no easy feat. I have led small, medium, and large teams of instructional design staff at three major business schools in the US and have consulted for a wide range of other institutions in the US and around the world. One of the greatest barriers to improving teaching online has always been cost (time and dollars). Staffing instructional design positions can be out of reach for some colleges and universities and in many cases instructional design services are not accessible to individual faculty who do not have institutional support. Even when there has been institutional support, there has never been enough of those staff to go around.
Content creation using generative AI is faster and more convenient than meeting with an instructional designer, walking through the extensive scoping and planning process, not to mention the time-consuming process of creating learning objectives, planning the course blueprint, designing, developing, and validating the content. The ability to scale production based on evidence-based practices and learning science theories to create high-quality, consistent, standardized, intentionally planned, and pedagogically sound learning environments takes humans time and money.
If instructional designers are seen as pedagogical wizards, then I am certain that the role of instructional designer will live on. In my experience, the value that instructional designers bring to the design and development process has always been so much more than content creation. With the advent of generative AI and expertise in how to leverage these tools, instructional designers can augment their knowledge and skills in pedagogy and technology-enabled learning by curating, customizing, and integrating AI-generated content to meet specific learning objectives and audience needs. This includes leveraging their expertise and facilitating conversations with faculty to ensure that AI-generated content is effective and engaging. Instructional designers can bring the human component to designing learning by applying their understanding of human psychology, motivation, and learning strategies that AI might not fully grasp. Instructional designers can provide oversight and guidance to faculty as well as provide self-help tools and just-in-time resources that faculty can leverage to speed up the process for themselves and the instructional designers.
Based on how we view the value and role of instructional designers, we paint a very different picture of the future. On the one hand, faculty who are interested in learning more about using generative AI tools on their own will have access to resources and tools that they have likely not seen before. These faculty will no longer see the need for staff specifically focused on content creation and institutions may be even less likely to fund support for instructional design services. However, only highly motivated faculty will realize this benefit. Many faculty who have other priorities and conflicting time commitments will be left behind.
On the other hand, instructional designers have the opportunity to lead the way by making generative AI tools more accessible to a wider audience, demonstrating how to use them effectively, and encouraging broader use. Instructional designers can start by investing in learning how to use generative AI effectively, integrating these tools into their daily workflows, and increasing their productivity and availability for faculty. They also free up time to think more creatively and critically about learning design and further ways to enhance learning experiences. As the “Human in the Loop,” instructional designers have the opportunity to augment their role and focus on more complex tasks, those that require deep understanding, creativity, human insight, and experience with the online learning environment. Instructional designers should view generative AI as a tool rather than a competitor and should explore to see where these tools fit and how to shape the future of instructional design.
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We look forward to exploring the numerous possibilities for empowering instructional designers and digital learning educators at the OLC Innovate 2024 Conference in Denver. There are also several opportunities to join us in our Teaching and Learning with AI workshop series. If you’re ready for even more, consider the OLC Instructional Designer Certificate and Advanced Instructional Designer Certificate programs to grow your skills in a like-minded community.