Over the summer of 2022, as I was redesigning a fully online research methods course for the Instructional Design and Learning Technology (IDLT) Master of Science Program that I was assigned to teach in the fall of 2022, I focused on creating a scaffolded project for students to gain experience with the process of conducting research. Oftentimes, our research journey starts with reading something in a journal or popular media and wanting to know more. The OLC paper, Instructional Design in Higher Education: Defining an Evolving Field (Beirne & Romanoski, 2018), helped the class to think about how to initially design the IDLT program itself, but it still left me with a number of questions: What does instructional design look like outside of higher education? What do employers across sectors need from their employees? What has happened in the field since 2018 when this was published?). I figured that students who are looking for IDLT jobs in the near future might also be interested in investigating this topic!
As a part of our course, student groups worked together to explore the evolving role of instructional design and learning technology across sectors through scaffolded assignments that guided them in reviewing literature, designing research questions, selecting appropriate methods and approaches, collecting data, analyzing data, and writing up their results. Unfortunately, semesters are short, and the project was not able to dig deep enough to produce systematic and generalizable research. However, as students gained valuable research skills for their future IDLT work, they found valuable information and reflected together on future areas of research around this important topic for the field, which I asked them to share as a part of this blog post.
Group Member Names
Mindi Ryan, Lisa Anderson, Kourtnie Hunter
What sector did you study?
Higher education
During the semester, as you worked on your project, what did you learn about the evolving field of instructional design?
The literature read revolved around the flipped learning classroom model in higher education. Language acquisition courses and varying strategies for instruction were revealed as themes. Flipped learning includes both in-person and online components, and students learn the material on their own and then apply their knowledge in class, mainly through discussions and group projects. The use of technology can be a barrier in Flipped learning classrooms as accessibility can become an issue for students and the instructors. Flipped learning classrooms allow for more flexibility and opportunities for students to expand their knowledge.
Where should research go next?
Our research moving forward would take a look at types of learning conducted in the flipped learning classroom and the strategies used in both in-person and online learning. It would be valuable to research more into what subjects are being used the most for flipped learning and how these courses are instructed using this model. Next, seeing what kind of training both students and instructors receive for flipped learning would be valuable. It would be interesting to determine whether or not the training received impacts the results of the flipped model of learning, perhaps creating more effective learning opportunities.
Group Member Names
Amber Williams, Kyla McHenry, Hannah Bauer, and Maryssa Boeldt
What sector did you study?
K-12
During the semester, as you worked on your project, what did you learn about the evolving field of instructional design?
The gaps present in the education field that simultaneously affect the field of instructional design. We learned that there needs to be huge strides made in order to allow for online learning to be accessible to all learners. One area of accessibility that still needs to be addressed is internet speeds, particularly in rural areas, to allow for use of the best tools and training available. It is so important that these needs be met to allow for the best learning experience for as many learners as possible. Only then will we have met our goals of true equitable learning.
Where should research go next?
Based on findings from reviewing field research and conducting our own, we feel that moving forward research should focus on ways to increase the accessibility of online learning in schools. We have learned a great deal from our COVID experiences and are better prepared if we were to move into distance based learning. A solid focus on establishing best practices and creating norms for the use of learning platforms would be ideal as well. We discovered that so many learning tools have been used; we would love to gain more insights combining the best tools with the best possible accessibility.
Group Member Names
Nicole Augustin, Melissa Droessler, Ryan Germain, Megan Schullo
What sector did you study?
K-12
During the semester, as you worked on your project, what did you learn about the evolving field of instructional design?
While exploring the role that technology has on developing students’ executive functioning skills, three major themes emerged from our literature review: technology usage relates to increased student anxiety (FOMO), executive functioning is correlated to student success, and there are differences in student-controlled media versus teacher-directed instructional technology. We saw a gap in literature on the K-12 sector which caused us to shift our initial research direction from being cause and effect research to being more qualitative. We developed and administered a qualitative survey designed to measure K-12 teachers’ current technology usage and observations of students’ executive functioning skills.
Where should research go next?
Possible Further Research Opportunities:
- Gather data on specific apps and programs that teachers have used in their own classrooms that have been beneficial to students’ executive functioning skills
- Conduct one-on-one interviews with respondents that found technology to benefit their students in the classroom
Group Member Names
Kelley Wasmund & Diane Stewart
What sector did you study?
Corporate
During the semester, as you worked on your project, what did you learn about the evolving field of instructional design?
The literature read was focused on the needs of learners to stay engaged with online learning content. In a corporate setting some sectors are suspicious of the online training implementation. If introduced properly, online training can improve access to knowledge and can lower costs. Online learning should have choices, be flexible, and have active learning incorporated in. There is a lot to balance when it comes to learner engagement.
Where should research go next?
The research should really start to focus on finding that balance when it comes to learner engagement. Some businesses are thinking that this is still a temporary work situation, but remote work is most likely here to stay. Putting in the time to find what truly engages the ever evolving needs of learning is a moving target and will continuously need to be researched.
Group Member Names
Andrea Chang, Amanda Curren, Brittany Cantwell, Jenny Farrar
What sector did you study?
Corporate
During the semester, as you worked on your project, what did you learn about the evolving field of instructional design?
In our literature analysis we found that:
- Regardless of sector, instructional designers are expected to motivate and satisfy the needs of diverse learners
- Instructional design is a largely problem-solving career with many paths into the profession
- Technical, analytical, communication skills, and continued education are valued when hiring for most of these roles; an idea we had is that technology skills are also important, but the ability to analyze and leverage it to enhance learning is key
Our group thinks the skills and experience needed to be effective and hired may vary between roles in corporate and higher education sectors.
Where should research go next?
There was a gap in the literature regarding whether certain skills and experience aligning with one particular sector would limit mobility to instructional design positions in other sectors. Based on what we learned, our recommendation would be to conduct a study to compare the rate of mobility between corporate and higher education sectors.
We would need to determine the difference between skills, experiences, and credentials valued in hiring for each sector, and analyze how these overlap and contrast. Further, we could evaluate the effectiveness of instructional designers and compare how their skills and experience align with those valued in hiring.
Group Member Names
Erin Applegate, Ben Johnson, Andrea Lythgoe, EJ Saldana
What sector did you study?
Entry level job requirements for Instructional Designers in all sectors, primarily corporate
During the semester, as you worked on your project, what did you learn about the evolving field of instructional design?
Prior studies analyzed job descriptions while others focused on which skills instructional designers used more frequently in an attempt to determine what newly minted instructional designers needed to know to get their first job. No one had yet looked at which credentials most often lead to employment as an instructional designer.
Studies that looked at job descriptions showed that many of them stated a requirement of a bachelor’s degree in Instructional Design, yet a Google search found fewer than 5 such programs in the US. Graduate certificates and salaries were not addressed in the studies we evaluated.
Where should research go next?
We propose that this study be repeated at a larger scale, focusing on a few things:
We recommend future researchers compare the entry level hiring success of those who:
- Have a masters degree
- Complete a post-baccalaureate ID certificate
- Complete one of the academies that are also training instructional designers, particularly those transitioning from other fields.
A deeper exploration of educational background and salary in their first job could yield some interesting results.
A comparison of those who have a degree specific to instructional design and those who are “accidental instructional designers” with education in other areas.
As the field of instructional design and learning technology continues to evolve, there are many places research can go to further our collective understanding of the skills needed to design and support effective and engaging learning experience across education sectors (e.g., K12, higher education, corporate). Through student group work this semester, our class uncovered the importance of instructional design and learning technology professionals being problem-solvers who are dedicated to meeting the needs of diverse learners. To do this, it is important that individuals in these roles have effective analytical, pedagogical, technological, and communication skills in addition to having an understanding that ongoing, continuous professional learning is crucial to support our ability to evolve with the field. However, as noted from the groups themselves, there is also much we still need to know (e.g., How can we leverage tools to support important skills like executive functioning? How can we increase accessibility for all learners? How can we reduce technology barriers to support good practices–like flipped learning?) in order to create meaningful learning experiences for our learners, as well as understand the field (e.g., What credentials are needed for instructional design and learning technology positions across sectors?) to prepare for our future work in it.