Protecting and Empowering our Swiss Army Knives: Supporting Instructional Designers in a Shifting Landscape

 Please Note: While attending the webinar live is free for OLC members and non-members, on-demand recordings will be available post-webinar for Professional and Institutional Members only. Consider becoming an OLC member for access to these and many other great benefits!

Instructional design and learning technology professionals are the “engines” and “Swiss Army Knives” of organizations, playing key roles that advance strategic organizational goals because of their wide-ranging knowledge, skills, and abilities. However, this may leave them susceptible to overwork and potential burnout.

This presentation will share results from a recently conducted convergent mixed methods study that reviewed position descriptions (n=127) to understand key responsibilities and interviewed employers (n=12) regarding the evolving field of instructional design and learning technology (IDLT), as well as their expectations of the IDLT professionals they work with and the landscape in which they all exist. 

This webinar will focus on cultivating an understanding of the environments in which we all play a part, as well as challenges and strategies, both from the study’s research findings and the session attendees’ experiences, with the intent of finding ways we can better support the growth and well-being of the instructional design and learning technology professionals we are and work with.

Key Takeaways:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to: 

  • Describe the evolving landscape of learning that creates environments prone to stretching instructional design professionals thin; 
  • Identify challenges that surround stretching instructional design professionals thin; and 
  • Determine strategies for supporting instructional designers (as instructional designers themselves and as leaders supporting their growth) at their institution or organization.

Intended Audience: 

Instructional designers, leaders, and administrators

Speaker Bio
Nicole Weber, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Educational Foundations – University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Dr. Nicole Weber is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Foundations Department at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she also coordinates the Instructional Design and Learning Technology (IDLT) master’s degree program. Prior to her current position, she served as the Associate Vice President (AVP) of Learning with the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), working closely with staff and global partners to advance professional learning opportunities, continuous improvement efforts, and research in support of quality digital, blended, and online learning. Before joining OLC, she was the Director of Learning Technology at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she led online and blended faculty development efforts, technology training for the digital learning ecosystem, and emerging technology exploration and evaluation, collaborating across the institution to support student learning and success.
With a depth of experience leading global, national, and campus initiatives that support continuous improvement of digital, blended, and online learning, Dr. Weber has presented widely at conferences in the field, as well as published various blogs, reports, playbooks, and articles sharing her work.