This is excellent advice. I'm at a turning point in my career and getting my M.Ed in Instructional Design but there's a lot of theory floating around out there and it's refreshing to hear the "just do it and put it out there" advice. I think it's the only way we can truly learn what works and what people prefer for their learning style(s). Thanks!! Keep the videos coming. :-)
I agree 100%. Practice, compare, practice again. Look around how others solve problems in instrucational design. I'am ten years on the job and every single day i learn something new for the job. Strive to stay open minded for new ideas, tools, techniques. For me, instructional design in combination with training need analysis, consulting is the second best job ever. ... The best one was definitely working with socially very disadvantaged young people, trying to teach them useful things.
Excellent video. A master in anything has first learned to master their emotions. They are strong enough to seek out criticism, not run away from it. Thanks for inspiring me!
I love your video! I'm happy to hear this as I am also new in the Training field..and am intimidated when I see all the qualifications that's necessary to enter the field. But your video helps to shed light for someone entering in the field. Thanks Anna!
Great video, but as an intstructional designer you should know that you have white noise in your video and need to run it through a noise filter: Adobe Audition will do these with a basic spectrum sample after collecting noise points. Also, you could use Camtasia if you wanted a basic removal of noise. Another issue is the echo because the mic is cheap and without a pop filter. You have great energy though and I'm sure you will do well with the right tools and support.
Im 41 years old and going back to school after 20 years. I discovered instructional design as a career option after speaking with an enrollment advisor of an online university. I was excited and inspired after learning of this educational path, and my question to you is.... which online school(s) would you recommend as choices to pursue a career in this field??
Tools and LMS are key. A good authoring tool and delievery method is a must have. We use Bridge and knowbly learning systems. My company is in Beta with a new company called knowbly learning sytems. It has everything that Capitvate and Articulate have (we used to use ) at less than half the cost. Because they are in beta they will design to our specific needs. My instructional designers seem to love it- just saying :)
have you read the outliers? it's a great book that explains how to become a master. and it can be reduced as "practice" at least 10.000 hours. and your idea is great, begin by creating little but interesting stuff using free or trial tools and ofcourse becoming social is vital this days. i'm an educator and work as an academic instructional designer and as an extra of what you've said, i'd like to add that the you must start by understanding either the learning and the teaching process.
Nice video. Good advice, concise, and well thought out. From a production value standpoint, I would work on improving the audio of your video. It will make a big difference to the end viewer. After spending better than a decade as an Instructional Designer, I find it incredibly ironic how many videos I find related to Instructional design that are poorly designed and poorly executed. Nicely done.
Speaking of working on improving yourself to achieve mastery, are there any certificate programs you recommend that can help a learner with real life application of instructional design? Please and thank you!
And after a while, that uncomfortable advice isn't so uncomfortable. In fact when you see how criticism from others improves your work, you'll go back to the critics again and again for feedback.
You mention that as instructional designers we should put something and get feedback. But where to put it and get feedback? I am studying a Master in Instructional Design and Technology in Walden University and I want to learn more about this profession =)
I second one of the comments below. There were a lot of great points made in the video. Where do you suggest an instructional designer gain feedback on their writing? I haven't been in the industry for too long, but it feels like there are a lot of sacrifices that get made in the writing content for the sake of appeasing stakeholders. I don't believe that's a good idea, but it's an obstacle I see quite frequently. Is there a way to combat this?
Victoria, great question. I consider great writing something that is easily understood, can be shared, has good context etc. But find, that even those who teach writing at university think that simplifying text, or more technically including its readability = dumbing it down. So, to combat this I pull out the readability matrix and tell them where their language falls. The readability matrix compares text from Hemingway (readability score of 4) all the way to academic writing (score 11 and up) when they see that even the Washington Post has a readability rating of 5 or 6 they see (and that most manuals and procedures - the unrefined versions - fall into the 10+ category) they then see the utility of great composition. (on the score scale I use Flesch Kincaid - but there are many many others. I also use readable.io to generate results to show them the ratings... its worth the $5 monthly subscription, plus Hemingway App is a great tool to refine your writing. It is so important, thanks for asking this question - it is very important. Hope this was helpful and thanks for watching!!
Wow! Thanks for the amazing software recommendations. I've never heard of those before, so I'll be sure to check those out! Also, thank you for being so attentive and responsive. I appreciate it.
@heteranc Yes, I've read Outliers. It's funny you mention it, as I never thought of it while putting this video together, but Outliers is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. Specifically, the Beatles example (in the book) comes to mind; where they continued to refine their craft in the pubs of Germany before taking America by storm. I totally agree, starting with an understanding of learning & teaching need to go a hand-in-hand with applying & testing your techniques in the field. Thx!
Practice + Feedback = Mastery. Heck yeah. Great Video. I'd love to see something on the (preliminary) analysis and initial design that you might use on a rapid development project, how might it differ to that of an ADDIE approach. Or is ADDIE baked-in?
Hello Anna, I really enjoyed watching this video about becoming a master. My dad used to say that "if someone makes something look easy, that means they're really good at it." Anyhow, my question is about Skillagents and how participants might show that they (successfully) completed your training. Is there any way we can prove to hiring managers or potential employers that we have taken your course and that we are better designers because of it? Thanks for your time.
Terry, thank you for your comment and question. Skillagents is a membership site and currently we don't offer anything official in the way of badges or certificates for completion. Your progress and completion does get tracked but that's not really an indication of mastery. Currently working on combining several small projects that students can choose to use as parts of their development portfolio out in the professional world... it's definitely something others have brought up. It's in the works :)
@KinkyTransitions - Of course you can post the video on your site. And please share it with a friend you think would find it beneficial. Thanks for watching! :)
Thank you , id like for knowing if getting BA in psychology could help me become a master instructional desinger? I just got into ID now (just 100days & I already love it), I also love & want to learn more about andragogy, cognitive science, writing & Edu Tech. I am planning on doing BA psychology through Distance Education .
Vishnu, it will help you as much as you let it help you. Knowing about how people learn, how our minds work, what motivates us... all good things to know and understand when designing learning. Enjoy your studies!
I was about to disregard everything you said then I saw your cat, which is short for CAT-EGORY, which is something you must be good at in Instructional Designing. So I was able to appreciate your design process; you use subliminal objects to trick people into liking your YOU TUBE videos... sneaky, very sneaky HEHEHE! All kidding aside, thank you for giving someone like me (thinking of pursuing a degree in ID) good advice and excellent professional ethics to build upon.
I liked your video, but I would really like to talk to you in person. I have been a part-time trainer and lecturer for many years. I even did it full-time for two years, but I want to do it on my own and market my own services. How can I contact you?
How to become a Master Instructional Designer? Here is my answer: Get some experience developing courses and training that is designed and developed after conducting an accurate assessment of measurable performance objectives. Getting good at doing things I.D.'s do . . or focusing on skills is often misunderstood to mean "the ability to use a specific medium, software, or communication method." I compare it to being able to use the tools in the box but no idea how to design and build something that requires the use of those tools. Mastery must have a M E A S U R E M E N T, or Standard of which to judge it. As a seasoned Instructional Designer I have experienced alot of knucklehead pixel pushers or or assembler type people wearing the hat of Instructional Designer. . . who run off into the sunset and build E-learning tools that totally miss the mark. It all starts with being adept at assessment . . . gathering key information such as the value of the instruction. . . the performance gap. . . understanding target learners. . . the budget. . . the yadda yadda yadda. The biggest and most common mistake Instructional Designers make is taking projects that are slapped in their laps by upper management and subject matter experts who then expect you to go build it. Having only a rudimentary and superficial understanding of the objectives. . . often lacking the big picture understanding of business motives that originates the need for the training in the first place. When you finish building it. . . they need you to rebuild it. . .because they weren't exactly pleased . . . so then you rebuild it. . . and round and round we go. . . having allowed the senior management or business owner to call the shots and drive the plan as if they were the instructional designers. Or, subject matter experts SME's who are more concerned about job protection and who are so deep into the forest they can't see the trees. So. . .to summarize my point. . . Instructional Designer's must. . . MUST . . . ABSOLUTELY MUST BECOME. . . confident leaders and consultants able to communicate and partner with the most senior people in the organization. The reason being. . .the value of the training is imbedded in the money . . . what would happen if you don't develop the training?. . . what will it 'cost' the organization or business if you faile to develop the training?.....and what is it worth to the business. . . money. . . if you are successful at designing and developing the training and it achieves the measurable performance objectives intended? It's often about following the money! The concept of being a "Master" anything has multi-dimensional measures and to be a great Instructional Designer. . . you need to be a great business person first, and strong communicator with power to persuade and sell. Anything less is an order taker and grunt designer . . . making stuff that falls short of what it could be. I got my first BA degree in Instructional Design in 1986 from Chico State, at the time the Nation's biggest party school. It was a great place to learn all the basic concepts back when the technology was video and slide tape presentations. Computers were just going WYZWIG. . . and the entire graphics and media design field took off like a rocket. The medium is not the message though. . . and sometimes all you need is a puppet show to show the Kindergarten class how to use the restrooms, not an interactive CBT. Every situation and opportunity is unique. Being skilled at getting to the Why? behind everything will help you design with purpose and success. OK....that's my story and I am sticking to it. I am for hire! Rich Miller confi4miller@gmail.com
This is excellent advice. I'm at a turning point in my career and getting my M.Ed in Instructional Design but there's a lot of theory floating around out there and it's refreshing to hear the "just do it and put it out there" advice. I think it's the only way we can truly learn what works and what people prefer for their learning style(s). Thanks!! Keep the videos coming. :-)
I agree 100%. Practice, compare, practice again. Look around how others solve problems in instrucational design. I'am ten years on the job and every single day i learn something new for the job. Strive to stay open minded for new ideas, tools, techniques. For me, instructional design in combination with training need analysis, consulting is the second best job ever.
...
The best one was definitely working with socially very disadvantaged young people, trying to teach them useful things.
Excellent video. A master in anything has first learned to master their emotions. They are strong enough to seek out criticism, not run away from it. Thanks for inspiring me!
Great pragmatic definition of 'mastery' - love it!
Glad you enjoyed it Ewan! Thank you for the comment :)
Thank you very much for such short yet detailed open minded approach on Instructional Design.
I like your perspective... and you are right, we should always look to learn and master our craft.
I love your video! I'm happy to hear this as I am also new in the Training field..and am intimidated when I see all the qualifications that's necessary to enter the field. But your video helps to shed light for someone entering in the field. Thanks Anna!
There’s a nifty attachment you can get called compression, it could really help with your echoing audio.
Thank you for the suggestion! I know audio makes a huge difference.
Yeah
Audio technica has a nice lapel mic that would improve the audio of your video a lot.
Great video, but as an intstructional designer you should know that you have white noise in your video and need to run it through a noise filter: Adobe Audition will do these with a basic spectrum sample after collecting noise points. Also, you could use Camtasia if you wanted a basic removal of noise.
Another issue is the echo because the mic is cheap and without a pop filter.
You have great energy though and I'm sure you will do well with the right tools and support.
Im 41 years old and going back to school after 20 years. I discovered instructional design as a career option after speaking with an enrollment advisor of an online university. I was excited and inspired after learning of this educational path, and my question to you is.... which online school(s) would you recommend as choices to pursue a career in this field??
Tools and LMS are key. A good authoring tool and delievery method is a must have. We use Bridge and knowbly learning systems. My company is in Beta with a new company called knowbly learning sytems. It has everything that Capitvate and Articulate have (we used to use ) at less than half the cost. Because they are in beta they will design to our specific needs. My instructional designers seem to love it- just saying :)
Anna, thank you for your comments. Very inspirational!
have you read the outliers? it's a great book that explains how to become a master. and it can be reduced as "practice" at least 10.000 hours. and your idea is great, begin by creating little but interesting stuff using free or trial tools and ofcourse becoming social is vital this days. i'm an educator and work as an academic instructional designer and as an extra of what you've said, i'd like to add that the you must start by understanding either the learning and the teaching process.
hey tats an amazing snapshot for whether or not to instructional design!! thanks
Thank-you for the advice. I love your positive energy :-)
+Andrea Allen Thank you Andrea - I got a whole bunch back with your comment. Glad you found it useful!
Nice video. Good advice, concise, and well thought out. From a production value standpoint, I would work on improving the audio of your video. It will make a big difference to the end viewer.
After spending better than a decade as an Instructional Designer, I find it incredibly ironic how many videos I find related to Instructional design that are poorly designed and poorly executed. Nicely done.
Superb Anna, I total agree. I love your Practice Practice Practice attitude! Top marks to keep going.
Speaking of working on improving yourself to achieve mastery, are there any certificate programs you recommend that can help a learner with real life application of instructional design? Please and thank you!
I love your content Anna, thanks!
And after a while, that uncomfortable advice isn't so uncomfortable. In fact when you see how criticism from others improves your work, you'll go back to the critics again and again for feedback.
Thanks! Words to live by! :)
By the way the Subscribe button is not up there. It was at the lower-right corner of the screen.
Thank you for your advice. This is exact I want
You are most welcome :)
You mention that as instructional designers we should put something and get feedback. But where to put it and get feedback? I am studying a Master in Instructional Design and Technology in Walden University and I want to learn more about this profession =)
I second one of the comments below. There were a lot of great points made in the video. Where do you suggest an instructional designer gain feedback on their writing? I haven't been in the industry for too long, but it feels like there are a lot of sacrifices that get made in the writing content for the sake of appeasing stakeholders. I don't believe that's a good idea, but it's an obstacle I see quite frequently. Is there a way to combat this?
Victoria, great question. I consider great writing something that is easily understood, can be shared, has good context etc. But find, that even those who teach writing at university think that simplifying text, or more technically including its readability = dumbing it down. So, to combat this I pull out the readability matrix and tell them where their language falls. The readability matrix compares text from Hemingway (readability score of 4) all the way to academic writing (score 11 and up) when they see that even the Washington Post has a readability rating of 5 or 6 they see (and that most manuals and procedures - the unrefined versions - fall into the 10+ category) they then see the utility of great composition. (on the score scale I use Flesch Kincaid - but there are many many others. I also use readable.io to generate results to show them the ratings... its worth the $5 monthly subscription, plus Hemingway App is a great tool to refine your writing. It is so important, thanks for asking this question - it is very important. Hope this was helpful and thanks for watching!!
Wow! Thanks for the amazing software recommendations. I've never heard of those before, so I'll be sure to check those out! Also, thank you for being so attentive and responsive. I appreciate it.
@heteranc Yes, I've read Outliers. It's funny you mention it, as I never thought of it while putting this video together, but Outliers is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. Specifically, the Beatles example (in the book) comes to mind; where they continued to refine their craft in the pubs of Germany before taking America by storm.
I totally agree, starting with an understanding of learning & teaching need to go a hand-in-hand with applying & testing your techniques in the field. Thx!
Practice + Feedback = Mastery. Heck yeah. Great Video.
I'd love to see something on the (preliminary) analysis and initial design that you might use on a rapid development project, how might it differ to that of an ADDIE approach. Or is ADDIE baked-in?
Hello Anna, I really enjoyed watching this video about becoming a master. My dad used to say that "if someone makes something look easy, that means they're really good at it." Anyhow, my question is about Skillagents and how participants might show that they (successfully) completed your training. Is there any way we can prove to hiring managers or potential employers that we have taken your course and that we are better designers because of it? Thanks for your time.
Terry, thank you for your comment and question. Skillagents is a membership site and currently we don't offer anything official in the way of badges or certificates for completion. Your progress and completion does get tracked but that's not really an indication of mastery. Currently working on combining several small projects that students can choose to use as parts of their development portfolio out in the professional world... it's definitely something others have brought up. It's in the works :)
@KinkyTransitions - Of course you can post the video on your site. And please share it with a friend you think would find it beneficial. Thanks for watching! :)
The video talks about everything but what makes a good instructional designer and the skills required.
Thank you , id like for knowing if getting BA in psychology could help me become a master instructional desinger? I just got into ID now (just 100days & I already love it), I also love & want to learn more about andragogy, cognitive science, writing & Edu Tech. I am planning on doing BA psychology through Distance Education .
Vishnu, it will help you as much as you let it help you. Knowing about how people learn, how our minds work, what motivates us... all good things to know and understand when designing learning. Enjoy your studies!
Can you please help me choose the best title for my Instructional Design Project
Masese, what's the project about? Give me a bit more context and I'll see what I can do :)
Thanks for your well thought out opinions. It's simple and great! And lots of love for Bubba!
I was about to disregard everything you said then I saw your cat, which is short for CAT-EGORY, which is something you must be good at in Instructional Designing. So I was able to appreciate your design process; you use subliminal objects to trick people into liking your YOU TUBE videos... sneaky, very sneaky HEHEHE! All kidding aside, thank you for giving someone like me (thinking of pursuing a degree in ID) good advice and excellent professional ethics to build upon.
I thought you were great until the cat appeared. Ha! Seriously, you are an animated and convincing speaker. Thank you for this post.
Sounds a lot like Lean Startup/Agile Development. Still, a good one. :)
I liked your video, but I would really like to talk to you in person. I have been a part-time trainer and lecturer for many years. I even did it full-time for two years, but I want to do it on my own and market my own services. How can I contact you?
Hi, Bubba.
Engaging! :) Nice material! :)
good informative , being no visuals , not effective .
How to become a Master Instructional Designer? Here is my answer: Get some experience developing courses and training that is designed and developed after conducting an accurate assessment of measurable performance objectives. Getting good at doing things I.D.'s do . . or focusing on skills is often misunderstood to mean "the ability to use a specific medium, software, or communication method." I compare it to being able to use the tools in the box but no idea how to design and build something that requires the use of those tools. Mastery must have a M E A S U R E M E N T, or Standard of which to judge it. As a seasoned Instructional Designer I have experienced alot of knucklehead pixel pushers or or assembler type people wearing the hat of Instructional Designer. . . who run off into the sunset and build E-learning tools that totally miss the mark. It all starts with being adept at assessment . . . gathering key information such as the value of the instruction. . . the performance gap. . . understanding target learners. . . the budget. . . the yadda yadda yadda. The biggest and most common mistake Instructional Designers make is taking projects that are slapped in their laps by upper management and subject matter experts who then expect you to go build it. Having only a rudimentary and superficial understanding of the objectives. . . often lacking the big picture understanding of business motives that originates the need for the training in the first place. When you finish building it. . . they need you to rebuild it. . .because they weren't exactly pleased . . . so then you rebuild it. . . and round and round we go. . . having allowed the senior management or business owner to call the shots and drive the plan as if they were the instructional designers. Or, subject matter experts SME's who are more concerned about job protection and who are so deep into the forest they can't see the trees. So. . .to summarize my point. . . Instructional Designer's must. . . MUST . . . ABSOLUTELY MUST BECOME. . . confident leaders and consultants able to communicate and partner with the most senior people in the organization. The reason being. . .the value of the training is imbedded in the money . . . what would happen if you don't develop the training?. . . what will it 'cost' the organization or business if you faile to develop the training?.....and what is it worth to the business. . . money. . . if you are successful at designing and developing the training and it achieves the measurable performance objectives intended? It's often about following the money! The concept of being a "Master" anything has multi-dimensional measures and to be a great Instructional Designer. . . you need to be a great business person first, and strong communicator with power to persuade and sell. Anything less is an order taker and grunt designer . . . making stuff that falls short of what it could be.
I got my first BA degree in Instructional Design in 1986 from Chico State, at the time the Nation's biggest party school. It was a great place to learn all the basic concepts back when the technology was video and slide tape presentations. Computers were just going WYZWIG. . . and the entire graphics and media design field took off like a rocket. The medium is not the message though. . . and sometimes all you need is a puppet show to show the Kindergarten class how to use the restrooms, not an interactive CBT. Every situation and opportunity is unique. Being skilled at getting to the Why? behind everything will help you design with purpose and success.
OK....that's my story and I am sticking to it. I am for hire! Rich Miller confi4miller@gmail.com