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Week 14 Blog Reflection

What does it mean to design instruction?

To design instruction means to create, organize, develop, and deliver instructional material for learning purposes.  Part of the design process includes determining the pedagogical needs of the learners.  Because students have different ways of learning, the right pedagogical method should be used to accommodate all students.  Instructional material is usually designed and used to achieve course learning goals and objectives.  When designing instruction, there are many design models one can use. 

One of the most common and well-known models is the ADDIE model.  ADDIE is an acronym of the five phases of this method, which includes analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation.  This model is known for its flexibility as it can be used and modified to work with other models.  Other well-known modules include Dick and Carey, Kemp Design Model, and Instructional Systems Design ISD (Instructional Design Models, n.d.).  Choosing the design model will depend on the job, the goals, and objectives, on the learners, and on the material been taught. 


What skills do you think you need to have to do it professionally?

An instructional designer must have many skills to be successful at the task of creating instructional material.  One skill an instructional designer needs is to be a self-learner.  This is particularly important since part of an instructional designer’s duties is to keep abreast of new technological innovations.  Besides having a well-rounded technical computer and programs skills, an instructional designer must also be able to think quickly when faced with issues.  As an instructional designer, I run into many issues, ranging from network failure, programs crashing, data loss, students’ issues, and the list goes on and on.  An instructional designer must stay cool and collected when faced with the so many issues that come with the job. 

Communication is also very important in this career.  There are days that I spend half of my time answering emails, answering telephone calls, and participating in multiple meetings, all of this been part of the job.  I also think having the right social skills are very important because as an instructional designer, you will work with many types of personalities, with students with different educational backgrounds, and with multiple instructors with different needs.  And finally, I would say an instructional designer needs to be extremely flexible.  I’ve had to accommodate people at the last minute, take work home, and answer emails all weekend.  Someone who isn’t willing to be flexible and accommodate both faculty and students should probably consider going into a different career.

References


Instructional Design Models. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05, 2016, from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/models/ 

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