Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Qualities of an Instructional Designer

For this week's post, I thought I would pose a question. Since my next assignment from my learning contract is approaching, I have been researching what qualities and skills are required in order to be successful as an Instructional Designer, especially for distance education. My next assignment will require me to create a list of qualities and skills that are needed to effectively fill the role of an instructional designer. After looking at various job postings for instructional designers at a number of institutions, I have come up with a small list of skills and qualities. Since I would like to get your own thoughts and ideas, I won't list those items just yet. However, in a post to follow I will share the results of my research and your responses. So please feel free to share your thoughts on what skills and qualities you think a person would need to possess in order to be an effective instructional designer. Thanks!
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3 comments:

  1. Sharee DickeyMarch 29, 2011 at 9:36 PM

    I think first of all, you need basic teaching skills, the same as you would use in the classroom. An example would be the ability to include activities for all types of learners (auditory, visual and hands-on).

    Then as an online designer, you need to be able to structure the content into appropriate sized chunks and present it to the learner in a logical format. You also need to organize your resources and determine which ones are most useful.

    These are just a few ideas in what is probably a very long list of qualities that are needed. Creativity and the willingness to try new things are also important.

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  2. UnknownMarch 30, 2011 at 9:14 AM

    I think Sharee had some good points. I think in addition one needs to posses the ability to adapt and imitate activities that work. I'm a firm believer in not recreating the wheel, see what is out there and adapt it to your needs.

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  3. UnknownApril 2, 2011 at 9:03 PM

    I also agree with Sharee's points. One thing I would add is a curious and creative mind. I think there is definitely something to be said for using creativity to solve difficult tasks.

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