Instructional design is the art of making learning experiences that help people gain the knowledge and skills they need. The goal of an instructional designer is to identify educational gaps and find the best ways to close them, be it through online videos, games, or courses.

They need to understand how people learn then apply various methods to create effective content. This means they must be experts in technology too. They have to know how to use different tools to make training easier and faster for their audiences.

What their responsibilities are

Duties vary according to their client or industry so they may include:

• Defining clear objectives for the content
• Designing and developing curriculum and courses
• Editing or refining online learning materials
• Creating learning environments and experiences
• Making learning activities, assessments, and assignments
• Crafting computer-based modules and storyboards
• Writing instructor’s manuals and other teaching tools
• Collaborating with experts to create course content
• Managing communities for online learning
• Analysing and updating existing online content
• Training instructors and employees on learning technologies
• Facilitating collaborations and discussions on social media
• Being up-to-date on ID best practices
• Writing scripts for audio and video training content
• Working with technical staff for troubleshooting problems
• Developing supporting materials including multimedia

Why become an instructional designer

If you feel confident that you can succeed as an instructional designer, why not seriously consider pursuing it? Here are some reasons why ID is a promising career.

Above-average income

The average salary for instructional designer in the Philippines is PHP 466,290 per year. The base pay may go up to PHP 715,000 while the bonus may reach PHP 395,000. Meaning, you might receive up to PHP 925,000 per year.

Growing industry

There’s a positive outlook for people wanting to pursue a job in instructional design. Since 2000, the e-learning industry has grown by an impressive 900%.

Numerous opportunities

LinkedIn Philippines alone lists 173 jobs for an instructional designer. There are plenty more roles when you look outside the country and consider clients from other parts of the world.

How to become instructional designer

Get the necessary skills

Some instructional design draws from neuroscience, education, educational psychology, or visual design. These fields have countless methodologies, principles, and theories of their own. Below, we discuss 3 of the fundamentals.

Gagne Nine Events of Instruction

This brings structure to your training sessions. It’s a systematic process that enables you create strategies and activities for classes. The nine events or steps provide the framework for an effective learning experience. These are:

1. Gaining the attention of learners – present a stimulus or introductory activity to engage them
2. Informing them of the objective – tell them what they will be learning during your session
3. Stimulating recall of past learning – relate the new information to something they already know
4. Presenting content – keep information organised, present them in chunks, and use different approaches
5. Providing guidance – give hints on how to learn the content faster with hints, cues, or prompts
6. Drawing out performance – let them do something with their newly acquired knowledge and skills
7. Giving feedback – reinforce the things they’ve done right and correct any mistakes
8. Evaluating performance – have them undergo a test to check if they meet expected learning outcomes
9. Boosting retention and transfer – get them to summarise content, generate examples, and the like

Behavioural Learning Theory

Otherwise known as behaviourism, this focuses on the idea that behaviours are learned by interacting with the environment. It also says that inherited or innate factors have little influence on behaviours.

Operant conditioning is the concept most relevant to instructional design. This approach employs punishments and rewards for behaviour. Consequences (whether positive or negative) are associated to every behaviour with this method.

The effectiveness of operant conditioning is affected by things like reinforcement schedules and the types of punishments and rewards that you use. There are a number of factors that influence how well or how quickly new things are learned.

Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model

This is the best-known model for analysing and evaluating the results of learning. It considers all styles of training, be it formal or informal, to evaluate aptitude based on four levels of criteria.

Reaction: Level 1 assesses how learners feel about the training model. Ask questions that establishes their thoughts and figure out if they found the material useful for their work or not.

Learning: Level 2 gauges how much they’ve progressed in knowledge and expertise. Have them take a pre-test prior to the training then a post-test to determine how much they’ve learned.

Behaviour: Level 3 analyses the differences in the learners’ behaviour at work after completing the training. Collect data through interviews with their superior, checking their performance, and observing them directly.

Results: Level 4 evaluates the overall success of the training model. You may use a control group to measure factors like less accidents at work, higher returns on investments, and improved quality of services.

Learn the technology

A vast majority of instructional design roles require you to be familiar with the technology. This is because you’re expected to write the instruction as well as develop the final online format. You must know at least these 3 tools:

Articulate Rise 360

A dynamic authoring tool for creating mobile-responsive courses for any device. While it has limited functionality, it’s easy to use especially for making informational products that include pre-programmed interactions.

Adobe XD

A vector-based platform for designing learning experiences. Most people use it for creating mock-ups of their slides before proceeding to Storyline. All you have to do is lay out the elements on your screen without the need to add interactivity.

TechSmith Camtasia

A great tool for making and editing videos. Not only is it efficient but also offers advanced screen recording features. It’s great if you need more control and functionality for your screencasts. Download the trial first and learn your way around until you get comfortable with it for your work.

Study visual design

It’s not enough that your learning experience is functional. You need to pay careful attention to how the content is displayed too. More than making things look pretty, it must make content easier to consume by demonstrating relationships.

Though some may argue that visual composition and design don’t matter, you have to know these four principles:

Contrast

This refers to the difference between two elements, be it in shape, size, colour, and more. It guides the gaze of the viewer and adds hierarchy to the overall composition.

Proximity

This refers to the distance between different elements. When they’re positioned closely together, it signifies that they’re related while the opposite is true. This has an influence in how you position images and text on pages.

Repetition

This refers to elements being consistent throughout the composition. Apart from making your visual design more cohesive, it makes it easier to learners to recognise which are buttons or links.

Alignment

This refers to the arrangement of different elements. Make sure that every element is aligned with another on the page so your design appears more professional and polished.

Build your portfolio

If you want employers to consider you as a strong candidate for the role, show them what you can do for their organisation. You want them to look at your portfolio and think that you’re exactly who they’re looking for. Doing so raising your chances of landing the job.

Choose your projects

You might be new to the scene but that doesn’t mean you can’t have work displayed. You likely have contracts that showcase your skills in visual design or learning. In this case, highlight the areas that are closely related to instructional design.

Choose your platform

There are all kinds of tools available and each have their own strengths and weaknesses. If you want something you’re likely familiar with, choose WordPress. Another option that is easy to use even with minimal technical knowledge is Wix. It pays to know some JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS too.

Choose your tone

Think about the impression you want to leave on potential employers. Maybe you want to come off as friendly and engaging then make your portfolio fun. If you want to seem serious and technical, keep things sleek and minimal while ensuring that all important information is visible.

Expand your network

Your connections play an important role when you’re trying to land that job or contract. They may help you get your resume in front of your next client, mentor you about different approaches, or enable you to stay updated about the industry.

Here are some of the best avenues for networking:

Twitter

A social media platform that has the most active group of Learning and Development professionals around the world. Follow those you’ve already heard of along with those that they’re working with. Make use of the platform’s search functionality to find others in this field through the right title keywords.

LinkedIn

The ideal social network when you’re a newbie instructional designer as it’s easier to work from referrals than from outreach. You may find your first client on here thanks to an existing connection. Learn to effectively build your personal brand on LinkedIn through our previous blog post.

Online events

These have become a popular avenue for meeting new people in the industry and they happen in the comfort of your own home. No longer do you have to pay for plane tickets to attend conferences and mingle with fellow IDs as you can meet them through video conferences now.

How to gain instructional design experience

Now that you know how to become instructional designer, prepare your resume and apply for jobs in the field.

We at Remote Workmate can simplify the application process for you. We’ll teach you how to make yourself more attractive to prospective clients and even how to negotiate salary for instructional designer.