Instructional Design Job Posting

As posted in my Learning Log January 25, 2014

Jim Doran
EDTECH 503 ID Job Posting

PART I − SYNTHESIS

The candidate will:

As the Instructional Designer, the candidate will be responsible for developing and enhancing innovative instructional materials for the presentation of a Nuclear ACAD to students both in on-line and classroom environments. The candidate will interface with Management, Instructors and Students to assess needs and transform these needs into digital solutions. They will be responsible for developing multi-media presentations on all aspects of nuclear power, including nuclear physics, water chemistry and material sciences.

Required skills/knowledge/background

  • Master's Degree required in either instructional design or educational technology.
  • Knowledge of online teaching methods and Computer-based training.
  • Experience with the Microsoft Office Suite, the Adobe Creative Suite and Camtasia.
  • Experience with Multi-media production including audio and video editing
  • Expertise in adult learning theory. and exceptional written and oral communication skills.
  • Exceptional written and oral communication skills.

Desired skills/knowledge/background:

  • Experience with Learning Management Systems software.
  • Working knowledge of HTML5, CSS3, Javascript.
  • Experience with interactive 3D modeling, XML and X3D.

PART II − REFLECTION

  1. What are teachers expected to do that instructional designers are not?

    2. Teachers are the delivery system of an instructional designer's lesson plans. They provide the content to the designer in the form of factual information and desired outcomes, and when the lesson is complete, the teacher provides both their own and their students feedback as to which portions of the lesson were effective and which were not. A good analogy for the instructional designer/teacher dynamic is home construction. Think of the teacher as the lumber yard and the home owner and the designer as the architect and builder. The teacher delivers the bones of the structure to the designer, and the designer envisions and builds the home. When construction is complete, the teacher, as the home owner, moves into the structure, tries it out and feeds back to the builder those things which work and those that could be improved.

  2. What are instructional designers expected to do that teachers are not?

    3. Instructional designers are expected to be the digital experts. They should have a deep and up to date knowledge of the tools that are available both for content creation and class implementation. The instructional designer should be well versed in the ADDIE process so that they can provide properly worded concrete, measurable objectives for the lesson, including the use of measurable verbs and objective formats. Additionally, instructional designers should have an artist's eye and be able to translate the facts provided into small packets of easily digested and absorbed material. This includes the ability to create effective info graphics. Lastly, instructional designers should be able to effectively instruct the teachers in the use of the software tools they provide such that the teachers are comfortable with these tools and at ease in front of their classes.

  3. What are the three major differences between a teacher and an instructional designer?

    • A teacher delivers content, while an instructional designer creates content.
    • A teacher is a software end-user, while an instructional designer is a software developer.
    • A teacher possesses a deep understanding of the facts which are to be presented, while an instructional designer can take any set of facts and present them in a way which is understood by all.

Assignment Reflections:

Working in the nuclear power industry, I have an instinctual knowledge of what an instructional designer does. In the past, I have given classes for our training department. While our trainers have a deep understanding of their subjects, they are usually chosen based on the fact that they are system experts and readily able to answer student questions and provide insightful operating experience.

The end result of these hiring practices is a relatively homogenous population within the training department. As such, the technology applied when developing lessons tops out at Power Point presentations. These presentations are generally no more than attractive overhead projector presentations delivered by a computer.

The first thing I've always done upon being given an assignment to teach a class is look for opportunities to present this wealth of information in a form that extends the Power Point program. This includes incorporating animations of static drawings, interactive learning tools and concise info graphics. The result of these practices is a classroom which is far more engaged than were I to present the data in the form of a series of bullets on a Power Point slide.

PART III - Job Posting URLs