Instructional Design – Is it for me?

The truthful answer to the question, “why you wish to learn instructional design,” is often, “because there’s a demand for it.” This is an honest reply, and there’s nothing wrong with it – after all, we learn skills to benefit from them, and if there’s a skill that could help us find a good, well-paying job, why shouldn’t we want to learn it.

However, unlike many other skills, the skill of instructional design is not behavioral; it is primarily cognitive. Essentially, this means that not everyone can become a great instructional designer just by practicing the skill for a long period of time. Some can, some just can’t. The good news is that not everyone needs to learn instructional design.

Are you someone who should spend time learning the nuances of this discipline? Will it bring about a lasting productive change in your life? The answers to these questions can be derived by answering the following questions.

1. Who should learn instructional design? (Experienced individuals should review whether the answer to this question matches their present or future roles.)
2. What kind of innate abilities should an instructional designer possess? (Freshers hoping to make a career through this skill, should see whether the answer to this question matches their talents.)

Who should learn instructional design?
Anyone who is engaged in transfer of knowledge, should learn instructional design. So here’s an incomplete but indicative list.

1. content writers
2. content developers
3. instructional designers
4. teachers
5. lecturers/professors
6. trainers
7. mentors
8. coaches
9. managers who train
10. managers engaged in content development

And of course any one who wishes to change his or her career path and become one of these.

Additionally, there are professionals who can benefit from instructional design, despite not using it directly. These are:

1. Writers
2. TV show producers/writers
3. Journalists
4. Web writers

The important point to note is that the ways in which each of these professionals use instructional design are different. They need to stress upon different facets of this discipline, and so elearning development would apply instructional design in a different manner than classroom trainings would; corporate trainings would use it in a different way than school teaching; and so on.

However, all of the professionals in the first list must know instructional design, if they want to do their job effectively and efficiently.

What kind of innate abilities, should an instructional designer possess?
This again is important. If you are a fresh graduate/post-graduate or even if you are thinking in terms of a career change, you should be reviewing your current skills for a match with what is required of an instructional designer.

An instructional designer should:

• Love to communicate
• Be positively inclined towards research
• Have strong language skills
• Be logical
• Be creative

If you have the above competence, you should seriously consider adding the knowledge of instructional design to your skill-set. It would reinforce your CV as a skill that is much in demand – and which will strengthen you in not just one job, but even as you continue to move through similar or even higher roles.

If you are planning to steer your career towards teaching, training, or writing; you should acquire the skill of instructional design. It will help you progress through your career smoothly, and ensure that your work shines through, bringing you glory and rewards.

If you’ve graduated in subjects such as Mass Communication or English Literature, you might have a slight edge when you send in your resume, but if you have a certificate in instructional design, it could be even better. I would naturally recommend Wavelength’s IDCWC to the fresh graduates/professionals hoping to move into the area of instructional design and content writing. However, an instructional designer is required to possess logic and reasoning in strong measures, so you should do your own research and form your own conclusions.

I would like to conclude by saying that you should review your inclinations before you decide to step into this field. If you like to write, and if you have the competencies listed above, you would become a wonderful instructional designer:--)

Author: Shafali R. Anand

(Read other articles by the author in Wavelength's Articles Section)