What skills do I need to be an instructional designer?
At Luma we are often asked:
What skills do I need to be an instructional designer?
The discussion of defining instructional design is not new in our field. The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) defines instructional design as, “the systematic process by which instructional materials are designed, developed, and delivered.” There are many tasks that go into course design and development. This leads to unique skill sets and people that are needed to make course development a success.
At Luma, we look for individuals who can work collaboratively and are excited to bring their specific areas of expertise to our instructional process. We differentiate instructional design from instructional technology.
While there are many soft skills anyone can work on that would be valuable to any employer (dependability, communication, leadership, problem-solving skills, and teamwork), we have summarized some of the specific skills we look for in instructional designers and instructional technologists.
Instructional Designer
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Build rapport with instructional team members (other ID’s, instructional technologist, SME, faculty, deans, department chairs, managers, etc).
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Employ creativity for instructional activities.
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Demonstrate active listening and effective speaking skills.
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Use instructional theory in course design.
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Build course design templates grounded in our instructional process and instructional theory.
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Help subject matter experts find and evaluate instructional materials.
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Lead subject matter experts through our instructional design process.
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Provide positive, supportive, and professional feedback.
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Stay current on innovations in learning, design, and education.
Instructional Technologist
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Design responsive learning objects.
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Write in a variety of coding languages.
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Create interactive media.
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Employ creativity for instructional activities.
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Program in a variety of learning management systems.
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Stay current on innovations in technology, design, and education.
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Demonstrate active listening and effective speaking skills.
