Dzine2learn

I f you're not inspired to start up your own company - even if you're the only employee -- another option is to work as a contractor for a placement company. One example is with a company called Learning Strategy Design. They've placed ID contractors in companies like Chevron, Ally, Deloitte, and Honeywell. In other words, they need ID's with expertise to work for top level companies. This begs the question, if you're a grad student or recent graduate of instructional design, how do you get the experience to land a job with this type of company? Chances are you'll need experience at a more junior level so that you have a portfolio to share to demonstrate your proficiency. https://learningstrategyanddesign.com/hire-an-instructional-designer/

  If you work solo, you have a lot more control over the types of clients you work for and the types of projects you want to work on. Of course, this depends on the availability of work. If it's not readily available you may need to accept what the market bears. If you already have knowledge of one or more industries, this would be a good place to scout out opportunities. Let's say you used to work for a food cart. You were a cashier and then a cook and got to know a lot about your customers. Based on this you did some marketing as well and introduced new choices for the menu.  You could take this idea and produce instructional content for this industry. You'd need to market it to the food cart owners as well as individuals wanting to enter into this opportunity. Social media would be a great asset in this case. Is the idea of striking out on your own to set up shop as an instructional designer something you've ever imagined? What do you think are additional considerati

  One thing to consider about contracting or working as a 1099 is that you receive compensation but no other benefits. This is something to consider when you establish your rates. You'll need to pay your own health insurance, dental, vision, retirement, Social Security and FICA -- a combined 30% of your pay. I haven't checked recently to see what an average hourly rate would be for a 1099 instructional designer. With so much remote work it's hard to say if the rate is dependent on the locale of the employer or more of an average rate across the U.S.

 Instructional Designers are set up to work as contractors if this type of work suits them. Is this something you've considered? I've been interested in this idea of having a few companies in a similar industry that I would create instructional content for them. I envision the projects as 3-10 month projects for a specific need. I know I would like the flexibility of working on a variety of projects over time. Ideally, I'd like to have projects that I produce deliverables asynchronously. I would get to know the team and check in once a week, but otherwise I would produce the work on my own. If you have experience with this I think many of us would like to hear more about it.

 When you think about your social media networks, is it your go-to for staying in the know (is that term even used any more?). As part of my graduate studies my peers and I are examining these concepts. Specifically, we want to know if your social media network has developed into a level of knowledge where you can find the resources you need. Is it the first place you look when you want to know more about your topic of interest? The first social media networks I followed were health-related. What I liked about them is how dynamic and current they were. Previously I was referring to a few websites, but soon lost interest because the content didn't update very frequently. In addition, if the site moderator didn't keep the conversation moving it wasn't motivating to check in on it because there wasn't new input.  My focus now is to find an opportunity in instructional design. This is where knowledge management for this community is important to me. Members in these communi

  Have you heard of the 90-9-1 Rule? Jackob Nielsen, an expert in User Experience Design discusses this: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/participation-inequality/ Which describes you: 90% - someone that lurks and never contributes 9% - someone that contributes some content 1% - someone who is the influencer and main contributor Do you agree with Nielsen's research? 

Articulate's blog makes helpful suggestions about creating your portfolio. Here's what they suggest. What are your thoughts? Focus on quality over quantity. A great e-learning portfolio should spotlight your skills and experience. That means your goal is to curate a small collection of high-quality work samples that demonstrate a range of skills. Don’t get too hung up on having dozens of projects in your portfolio. It’s better to showcase three or four beautiful, unique projects than a dozen mediocre ones with a similar look and feel. Provide a brief description of each project. Don’t simply post a bunch of links to your portfolio website and call it done. A great portfolio should look nice AND give prospective clients and employers context for each project. Write a brief description explaining why you chose to include each project in your portfolio. You can also highlight the challenges the project presented, the solutions you found, and any goals you achieved for yourself, th

  Portfolios are important in the graphic design and instructional design world as they are both visual demonstrations of your creative skill. Last week I was cleaning out my Microsoft One Drive to free up space. I discovered artifacts from my first e-learning project: a set of 70 microlearning modules that I created with Adobe Captivate, and later modules with Articulate Storyline 2. I was excited to review my work again with the hopes of adding it to my final Master's portfolio. Unfortunately, these artifacts can't be launched unless you have an Learning Management System (LMS). I recalled this issue several years earlier. Back then, I Googled a remedy for this situation and found a temporary LMS that I could use. It's been too long to remember what it was. Honestly, I gave up and deleted the content knowing that it would be incompatible with future apps. Has this ever happened to you? When it comes to Portfolios, have you created one? If so, what types of work samples ar

 In the previous post we looked at an e-learning ID job posting. I didn't publish the entire job posting so that we could look at a few components. Here's the tools section for this same job post with Blue Sky software: Proficiency in eLearning development software, such as Articulate 360 Proficiency in communication software, such as Outlook and Slack Proficiency in project management software, such as Asana or Trello  Let's look at each of the tools. Articulate 360 is an e-learning development tool to create tutorials. The original tool was called Storyline. There were versions 1, 2 and 3. I used version 2 and 3 to create about 40 microlearning modules. There was a bit of a learning curve, but once I used it everyday I didn't have to think much about the details. Last month I received notice that Storyline 3 would no longer be supported. Articulate 360 isn't much different accept that it's a subscription. The biggest impediment with Articulate's (and Adobe

  An e-learning instructional designer is an increasingly popular career opportunity in the corporate world. An example of this role is described in this posting: Blue Sky eLearn is seeking a qualified Instructional Designer. In this role, you will join the Learning and Development Team reporting to the Director of Learning Strategy. The Learning and Development team combines aspects of design, project management, and development, with specialization in Instructor Led and digital learning approaches. This is a fully remote, full-time salaried position averaging 40 hours per week. Responsibilities Implements learning strategies : Spearheads the implementation of the strategies needed to drive the initiative forward and to deliver business results, as developed by the L&D strategy team, client, and contracted team. Creates learning content : The ID works with Blue Sky clients and SMEs to design learning activities, such as assignments, assessments, scripts, storyboards, and interacti

  I can assure you that many of the LMS systems are fairly intuitive. I was the Admin for a LMS called CPD Online. This is an industry-focused LMS for credit unions, but it's developed by Sum Total Systems of Gainesville, FL. They use their platform to customize it to a variety of industries. That being said, underneath the hood the LMS is still the same. https://www.sumtotalsystems.com/ I was able to learn the Admin role simply by exploring. I watched a few vendor videos and through their support team, had my questions answered and was up and running with it.  Being an admin is about user permissions. You set up users, logins and passwords, and their access to content. For instructors, you support them by uploading their content.

  The  Instructure Community (Canvas) shares how-to videos for students, instructors, observers and Adminstrators. This is helpful because not all software companies do this unless you already have a paid license with them. Here's the link to some starter videos on using Canvas from the Administrator role. Granted, you won't be able to play with these features using your student account. However, it will give you an idea of what functions you are expected to use as an ID'er. https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Video-Guide/tkb-p/videos

  The technical skills listed in ID job postings sometimes pose a challenge on whether we feel competent to apply for it. We'll look at some of the more technically-focused job postings next week. For now, let's look at what is requested in Higher Education. These job listings often have fewer technical demands. However, applicants are still expected to have experience with Learning Management Systems, and the top ones such as Blackboard or Canvas. We ID'ers have experience using these as students but not administrators How did you land your job in this field? Did you convince the interviewer that you had enough understanding as a student using Canvas to be able to transfer that as a Canvas Adminstrator? Or, are you aware of any training you could take for this role? Position Summary Preferred Qualifications Education Master's degree in education-related field, instructional design, instructional technology, or another relevant field required for SLXD. Similar Bachelor&

One of the main types of Instructional Design roles is within the Higher Education setting. This is also one role that may be offered for remote workers depending on the University. Smaller universities may have just one or two ID'ers, whereas you can anticipate being part of a team with larger schools. Also, larger institutions may have specialty roles that are a subset of the larger ID role.  Let's take a look at a recent job posting for a Learning Designer Specialist at a top university. For those studying to be an ID'er, or those who graduated within the last few years, what do you think of these requirements? Do they match reality? Do you feel prepared to offer these skills? Position Summary The Senior Learning Experience Designer (SLXD) OR Learning Experience Designer (LXD) will focus on developing high quality learning experiences. The SLXD/LXD will be responsible for assisting faculty in achieving and measuring specific learning and teaching outcomes by leveraging a