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My View of Instructional Design Technology (IDT) The goal of instructional design should go beyond helping learners acquire inert knowledge or simply improve performance (Reiser, 2018). “Instead the goal should be to help learners apply the new skills and knowledge they have acquired” (Reiser, 2018a; Reiser 2018b). By providing an environment in which individuals are actively using and building upon what they learn, they will be more likely to approach future learning tasks and work-related problems by being better prepared and with improved self-confidence. Instructional design enhances the process of how people learn and in the development of strategies for incorporating what they learn into the scaffolding of their future learning. As an instructional designer, I strive to creatively solve problems and collaborate with other professionals to understand and address the aspects of each specific learning environment using an integrated method that incorporates authentic learning and how people feel about how and what they’re learning. Building upon the concepts and methodologies of instructional design, learning environments are enhanced and learners empowered to achieve greater success. For example, design solutions are distinct in that the learner, materials, context, and the overall learning environment, is unique to the individual’s learning experience at that particular point in time. In my current position I am revising and developing instructional content in a Learning Management System environment (LMS). The process of teaching in the classroom and online as well as constructing courses in the LMS has afforded me the opportunity to see the design process from two perspectives. IDT combines the desire I have as a teacher to help students learn and as a designer to help them apply what they learn in the most beneficial learning environment.

Experience My professional goal is based on my desire to help people succeed as learners. I see myself as primarily a collaborator, but also as an educator, a designer, and a developer. I began my career as a high school teacher. I enjoyed the instructional interaction with the learners but often found that I really liked trying to improve the instructional training materials and the classroom environment I had to work with. I later became a graphic and web designer which evolved into marketing and design at the University of Tennessee. I now teach design and web development at Pellissippi State Community College (PSCC). In this position, I revise and edit the scaffolding of the courses I teach as well as assist other faculty members in planning online courses. One of my core strengths is the ability to work cohesively as a team. I collaborate with faculty and staff on an ongoing basis. In a combined effort, we endeavor to enhance the student’s learning experience and environment but also to continually evaluate the process itself. As a high school teacher, I learned the pedagogical aspect of student learning which included curriculum development, lesson planning, assessment, and coordination of technical software and devices to advance learning outcomes. This role helped me to identify with the instructor-perspective. I learned the importance of matching learning goals and objectives with the instructional design and format of the materials. This is also when I began experimenting with

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digital instructional formats. I witnessed the frustration both teachers and students felt when content, meaning, and learning objectives were misaligned. We knew there was a disconnect but didn’t know how to fix it. Students were putting forth genuine effort to learn, but the environment, instructions, and contextual content did not match up. During my years as a graphic and web designer, I collaborated with other design professionals, clients, and their corporate teams in designing training and instructional elements for print and web. As a marketing coordinator, I communicated complex processes related to the commercialization of intellectual property to faculty, staff, and the public. Communicating and explaining the subject matter in a simple way was critical. As an instructional designer, I strive to present relevant material in an uncomplicated manner and facilitate bringing about a desired learning outcome or change in perception. IDT helps to establish clear instructional goals using flexible methods and tools. IDT is flexible in that it incorporates multiple stakeholders’ perspectives; the learner, the instructor/instruction, the environment, the training content, and the processes and methodologies used to foster the desired learning. It also allows for various methodologies to be used to achieve the learning outcome. IDT also focuses on systematic design processes and the use of technological resources as integral parts of the field (Reiser, 2018). Although my career roles have varied, an aspect of IDT runs true in them all. The learning environments must be authentic and how people feel about what and how they are learning impacts the success of the learning environment and their experience. Also, the iterative process of analyzing, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating (A.D.D.I.E. model of instructional design (Reiser, 2018) encompasses many aspects of creating marketing training materials, instruction for coursework, and graphic design for web and print. Instructional design is fluid in nature and necessarily an iterative process. The same person will learn different content in different ways based on their personal experiences, the stage of their life learning, and environmental change. Although choosing the appropriate technology tool(s) is a factor, I learned that the context and environment in which learning materials are presented has more meaning and value than the device itself. To communicate this process in marketing, I drew on my skills as an educator and a graphic designer, by creating visuals using illustration and animation. I also employed instructional methods and procedures via technical support and creation of learning materials. My work involved technical writing and visual communication across multiple platforms. I found that certain projects required that I address more than the aesthetics of a design but also to explain the how’s and why’s of presenting subject content in a clear, concise manner. In IDT, important components include analysis of the learner, the problem, the content, and ultimately the design solution (Larson, 2014). The following questions (paraphrased) from Miriam Larson’s Streamlined ID (2014) perfectly describe the struggles I had encountered as an instructor and a graphic designer.

• What does the learner need?

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• How can what the learner needs be connected to what is being offered as instruction or training?

• What is the goal of the instruction/training? • What is the essential content, how do you prioritize? • How to classify and organize the content? • What is the content treatment? • What technologies will be used? • How will we know if the instruction worked?

I realized there was a common theme looking over my work history, I seem to excel at communicating and translating content. I enjoy facilitating other’s learning and providing support to enhance their overall instructional process. This led me to pursue a degree in Instructional Design Technology. As an ID I now realize that in my previous career roles, I had a preconceived notion of how users would view instructional process and made assumptions about how they would feel and learn. A colleague recommended Steve Krug’s Don’t Make Me Think. The book was an eye-opener. Without realizing it was instructional design technology, I began to adopt some basic IDT methodologies. I began intentionally planning the instructional environment and not just the appearance of the finished product or the method of delivery. I am thankful now for the challenges and frustrations I encountered in my previous career roles because it gave me a greater understanding of the importance of instructional design and led me to the program at the University of Tennessee. My current position as an instructor gives me an opportunity to learn and work with the Brightspace (LMS). I have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty, staff, and students as a teacher, an evaluator, a technical supporter, a designer, a developer, and at times a fellow student. I work independently and in collaboration with other faculty and staff in revising and creating the scaffolding of the courses I teach as well as assisting other faculty members in

Figure 1 Timeline of Expertise

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planning online courses. The underlying goal in all of this is to enhance the environment in which students actively learn but also in the evaluation of the process itself.

Competencies Instructional design is dynamic and evolving as technology and learners adapt to new ways of attaining and communicating learned information. I believe this requires active and creative problem solving, a willingness to seek out and participate in collaboration, and dedication to continued professional education. As an instructor, I witness daily the effect of technological devices on the learning experience. I have embraced the use of smart phones, access to cloud storage, open source software, laptops, and the school’s learning management system (LMS). Students are engaged in self learning simultaneously as they are taught from an instructor. The percentage of online learners has increased by approximately 260% at PSCC from 2016 – 2019. Considering the learning theory of connectivism, “students need to understand, and be provided with, experiences in navigating and recognizing oceans of constantly shifting and evolving information” (Picciano, 2013). This theory addressed in the reviewed Picciano literature referred to the massive open online classes (MOOCs) as a form of online learning. As an ID I am currently focusing on online LMS learning environments in conjunction with traditional instructional materials employed by schools, community colleges, and universities. I believe that components of traditional learning theories are helpful in the assessment and creation of learning environments. I believe an integration of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism theories may be considered and that all have value in helping to understand how people learn. I am particularly interested in connectivism which is a learning model that “acknowledges major shifts in the way knowledge and information flows, grows, and changes because of vast data communications networks” (Picciano, 2013). I believe by studying learning behavior I can better understand and design projects that facilitate the learning process. In order to continually grow and enhance my acumen in instructional design I subscribe to the International Society of Technology in Education (www.iste.org) blog, read the International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning published by the International Society of the Learning Sciences (www.isls.org) and follow these and other IDT professional organizations on Twitter. I would like to attend The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) conferences and plan to continue reading IDT publications such as the International Journal of Designs for Learning (IJDL) that I was introduced to during my time at UT. In my current position I collaborate with PSCC’s instructional designers and instructional technologists in developing course materials and planning activities for online and hybrid classes. Opportunities to grow and evolve to be a better designer are continually available. I have a great desire to help people learn and improve the way they achieve mastery. I am beginning my career as an instructional designer knowing that my learning will never end and that the IDT field is ever-expanding and evolving. Firsthand I can see the need to improve accessibility, incorporation of technology, embrace diversity, and devise ongoing plans for future learners as

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global citizens. I am excited to be part of this living and thriving field of study. Thankfully, learning is not bound by location or a single methodology. Instructional Design Technology affords me the opportunity to positively incorporate new ideas and innovations in the way individuals learn. Its scope is wide and broadening, which allows me to define and redefine what my work as an ID will look like on an ongoing basis.

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References AECT. (2008). Definition. In A. Januszewski & M. Molenda (Eds.), Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary. Lawrence Erlbaum. Krug, S. (2005). Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, (2nd ed.). New Riders Press. Ch. 1 Picciano, A. G. (2017). Theories and frameworks for online education: Seeking an integrated model. Online Learning, 21(3), 166-190. doi: 10.24059/olj.v21i3.1225. Retrieved from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1154117.pdf Reiser, R. A. (2018a). What field did you say you were in? Defining and naming our field. In R.A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (pp. 1-7). New York, NY: Pearson. Reiser, R. A. (2018b). A history of instructional design and technology. In R. A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (pp. 8- 22). New York, NY: Pearson. Larson, M. B., & Lockee, B. B. (2014). Streamlined ID: A practical guide to instructional design. New York: Routledge.