Have you ever worked with an instructional designer to improve a course? According to a recent study released by Inside Higher Ed, the chances are that you haven’t. Only a quarter of faculty participants in the study have experience working with an instructional designer, but those who have “overwhelmingly appreciated the experience” – a full 93% of respondents rated their time with an ID as a positive. So what gives? Why are IDs underutilized in higher ed institutions? The truth is that there is sometimes a dearth of available information about available ID resources on campuses coupled with lingering misperceptions about what, exactly, that IDs can do for you.
So, what can time with a UP instructional designer do for your course? According to the study, instructional designers can help faculty understand available technology tools and integrate them into instruction, improve the overall quality of courses, and share ways to foster engagement with 21st-century students, for a start. If you work closely with an ID, they can help you to align the learning objectives and assessments in your course and help you to work out a plan to create multimedia or other elements you may need to develop for your course.
A common refrain from Instructional Designers is that they are not there to change your teaching style – they want to help you get the technology aspects of teaching out of the way so you can focus on what matters most to you and to your students.
You’ve got nothing to lose by taking advantage of the ID resources we have on campus. Check out these ID and Instructional Technology related links:
- Contact Academic Technology Services and Innovation’s ID, Maria Erb today for 1:1 consult. : erb@up.edu
- Need a quick tip when adding course materials to Moodle? Check out UP Moodle Guides
- Got a long commute and need something good to listen to? UPTechTalk keeps you up to date on how UP faculty are leveraging technology for all kinds of great outcomes.
- Sipping some coffee and want something you can use right away? Gulp down a Tech Tip and set something new in motion.
Photo by Toa Hefitiba on Unsplash