INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER- A CONTENT NEUTRAL

This is sad, but I have to admit that people find it difficult to imagine that I, with a background in English teaching, can work in an unfamiliar industry in the role of an instructional designer. Often, it’s very hard for me to convince people that instructional designers do not need prior industry experience in order to develop instructional materials or conduct training. In my opinion, industry experience is nice to have, yet it’s not a requirement. In fact, since most training is designed not for experts but for newcomers, not knowing the subject matter can be an advantage. It allows instructional designers to play the role of “naïve learners” and get the most out of an SME.

Last week, I came across the same issue mentioned in Connie Malamed’s blog. On this issue, Connie described instructional designers as content neutral—able to work with any type of content. She also emphasized that most instructional designers are not specialists in one field, but instead have ways to wrap their arms around all types of content. To illustrate her point of view, Connie shared her approaches and experiences in fulfilling the role of an instructional designer despite not having industry-specific experience. The following are her insights:

Working with Preexisting Content

Many clients provide preexisting content that has already been organized for a previous course or manual. There is often a common structure that underlies preexisting material, even when it’s poorly written or produced. Typically, there are basic skills learners need to master first, followed by knowledge to support those skills. After mastering the prerequisites, content usually introduces higher-level skills.

The first thing I do is look at the endpoint—where do we want to go? I’ll check if the current course organization enables a learner to reach the final goal. Almost certainly, reorganization is required, along with removing superfluous material and filling in gaps. In most cases, however, a preexisting course sheds enough light on the content to get a sense of it. That’s one way an instructional designer works with an unfamiliar subject.

Instructional Analysis

If the content is dysfunctional or unfamiliar, I conduct an instructional analysis. This refers to a procedure that identifies the learning steps required to reach an instructional goal. The outcome of an instructional analysis is a learning map showing the subordinate skills and knowledge necessary to achieve a new performance capability. It basically identifies the primary and secondary skills and knowledge of the course. This is another way instructional designers analyze and work with unfamiliar content.

Task Analysis for Specific Workplace Skills

In addition to an instructional analysis, a task analysis is often necessary. A task analysis examines specific work activities and identifies the actions and behaviors required to accomplish a goal. Typically, the outcome includes job and task descriptions and an inventory of subtasks or observable steps. Task analysis is a commonly used procedure to help instructional designers develop courses for a wide range of workplace skills.

Research

There will be times when no content is provided. In those cases, I research the subject through various means. Books written on a subject are often organized in a way that indicates an appropriate structure or at least a framework. Information from academic and trade journals can provide the latest approaches, including trends and insights into what’s pertinent today.

One might also use blogs, industry and vendor websites, professional associations, and social media searches to find more information or links to valuable content. Of course, checking that sources are reliable and respected is essential. This is another way instructional designers manage working with unfamiliar subjects.

Interviews with Experts

In my experience, most clients provide a busy subject matter expert (SME) for their project. This is a key person to interview for an overview of the material, the knowledge required for performing tasks, and for filling in gaps. If I know the SME has many projects going on—as is typical—I’ll try to familiarize myself with the subject on my own first. This way, I can ask intelligent and necessary questions and avoid contacting the person too often.

If an SME is not provided, it’s possible to hire one or to request interviews with professors, industry experts, and those with mid-level experience to get a broad range of perspectives. Interviews are another tool in the instructional designer’s toolbox for gathering content on topics we don’t know well.

Spread the Word

Instructional designers work in the neutral zone and are capable of designing and developing content, instructional strategies, interactions, and visuals for any subject. Come on, I dare you to give me a course on nuclear physics.