Guild Announces Instructional Design Research Report

The field of instructional design isgrowing. Yet the more opportunities expand, the harder it becomes to answer aseemingly simple question: What should a competent instructional designer beable to do?

A new research report from The eLearning Guild

The eLearning Guild’s new research report, Today’s Instructional Designer: Competencies and Careers, shines a light on this importantrole. Author Cecelia Munzenmaier examines the role of theinstructional designer; she traces it back to its beginnings during World WarII, when the US military had to train large numbers of draftees to operateunfamiliar equipment in stressful situations. The training had to be quick, andthe results had to be consistent.

Needless tosay, the profession has come a long way since then. But in its continuing evolutionthe parameters of what it means to be an instructional designer have moved somuch that they can be difficult to define. What do companies need? Is aninstructional designer someone who can keep up with all the latesttechnologies? Someone who can manage all phases of a learning project fromneeds assessment to completion? A professional who has the theoretical andpractical knowledge to design effective instructional solutions?

The outlookfor the instructional design field is bright—CNN ranked it 76^thamong jobs with “big growth, great pay, and satisfying work,” the report notes.But barriers to entry are high, expectations keep increasing, career paths arechanging, and disciplines are converging. In this report, Munzenmaier exploreswhere the profession is today, and where it’s headed tomorrow.

The report alsofeatures a preface by eLearning thought leader Allison Rossett.

To learn more, download Today’s Instructional Designer: Competencies and Careers from The eLearning Guild today.