Online Degrees and Certificates for Instructional Designers: What You Need to Know

Monica Surrency graduated with abachelor’s degree in classic civilizations—not your most marketable of degrees.Unsure what she wanted to do with her life, Surrency worked in variouspositions, from graphic designer to web instructor to education technologyspecialist, ultimately landing an instructional design position at Embry-RiddleAeronautical University’s Worldwide Campus helping subject-matter expertsdesign online courses.

 “I really enjoyed the work I was doing,” saysSurrency. “I thought, ‘I’ve found what I want to do.’”

Surrency had been planning to get amaster’s degree in something anyway; once she found a profession that clicked,she checked out instructional design programs, seeking one that was fullyonline so it wouldn’t interfere with her job. She settled on a master’s ininstructional systems from her alma mater, Florida State University. Two yearslater—shortly before her graduation in December 2014—she accepted a promotionat Embry-Riddle to senior instructional designer.

“Without my master’s, I’m not sure ifI would have gotten the promotion,” says Surrency. “Having that degree reallyhelped.”

Educational options online areincreasing in number

Master’s degrees like the oneSurrency earned are part of a growing array of educational options—often online—nowavailable for those choosing to enter or advance within the instructionaldesign field.

“I’m seeing a greater increase ininstructional design programs,” says Phillip Harris, executive director of the2,400-member Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). “We’reseeing a variety of initiatives at institutions big and small,” Harris says. Thisincludes master’s degrees as well as certificate programs.

One reason for the growth in theseprograms: new technologies. As mobile devices, apps, and other new learningtools have become available, so has the demand for education to teach learningprofessionals how to use them. A survey of 1,100 instructional designers by theAssociation for Talent Development (ATD) in November 2014 found that 40 percentwere concerned about lack of skilled staff in their organizations, while 29 percentexpressed “difficulty keeping pace with new developments in learningtechnologies/media.” In response, ATD called for more ongoing education fordesigners.

At the same time, demand fordesigners by employers is up, especially as the recession eases, says TimothyW. Spannaus, PhD, coordinator of the instructional design program at WayneState University in Detroit, Michigan.

“We’ve noticed a distinct increasesince the worst of the recession five to seven years ago,” he says. “Over thelong term, there’s been a steady increase in demand.”

So what should you know if you are interestedin an online degree or certificate in instructional design? What are key trendsin learning in this field, and what can you do to pick the right program foryour needs? If an online degree or certificate in instructional design is notright for you, if you need more focused skill development, are there otheroptions that require less time and lower investment?

(Editor’s Note: For an excellent review of the state of the Instructional Design profession today, including the skills and competencies employers want from instructional designers, see The eLearning Guild’s Research Report Today’s Instructional Designer: Competencies and Careers.)

What’s new in ID education?

For Phillip Harris, one of thebiggest factors affecting instructional design education today is brain science—thatis, what researchers are finding out about how people learn. Developments incognitive neuroscience are affecting learning theory, and this is tricklingdown to the way designers are being taught.

“We’re seeing more emphasis onlearning theory in the training programs and a larger recognition of how thebrain works in how instruction is designed,” Harris says. “The learningsciences are expanding and computer science is contracting. The designer needs to understand how learningtheory drives their design of instruction.”

This doesn’t mean designers don’talso need to know some technology, though. Depending on the size and type ofinstitution, the instructional designer could be one specialist among a team ofhighly specialized people—or he or she could be expected to handle severalroles, especially for smaller organizations.

Wayne State looked at the kinds ofjobs its grads were landing and decided three years ago to shift itsspecialized set of master’s programs into a single, more generalized degree, Spannaussays.

“We saw what was happening in themarketplace for grads was that they were being called on to be generalists—tobe able to deal with performance technology, interactive technologies, anddesign,” he says. The university then created one master’s degree inperformance and design.

Specialization also comes into playwhen looking at whether the design student will work in K-12, higher education,or the corporate sector. Some colleges and universities offer separate programs—particularlyat the certificate level—that focus on those job areas.

The University of Georgia and theUniversity of British Columbia, for instance, have graduate certificates specificallytargeting teachers. Wayne State has a master’s degree in K-12 design. Spannaussays this is because “the context in which we are working can certainly make adifference in how we apply the learning tools we have.”

Other schools don’t separate K-12from private-sector or adult learning design, letting students choose throughelectives to make that specialization if they decide to, while keeping corefundamentals the same.

“Instructional design is instructional design is instructional design,” saysVanessa Dennen, PhD, program director at Florida State University. “Peoplethink K-12 must be so different from corporate, but teaching six-year-olds andadults is not that different. We’re trying to teach students to be flexible andassess any environment they enter and use their core instructional designskills.”

Beyond specialization, another trendaffecting online instruction is the declining influence of for-profit onlineschools, says Harris. Though these schools made a big splash seven or eight yearsago, “They are losing some of their luster. Their credibility is just not wherethey’d like them to be,” with students having trouble landing jobs and alsoexperiencing higher student debt. “It looked like they were going to replacesome of the brick and mortar institutions, but that’s just not happening.”

(Editor’s Note: For a discussion of which degrees and credentials are of most value for eLearning professionals, see The eLearning Guild’s Research Report Degrees for eLearning Professionals: What’s Needed?)

Integrating new technologies

ATD’s recent survey found that manydesigners are aware of newer technologies and are preparing to use them intheir jobs, but their use is not yet widespread.

Mobile learning is used by 25percent, gamification by 16 percent, and MOOCs, only 10 by percent. But, as theATD white paper about its research points out, “growth in the application ofthose methods is expected,” with higher numbers of designers consideringexpanding into those technologies.

At Florida State, new technologyelectives have been developed in such areas as MOOC design, using social mediato support learning, and mobile learning; students learn to create learningexperiences triggered off of QR codes, how to build interactive eBooks and howto design apps.

“It’s been very important to adjustour course offerings and be sure we have electives that reflect the kinds ofthings our students see happening in the marketplace—the types of skills that employerswill be interested in,” Dennen says.

It’s also valuable for students tolearn firsthand what it’s like to be an online student—since they likely willbe designing online courses themselves—and to use various technologies, such asMOOCs, that they may be implementing in their jobs.

Surrency, for example, developed aMOOC as part of her job at Embry just a few months before taking a MOOC designcourse at FSU. “It was pretty cool, because my work experience helped with myclass,” she says. She also learned new skills in her course, such as contentcreation, to take back to her job.

While instruction in specific technologiescan be important, these also are likely to change. That’s why it’s key forprograms to teach how to approach technology in general, Dennen says. Thisinvolves inculcating attitudes of fearlessness and a willingness to experiment,as well as an ability to “look at a program and figure out the metaphor onwhich it was designed” so that students can grasp the menu structure andunderlying functionality. This way, she says, students can master any newtechnology.

Master’s vs. certificate—benefits foreach

About half (46 percent) of the 1,100instructional designers surveyed by ATD in November 2014 have degrees in thefield. That’s up slightly (by two percent) from a 2010 survey.

Of those with degrees, 87 percentheld either master’s degrees or doctorates. About 16 percent of respondents hadcertificates (up from 14 percent in the 2010 survey).

The vast majority of designprofessionals surveyed viewed their education as valuable to their careers,with 43 percent saying it was very important and 39 percent saying it wassomewhat important (only two percent said it was unimportant).

Indeed, no matter which credentialyou choose, you are likely to find benefits for your career. But of the twomost common types available online—the master’s and the graduate certificate—whatare the relative benefits?

Master’s degrees take about twice aslong to earn as the certificate and usually involve earning 30 to 40 credithours, depending on the program. “They hold greater currency in the job market,”Dennen says. “Master’s degrees are a really good step for people who want to bepractitioners in the field.”

Certificate programs typicallyrequire 15 credit hours. They can be a good intro to the field for newbies—away to see what it’s all about, while still earning a credential. Or, designerswho want to update their skill sets can find value in specialty certifications.

The online PhD degree is more rare.Typically PhD programs are research-intensive and require at least someface-to-face presence, Dennen says.

David Berz, director of globallearning products at Melcrum, an internal communications firm, says his onlinecertificate in instructional design was more useful to his design work than hisearlier master’s in education technology, which he earned partly online in 2007from Northern Arizona University.

Berz, who has worked for LinkedIn,Mozilla, and Disney Interactive, says that many years ago, he applied for a jobin instructional design at Bank of America and was rejected. He was told hedidn’t know enough about instructional design and the science behind it. Theinterviewer advised Berz to get a certificate, which he did from Darryl Sink& Associates (DSA).

Bank of America later hired Berz as alead instructional designer. Berz went on to hold a variety of instructionaldesign jobs for different companies, which he thinks he landed in part due tohaving a master’s degree. Yet he credits what he learned in his certificateprogram with helping him do the actual work.

“As far as being a betterinstructional designer, I think the certificate was super-important because oflearning the fundamentals of instructional design, adult learning principles,the theories, and gaining an understanding that there is a science around that,”he says.

On the other hand, he says, assomeone who hires instructional designers, he looks for candidates with master’sdegrees, which he believes give a good background and understanding of theprofession. “I think it matters. I think it’s important to have.”

Certificates, too, can be a plus whenit comes to getting hired, says Stephanie Taitano, associate director offaculty professional and leadership development at the Perelman School ofMedicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where she designs eLearningcourses.

Taitano has earned several onlinecertificates over the years in instructional design, primarily in new-techareas such as mobile learning, social media, and gamification. She findscertificates “tremendously beneficial,” noting that they can be developed morequickly than degree programs and thus respond more rapidly to tech trends.

“They can keep us current in a waythat is more credible and reliable (and vetted) than a conference program,” shesays.

When she evaluates designers for eLearningpositions, Taitano says she looks “for some indication of currency—andcertificate programs and other one-up online offerings are one way to show this.”

(Editor’s Note: The eLearning Guild’s 2015 Global eLearning Salary & Compensation Report analyzes how education level affects compensation worldwide.)

Tips for picking a program

• Find out what’s required in the job you want tohold (look at job ads or ask potential employers and people who work in thatposition) and then find programs that fill those requirements.

• Evaluate the program’s emphasis. “Often thereare career areas that different programs end up being feeders for,” saysDennen. For example, some might focus on K-12; if you want a corporate job,this program might not be right for you.

• Take a close look at the curriculum to seewhether it provides both a strong foundation as well as electives in the areasthat meet your goals. Not only should you look at the range of courses offered,but also the course of study and how flexible it is, says Spannaus. Ifeverybody has to take the same courses in the same sequence, this may not giveyou the options you need.

• Check out the credentials of the professors whoare teaching the courses (the university website should have a faculty pagelisting their books, articles, conference presentations, and awards; if not,try Google Scholar to see what papers they have published, suggests Spannaus).

• How is the program taught? Is it synchronous,asynchronous, or a mix? If your job requires lots of travel across time zones,a heavily synchronous program may not work for you. Also, is the program taughtwith the kinds of interactive elements you want to learn to incorporate intoyour own ID work? In other words, does it practice what it preaches?

• What do people on Twitter say about it? Taitanosays online courses she’s taken sometimes have a specific Twitter hashtagassigned for student discussion and collaboration. Or students may come up witha hashtag on their own and talk about the course. Search for the program andyou are likely to find feedback to help you with your decision.

See the sidebar at the end of thisarticle for a list of the top online education programs.

Guild Academy

The eLearning Guild Academyprovides professional development opportunities for anyone involved in themanagement, design, development, and implementation of learning solutions. Coursesacross a broad range of skills are designed to lead to mastery and to make adifference in your career.

The Academy offers live onlineand blended courses in:

• Tools and Technologies; online now (April 2015)are:
  • Adobe Captivate (basic and advanced)
  • Articulate Storyline 2 (basic and advanced)
  • Articulate Studio ‘13
  • xAPI (introductory for designers)

• Instructional Design and Development; onlinenow:
  • Creative instructional design
  • Designing interaction
  • The A.G.I.L.E. approach to ID
  • Designing learning ecosystems
  • Sketching and prototyping design

• Virtual Classroom Design; online now:
  • Coaching others for virtual classroom success
  • Facilitation skills for virtual trainers
  • Producing virtual classroom training
  • Design and development of virtual classroomtraining (basic and advanced)
  • Design and deployment of virtual instructor-ledtraining for mobile 

• Content Creation; online now:
  • Game design
  • Scriptwriting and audio production for eLearning

• Business and Leadership; online now:
  • Agile project management for eLearning
  • Project leadership for instructional designers

Complete information about thecourses, their schedules, and registration details are available here.

Sources

• Monica Surrency, @MoniIDD

• Vanessa Dennen, [email protected]
• Timothy W. Spannaus, [email protected]
• David Berz, [email protected]
• Stephanie Taitano, [email protected]
• Phillip Harris, [email protected]