Recently, I became aware of the idea of empathy in instructional design. Upon further research, I saw that there seems to be a lot of discussion regarding this topic (especially from the past few years or so). For examples, check out the links below: 5 Steps Towards Empathetic Instructional Design In Online Training A Guide to Empathetic Design Empathy As Your Starting Point for Great eLearning Design Empathy Framework Overview So, what does empathy in instructional design

I'm starting this year with the hard hitting questions - Is instructional design a science? This question was posed to me in one of my doctoral program courses and I can't seem to shake it. So, I wanted to take some time this week to discuss and blog about the field and the practice of instructional design. In order to effectively discuss and answer the question for this week, let's 'chunk' the information. Let's first discuss what is instructional design. Instructional des

Right before the new year, I posted some ideas for 2019 and what to look ahead to. You can visit my end of year wrap-up to learn more. As I look ahead, here's what you can look forward to from me and my blog this year: A monthly post on a new technology tool More posts exploring ID related theories and design A larger focus on a practitioners' point of view (application of research into practice) More research focused topics (more on that below) This spring semester, I have

During this time of year, we typically look ahead to our new resolutions and what one has accomplished over the past year. As I look back and reflect on my year - I'm really happy with what I've done. I'm even more excited about what there is to come. Looking Back I've learned a lot of tools over the past year such as Padlet, Poll Everywhere, EdPuzzle, and a lot of audio/visual feedback tools (more on those to come in 2019). I really explored the use of different methods a

As part of the ID2ID Experience I am taking part in this year, we (my buddy and myself) are asked to attend or participate in two professional development opportunities. To learn about our first professional development, please feel free to read my blog ID2ID Professional Development - Synopsis 1. As a reminder, we decided to write up a literature review on our topic of Audio Feedback. Once our resources were gathered, we were having difficulty learning how to structure and

There are numerous statements about opportunity, such as: Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door. Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them Success is where preparation and opportunity meet. If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. However, have you ever just sat back and thought about missed opportunities? Have you thou

EDPuzzle is an easy-to-use video platform that helps instructors boost student learning through video lessons. It collects learner data and can be used in a variety of learning environments. EDPuzzle allows for instructors or learners to create customized videos specific to a particular topic. For example, if there is an important video you would like for your learners to watch, an instructor can create an EDPuzzle video that tracks who watched the video and set up quizzes

Later today, I have a meeting with one of our instructors. This individual did not develop the course he taught nor does he have extensive experience teaching online. Our meeting is to discuss how the course was developed, designed, and how it runs. This meeting had me thinking about how feedback can come from a lot of different sources - instructors, students, other designers, etc. While I look for different feedback sources when looking at the design of the course - it ma

Recently, I read a post about there being a gap in standard lesson plans. To Learn, Students Need to DO Something by Jennifer Gonzalez. The blog focused on the absence of doing 'activities' in the classroom. In the blog, they laid out the typical lesson plan format as such: Anticipatory set: This is where we get learners interested in the lesson and set objectives for the day. Direct instruction: Facts, concepts, and skills are delivered via lecture, video, reading—some way

Every now and then, I end up in a conversation with a faculty member, co-worker, or employee about what I consider the age-old debate: Should instructional designers learn tools or theories? While I find it important to know both - eventually - initially, the theory should come first. At least that is my thought process and I wanted to blog today about why. This week, I had a student come to ask advice on interviewing as he has a job interview in the field of ID. As this i

This week, I'm focusing on the use of collaborate tools to increase student engagement in different learning environments. The tool I examined this week was Padlet. Padlet is essentially an online collaborative tool that can help an instructor or trainer elicit responses in real time. As technology grows, so does the need for learners to develop and acquire 21st century skills. Padlet allows learners to respond to questions in real time or at a later date – letting the ins

Last week I was on vacation. I was so excited to finally have a break, unplug, and leave all of the drama of work and work-related issues behind. However, I found myself on my email a lot more than what I would have liked. As I think back, it didn't affect my vacation. I checked my email every morning before it was warm enough to go to the beach. While my vacay friends were reading books on the patio, I was checking my emails and working through problems each morning. I

What is AIDA? "AIDA stands for attention, interest, desire, and action, and can be used to describe the sequence of events that goes into making someone want to buy your product or service" (Bean, 2014). While author Cammy Bean uses AIDA, a classic copywriting model, to e-learning - I think the same concept can be applied in a wide variety of online settings. But first, let's run though what goes into each step. Attention - "What is your hook? How do you pull the learner in

This week, I'm focusing on the use of polls to increase student engagement in different learning environments. The tool I examined this week was Poll Everywhere. Poll Everywhere is essentially an online voting tool that can help an instructor or trainer elicit responses in real time. As technology grows, so does the need for learners to develop and acquire 21st century skills. Poll Everywhere allows learners to respond to questions in real time – letting the instructor or

Lately, I've been in a "creative rut" where I am just not motivated to do much of anything. It is not that I'm not getting work done or not working on projects - it mostly has to do with being passionate about what I'm working on. Below is a recent situation that I have been in and wanted to share with the group. One of the courses I was designing really had me amp'd up and excited about what I was designing. I had the storyboards. I had the course map all created and read