Section 6: Getting an IDT Position and Succeeding at It
Instructional Design Positions
Instructional Designer (Mount Saint Mary College)
Job Description:
Mount Saint Mary College invites applications for a part-time Instructional Designer position to develop blended online courses in collaboration with our faculty and other members of our instructional design team.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities
- Collaborate with subject matter experts and other members of the instructional design team to design, develop, evaluate, and refine blended online courses
- Participate in required training and meetings in order to follow and refine established instructional design procedures and frameworks for course development as appropriate to project goals, timeline, and budget
- Ensure the application of appropriate guidelines to blended online courses in areas such as assistive technologies, accessibility issues, and copyright laws
Requirements:
- Masters degree in instructional design, instructional technology, curriculum and instruction, or other relevant discipline areas
- Experience with the development of online courses in higher education settings
- Application level understanding of instructional design theories and models, online pedagogy, and adult learning theories
- Demonstrated proficiency with Web conferencing systems (e.g., Skype, WebEx) and Web/multimedia development tools (e.g., Dreamweaver, Flash, Photoshop, Captivate)
- Experience with and working knowledge of learning management systems, such as Moodle, Sakai, Blackboard, and Desire2Learn.
- Demonstrated ability to regularly collaborate with others in a team environment, and work independently on assigned duties with minimal supervision
- Excellent organization and project management skills and the ability to meet project deadlines
- Outstanding verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
My Skills:
I am interested in this job because it focuses on instructional design in the field of education. The idea of working with a team of instructional designers and faculty to develop and maintain blended online courses sounds like a worthwhile challenge. However, I don’t have all the skills necessary at this time. I am just short of my masters. I also have no experience in developing online courses or the software (Dreamweaver, etc.) to create such courses. I would need more experience if I were to be considered for this position.
Instructional Designer (Educational Policy Improvement Center)
Job Description:
EPIC is seeking a highly skilled individual to serve as a key member of a team that is designing curriculum and assessments related to college-readiness. Initially, this individual will be involved in creating a break-through program of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and support services spanning grades 6–12. This innovative program is designed to enable more students to be prepared to succeed in Advanced Placement® courses while in high school and to be fully ready to succeed in a broad range of postsecondary institutions.
Requirements:
- Master’s degree required, doctorate preferred.
- At least five years’ progressively greater experience in organizations engaged in educational improvement, research, or product development activities, state education departments, testing or publishing companies, or school districts.
- Willingness to work out of EPIC’s Eugene, Oregon office initially (possibility for part-time or full-time assignment to EPIC’s Portland, Oregon office in cases where this is desired, but only after a period of full-time employment in the Eugene office).
- Submit professional or academic writing sample upon request.
- Be willing to travel as required up to approximately 20% of the time.
- Report directly to the CEO of EPIC.
My Skills:
Helping middle and high school students by creating a program that helps them be successful in Advanced Placement courses and college is similar to my job right now. I teach high school English to juniors. I also taught Pre-AP English I for four years and know the AP curriculum well. I am, however, under qualified. I will have a masters in the Spring, but I see they prefer a doctorate. I also lack the necessary experience.
Instructional Technology Designer (Center for Writing and Rhetoric, Univ of Mississippi)
Job Description:
The Center for Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Mississippi invites applications for an Instructional Technology Designer. This person will provide direct support to composition teachers and their students in connection with multi-modal assignments. The responsibilities of this permanent, full-time position include developing on-line courses and converting print-based instructional materials to be used in web-based courses. Other responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Train faculty and staff in the use of on-line course delivery methods and interactive classrooms,
- Code necessary HTML and World Wide Web documents for conversion purposes,
- Stay abreast of current instructional technology by attending conferences,
- Hire, train, and schedule facilitators to assist faculty, staff, and students in interactive classrooms,
- Act as liaison between faculty and students enrolled in courses,
- Design and coordinate the publication of fliers, brochures, reports, newsletters, and related materials.
Requirements:
A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in a related field as well as two (2) years of experience related to the above described duties are required.
My Skills:
Being an English teacher, I would love to work with composition teachers and students by writing online curriculum and transferring existing materials online as well. I love the idea of working with faculty and students and helping them be successful. I do have a bachelor’s degree, but I doubt being an English teacher is their idea of adequate experience for this job. I also know very little in the way of html and web code. I would need to take some courses.
Self-Assessment Exercise
I used the ASTD Career Navigator Self-Assessment for this exercise. I found the assessment to be very difficult, and I’m not sure I answered the questions correctly (although I did to the best of my ability). I rated myself as an entry-level specialist considering I have absolutely no experience in this field.
I learned that I am very, very under qualified when it comes to the field of instructional design. This is not surprising to me, given that I am getting my degree in library science. I lack the necessary skills in designing learning, improving human performance, measuring and evaluating, and business management. I did well on areas like delivering training, personal skills, and interpersonal skills, which have a lot to do with my skills as a teacher. I feel my weak areas are due to the fact that I haven’t worked in the field of instructional design or taken many courses related to that field. I liked how the assessment matched my weak areas with resources (books, workshops, info-lines, training and development) that I could take to strengthen these skills. It even gave me a goal level for each skill that would be suitable for an entry-level position. If I wanted to get a job in instructional design, I would know exactly what I needed to do to get myself ready for the job.
Association for Educational Communications and Technology
Mission Statement:
The mission of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology is to provide international leadership by promoting scholarship and best practices in the creation, use, and management of technologies for effective teaching and learning in a wide range of settings.
Cost of Membership:
New Regular Membership: 125.00
New Student Membership: 75.00
Publications:
Educational Technology Research and Development
A bi-monthly publication of the Association for Educational Communications & Technology
TechTrends - Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning
Instructional Science
An International Journal of the Learning Sciences
Learning and Instructional Technologies for the 21st Century
Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning
Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary
Distance Education: Definition and Glossary of Terms
Quarterly Review of Distance Education
Conferences and Meetings:
2011 AECT International Convention
'Celebrate 3.0: Design.Learn.Community'
November 8-12, 2011
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront
Jacksonville, Florida
AECT in SecondLife
Opportunities for Professional Development:
Membership includes the opportunity to attend a Summer Leadership Institute.
There are also divisions of AECT that focus on more specific aspects of the field. Members communicate through blogs and nings.
ü Design and Development
ü Distance Learning
ü Graduate Student Assembly
ü International
ü Multimedia Production
ü Research and Theory
ü School Media and Technology
ü Systemic Change
ü Teacher Education
ü Training and Performance
My Analysis:
AECT is very useful for me as I become a librarian. In fact, one of it’s journals, Information Power, is used as a guide for all the librarians in our district. Part of being a librarian is incorporating new technologies into the curriculum. This organization offers several publications and other resources to help me accomplish this. Although I had heard of information power, I had not heard of AECT before this exercise.
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education
Mission:
The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education is an international association of individual teacher educators, and affiliated organizations of teacher educators in all disciplines, who are interested in the creation and dissemination of knowledge about the use of information technology in teacher education and faculty/staff development.
The Society seeks to promote research, scholarship, collaboration, exchange, and support among its membership, and to actively foster the development of new national organizations where a need emerges. SITE is the only organization that has as its sole focus the integration of instructional technologies into teacher education programs.
Cost of Membership:
Professional Membership:
$115 (US); $130 (non-US)
Student Membership:
$35 (US); $50 (non-US)
Publications:
Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE)
Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE)
Conferences and Meetings:
SITE 2011 - Nashville, TN -
March 7 - 11, 2011
Opportunities for Professional Development:
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
SITE members participate in Special Interest Groups (SIGs). These SIGs are organized under three councils: Information Technology, Teacher Education and Consultative.
My Analysis:
As an English teacher and future librarian, it is extremely important for me to understand how to incorporate technology into teacher education. Part of my job as a leader on campus will be to help others understand how technology can help them be successful in class. I had not heard of this organization before now.
American Education Research Journal
Focus/Goals:
The American Educational Research Journal publishes original empirical and theoretical studies and analyses in education that constitute significant contributions to the understanding and/or improvement of educational processes and outcomes. The Social and Institutional Analysis section focuses on significant political, cultural, social, economic, and organizational issues in education, and the Teaching, Learning, and Human Development section explores the processes and outcomes of teaching, learning, and human development at all educational levels and in both formal and informal settings. Both sections publish research representing a wide range of academic disciplines and using a wide range of research methods.
Submission Guidelines:
Specifications for Manuscripts
The preferred style guide for all AERA journals is the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed., 2001. The only exception is the Social and Institutional Analysis section of the American Educational Research Journal. Contributors to that section may, if they wish, useThe Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., 2003. If a manuscript that is accepted for that section does not use author-date citation, the author will need to reformat it for publication in author-date style, following either the APA or Chicago manual.
Manuscripts should be typed on 8 1/2 x 11-inch white paper, upper and lower case, double spaced in entirety, with 1-inch margins on all sides. The type size should be at least 10 pitch (CPI) or 12 point. Subheads should be at reasonable intervals to break the monotony of lengthy text. Words to be set in italics (contrary to the rules of the style manual) should be set in italics, not underlined; sentence structure should be used to create emphasis. Abbreviations and acronyms should be spelled out at first mention unless they are found as entries in their abbreviated form in the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed., 2003 (e.g., IQ needs no explanation).
Pages should be numbered consecutively, beginning with the page after the title page. Mathematical symbols and Greek letters should be clearly marked to indicate italics, boldface, superscript, and subscript.
Requirements for Computer Disks
A 3.5-inch computer disk should be sent to the editor once an article has been accepted. (The disk may accompany the manuscript for book reviews.) The computer file must contain all revisions and must agree with the final version of the manuscript. We prefer a file in Microsoft Word for Windows, but can convert from RTF and WordPerfect. Tables and figures should be included on disk and hard copy.
It would be most helpful if you would use the following practices in typing your manuscript on disk:
- Continue to follow the APA Manual to differentiate among subhead levels; the managing editor will convert these to the proper codes.
- Type only one space after a period or other punctuation.
- Begin each paragraph with a tab, not the space bar.
- In text, use hard returns only at the ends of paragraphs, heads, and subheads. Do not use hard returns in block quotations.
- Despite the instructions in the APA Manual, do not use indents or margin changes in the References. Just type straight copy and use one hard return at the end of each entry.
- Type footnotes in as normal text at the end of the text section of the manuscript rather than as part of the footnote or endnote feature of a computer program.
Peer Reviewed? Yes
Is the journal online? Yes, http://aer.sagepub.com/
My Analysis:
This journal is helpful to me as an educator on many levels. It covers a wide range of topics concerning education. I was aware of this journal and have used articles from it in my masters courses.
eLearn Magazine
Focus/Goals:
eLearn Magazine is where e-learning professionals turn to produce more innovative and effective online education and training. We strive to be the leading source of high-quality information on technology for corporate training and higher education.
Submission Guidelines:
Contact Lisa Gualtieri or Jill Duffy with a clear and well developed idea for an article (about 3 paragraphs is all we need), or submit an article as a Word document attached to an email using the format guidelines below.
Editorial Process
· All contributed articles will be edited according to eLearn's editorial process, explained below.
· Once a submission has been accepted, the authors will be asked to submit a draft (unless already completed) of the article by a deadline.
· Upon delivery, the article will be reviewed by eLearn Magazine's editors and editorial board.
· Next, the author may be asked to revise the article, based on the board's comments. A new deadline will be determined.
· When the author delivers the revised article, or if the author's first draft is accepted, the editors will review it, edit it, and assign a tentative date of publication.
· All authors are required to sign a standard copyright release form, which the editor will provide. Details of the form are available prior to submission upon request.
Format
Please submit your article as a Word document or RTF (see the Submission Guidelines below for complete instructions).
Your article should include:
· At least one suggested headline or title for the article, subject to change.
· Authors' full names and affiliations.
· Body of the article, with NO images.
· A 3- to 4-sentence author biography with an email address and links to your web site and blog, if applicable. If you would prefer your email address not be made public, please indicate that.
· Sidebars, if applicable, such as a list of links to resources or additional reading.
Peer Reviewed? No, this is a magazine, not a scholarly journal
Is the journal online? eLearn is only online!
My Analysis:
The fact that this eMagazine is free makes it extremely useful for me in my career. The articles focus on everything related to integrating technology into the classroom. Through a quick search, I found information on podcasting, webinars, virtual role-playing, and many more topics. I had heard of eLearn before now, but I have never visited the site.
Performance Technologists
According to the textbooks, there are several competencies for performance technologists. I found the 2004 ISPI/ASTD PT competencies to be the most thorough. I would use these competencies and divide them into four domains that were also mentioned in the textbooks.
ü Domain I: Outcomes—a performance technologist must concern himself with the outcomes and adapt/change them accordingly in order to best serve his clients
o Competency 1: Focus on results and help clients focus on results.—it is only by focusing on results that any change can be made.
ü Domain II: Systemic Processes—all aspects of performance must be taken into consideration. A systemic approach includes:
o Competency 2: competing pressures, resource constraints, and anticipated changes—all nonconstants in the workplace
o Competencies 5-10: assessment of need, analysis of work and workplace, design of the solution, development of the solution and its elements, implementation of the solution, and evaluation of the process.
ü Domain III: Value—all work of the performance technologist should be meaningful and relevant to ensure the success of the clients
o Competency 3: Add value in how you do the work and through the work itself—this focuses not only on HOW the work is done but also the ethical conduct the performance technologist displays in his/her actions and decisions
ü Domain IV: Partnership—working with the client and other professionals is essential to increasing performance; a performance technologists cannot work alone and expect to be successful; there are too many facets to the workplace environment that he may not be aware of
o Competency 4: Use partnerships or collaborate with clients and other experts as required.
I feel this is the best and most comprehensive way to divide the domains and competencies of this position.
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