Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The ins and outs of instructional design

There is an array of knowledge on the World Wide Web about instructional design and for any beginner stepping into this field, it can be overwhelming. Some of the information is pretty much common sense but there is a wealth of it that can be extremely useful to new, and even veteran, designers. Some of these blogs will appeal to the avid reader and others to the visual learner. All in all there is something for everyone. Instructional design is one of those fields where change is imminent and so it is necessary to keep up to date with theories and trends. Check out the following blogs and web resources:

This e-learning blog really explains what instructional design is all about. The user friendly interface really connects the reader to the blog. It contains a really good video to make a valid point about how instructional designers need to ensure learners know how to make sense of information.  The blog really explores the role of the instructional designer and the information is broken down into sections. Each section is summarized with a key point.  What is really useful about this blog is that it leads to other blogs about instructional design. Some of the ones worth exploring are:

Here’s How to Make Your E-Learning Course Meaningful


The blog also has some excellent links to instructional design resources which leads to some pretty interesting blogs and blog posts. If you’re looking for something user friendly and manageable then this is worth a look. 

This web resource is a very thorough explanation of the ADDIE system. There are various systems that instructional designers can use to create and deliver their course content and ADDIE is one of them. The wonderful thing about this website is the homepage provides an ‘at a glance’ table of ADDIE. Immediately it can be seen how this model can be used from the preplanning stage of the program to the evaluation stage. The website is broken down into pages; each page explores an aspect of ADDIE. What I love particularly about this website is that it leads to many other websites. It covers everything from learning theories to copyright laws. This web resource isn’t just for the novice; even accomplished designers will be surprised at the range of information that can be found.  Do not be put off by the layout of the website; the information certainly makes up for it.

Although the thirty online resources blog is mostly common sense advice, there is an extensive list for the veteran instructional designer. There are some links embedded in the blog. However, some of these do not work but the ones that do, lead to some very valuable resources. The list of resources covers ways to improve learning and also technology that can assist the instructional designer.  It is worth checking out for the resources.

The aligning learning theory with instructional design blog is very appealing for the visual learner as it displays information through a key term cloud, a visual timeline and very informative table that matches different theories to different stages of expertise. The information is broken down into manageable chunks and the blog also leads to other interesting blogs that visual learners will enjoy.

This web resource is for those who want extensive details about instructional technology. It offers links to hundreds of other sites and maybe a good starting point for those who want to look at various learning theories to help design a program. The website also covers the following important areas such as instructional technology. 


Whatever the needs of the instructional designer, these blogs and web resources should keep everyone satisfied.

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