Instructional design-related librarianship is a growing field, just like instructional design is. I get asked periodically about what it is exactly that I do, and while I love sharing my own experience, someone with the exact same job title as me might do something very different.
I always encourage others to learn more about instructional design! I love being an instructional designer and eLearning developer and think these skills and knowledge are really useful and important in today’s schools and corporations. So, I’ve collected a few of my blog posts and some other resources to help get you started on your own journey to instructional design.
Let’s start with a 5-minute overview of the very basics of instructional design from the Commonwealth of Learning organization:
What is Instructional Design? from Commonwealth of Learning on Vimeo.
Here’s also a great written overview: An Introduction to Instructional Design!
Hear from Instructional Design(ish) Librarians About What They Do
There is a lot of variation in official title for librarians that do instructional design-related work. The first was probably blended librarian. Sometimes emerging technology librarians are ID-esque. You might also see instructional technology, learning experience, or online learning librarians.
However, even two librarians with the exact same title might do very different things! It’s a very new position in libraries and the position’s function depends on the local library culture. So, if you’re interested in exploring this type of job, you might want to check out the experiences of people that already do this work.
Recorded webinars from the Blended Librarian Online Learning Community:
- The Future of Librarianship: A Blended Perspective – Amanda Hovious
- Conversations with Blended Librarians (Part One) – Joelle Pitt, Kansas State University
- Conversations with Blended Librarians Panel (Part Two) – Lindsay O’Neill (yours truly); Francesca Marineo, Nevada State College; Kristin Woodward, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Julie Hartwell, University of Missouri-Kansas City; Amanda Clossen, Penn State University
My Own Posts About Instructional Design Librarianship
- How to Become an Instructional Design Librarian
- Why I Got My Degree in Instructional Design and You Should Too!
- Instructional Design Librarian Job Descriptions
Design and eLearning Development
Have you been thrown into the deep end of the eLearning pool? Are you jumping in excitedly all on your own? Here are a few of my posts on getting started with eLearning development.
Keep in mind that knowing how to USE the software and knowing how to DESIGN effective learning experiences are two different things, so I recommend started with the “so you want to get started” post for some useful design resources.
- What is E-learning?
- So You Want to Get Started with eLearning Development
- Learn an authoring tool:
- Lynda.com has a ton of Instructional Design Essentials courses, on both the theory and practice and more courses on relevant courses.
- Finally, here’s a great blog post on 5 Ways to Kickstart Your E-learning Career
Librarian-Centric Courses on Instructional Design
I haven’t taken or reviewed these courses so I can’t vouch for their quality, but it’s great there are options for librarians wanting to learn more about this specialization in a structured learning environment. If you know of others, please drop me a line and I’ll add them.
- Library Juice Academy – Online Instructional Design and Delivery
- ALA eCourse – Instructional Design Essentials
University Programs in Instructional Design
- California State University, Fullerton – Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology
This is a fully online program (that I teach in!). Students move through the two-year program with a cohort and get lots of hands-on experience with designing and developing eLearning. - More masters programs in instructional design
- There are also lots of programs that offer a certificate option!
Conferences, Podcasts, Blogs, and Websites
Check out my post on instructional design and elearning conferences, podcasts, blogs, and websites! There is always programming related to instructional design at library conferences, but get out of the library bubble to meet and learn from professionals that do nothing but design and development for a living! They’re really good at it.
Bottom Line
Instructional design is all about designing effective learning experiences by applying a deep knowledge of learning theory to an instructional problem. Always keep the learner forefront!