What Is An Instructional Designer? Less Than 100 Words
Read Time: 3 minutes
An instructional designer is part problem solver, teacher, technical writer, and consultant. Their goal is to create learning experiences that engage the learner and help them build the skills or acquire the information they need to succeed.
3 main tasks of an instructional designer include:
- Identify appropriate learning interventions based on the needs of the learners
- Create measurable objectives to define success and track return on investment (ROI)
- Identify the appropriate modality and develop engaging learning experiences based on the learners’ needs
Ultimately, an instructional designer determines the approach that will best meet the needs of learners and their organization.
Ready to learn more about instructional designers? Let’s dive into what an instructional designer is and 3 common tasks they complete.
What Is An Instructional Designer?
An instructional designer is part problem solver, teacher, technical writer, and consultant. Their goal is to create learning experiences that engage the learner and help them build the skills or acquire the information they need to succeed.
Think of the instructional designer as the quarterback of the instructional design team. The instructional designer utilizes the strengths of other members of their team, from those who specialize in artistic design or slide interactions and videos, to create a seamless final product for the client.
Ultimately, an instructional designer determines the approach that will best meet the needs of learners and their organization.
3 Main Tasks Of An Instructional Designer
1. Identify appropriate learning interventions based on the needs of the learners
By referring to needs assessments and/or training analysis, instructional designers identify the appropriate learning interventions based on the needs of learners. This includes:
- Knowledge and performance gaps of learners
- Short and long-term business goals
- Desired performance outcomes
2. Create measurable objectives to define success and track return on investment (ROI)
Instructional designers create measurable objectives (e.g. lowering worker’s compensation claims, increasing efficiencies by a certain percentage) to ensure training has a strong ROI. This is critical to prove to organizational leaders that training is positively impacting their organization’s bottom line.
Read More: Training Metrics and ROI: Formulas and Descriptions
3. Identify the appropriate modality and develop engaging learning experiences based on the learners’ needs
Once the needs of learners are known, instructional designers identify the appropriate modality (e.g. virtual reality, instructor-led, eLearning, etc.) and develop engaging learning experiences using engaging learning strategies such as:
- Gamification
- Learning reinforcement activities and materials
- Assessments
- Employee surveys
- Microlearning activities
