At the end of 2019, no one could have anticipated spending most of the year wearing masks or face shields, fighting to get toilet paper, hoarding hand sanitizer, and avoiding contact with others as much as possible. 2020 fundamentally shifted so much of what we take for granted.
Students long accustomed to in-person learning were suddenly thrown into distance-based classrooms. Workers sighed in frustration as entire days were consumed with endless Zoom meetings. And many organizations struggled with discerning which operations could shift to online or remote services.
With so little time for preparation, the results of this sudden change were mixed. This reveals a dire need for businesses, governments, schools, and other organizations to develop contingency plans when in-person attendance is no longer possible. A career in instructional design prepares you to help organizations adapt to shifting norms and objectives. The pandemic has made these careers more appealing than ever and has driven a sudden boom in demand for instructional design experts.
When discussing how the pandemic demonstrated a greater need for instructional designers, it’s hard to not immediately turn our attention to the education industry—while millions of students have used virtual learning with great success, suddenly millions more were thrown into virtual classrooms with no preparation, weak technology, and poorly prepared instructors. The results were predictable: bored students, exhausted parents, and college students quickly losing touch with their coursework and instructors. It’s made it difficult for even the most committed students to sustain their commitment to learning.
Online learning can work exceptionally well. So too can alternative classrooms like outdoor learning centers, hybrid models, or staggered asynchronous instruction. To make these models work, though, a crisis approach just won’t work. Online education requires much more than just putting a teacher in front of a Zoom camera and hoping for the best. The right program can adapt to students’ changing needs, whether they're facing a global pandemic, learning remotely while ill, accessing college from across the globe, or choosing an online degree program for added flexibility.
The challenges presented by the pandemic extend well beyond the bounds of classroom instruction though. Millions of workers also made the transition from in-office to home and struggled with how to balance constant Zoom meetings with mounting responsibilities. Employers weren’t certain how to monitor their workers from a distance. Virtual events and employee development sessions became the new norm. And medical offices, governments, and other institutions are now making difficult calls about which functions can move online.
Some of the many instructional design challenges that the pandemic has presented are important to address even after the COVID-19 crisis dies down. They include:
Instructional designers know that there is a design solution for most organizational challenges. For example, making videos accessible to low-hearing students and workers requires only adding captions, while low-sight children need accommodations to ensure screen readers can interpret images and graphics.
A career in instructional design requires expertise in design and education. There are plenty of roles available. You might become an online curriculum specialist for a local school system, help a college transition to online learning, or audit a corporation’s employee development program. Some questions you might ask include:
If you’re considering a career switch, put instructional design near the top of your list—particularly if you’re already an educator or interested in how design influences learning. In 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that instructional coordinators, one type of instructional design career, would see 6 percent career growth by 2029. That’s already a higher rate of growth than average. But that was before the pandemic. Now that organizations across the globe have seen the importance of remote contact, growth will likely increase. The pandemic is just one of many crises that today’s learners face. Instructional designers play a key role in both predicting and preparing for whatever comes next.
So why should you consider a career in instructional design? Here are just a few key benefits to this sort of job:
SNU’s master of science in instructional design & technology is the perfect degree program for busy adults who want to prepare educational systems for the next crisis. Completing the program is easier than you think. Consider these stats:
Experts in the field teach every class, educating you about theory and principle while helping you understand the real-world implications of various instructional design techniques. Some of the courses you’ll take include:
You’ll finish your degree with a three-hour capstone project class, during which you work with a real client to put all the information you've learned in school to work in the real world.
At SNU, we are committed to every student’s success. We design our graduate programs with busy professionals in mind. We set you up for success, help you with financial aid, and ensure you’re prepared for the working world from day one.
Many of our students worry about how finances might affect their ability to enroll or complete school. We believe that money should never be an impediment to a brighter future. To learn more about your financial aid options, download our free guide, The Complete Guide to Financial Aid.