Hello everyone,

I am on the cusp of finishing my associate’s degree in business (long story) and would like to set myself up for a career in instructional design. Despite having some experience in business and programming, my heart is definitely in learning and then conveying that information so others may learn as well.

To stand out as an applicant, should I complete my bachelor’s in Graphic Communications or Psychology? Further, which one is more useful to your day to day work? I assume it’s graphic design if you’re in the eLearning sphere but I’m just a noob so I’m probably wrong

Just a little about myself:

• I am teaching myself full-stack web development for crafting smooth and custom learning experiences
• I know some 3D modeling and game design/development, which I intend to use later in my career as a freelancer
• I know how to edit video and basic motion graphics
• I am “decent” at vector art, but my overall graphic design fundamentals could use a lot of work
• I intend to complete a Master’s degree in Learning Design and Technology with an additional certificate in eLearning

Thank you in advance!

Has anyone ever contracted for more than one company at a time? Any pros/cons?

As a small two-person instructional design contractor team, what steps should we take to find new clients?

On my short list, I have

• identifying niches
• website and SEO
• LinkedIn
• conferences + networking events

I’m wondering within that short list if anyone has more granular advice? Or if there are other marketing opportunities we should consider.

As many of us know, the training department in some organizations ends up being a dumping ground for everything. Graphic design? ID. Need a video? ID. Marketing materials, ID.

It's a common gripe, and one I come up against in every org I've been at for the last ten years. My current org is no different.

Anyway..I'm being told to put together a course, which is really a communication piece. It would be far more appropriate to do a marketing or comms video, but nope, we have to make a Rise course.

I'm not looking for advice on how to push back (been there, done that), but for others that have had to create similar communication (aka knowledge-based) training materials, what are some things you've done to at least TRY to make it relevant?

Tell us your weekly accomplishments, rants, or raves!

And as a reminder, be excellent to one another.

I need a perception check especially since I've struggled with imposter's syndrome for a while now. Anyway, I have 5 years of experience in the field and I've started pretty fresh, right when I got into my MA program in Educational Technology.

E-Learning and the Science of Instruction is a book I cherish in my library because I think it's a source that offers valid evidence based suggestions to improve e-Learning. However, a colleague of mine with over 10 years of experience seems to think that the principles mostly pertain to e-learning in higher education (I am assuming they mean PPT presentations and talking heads videos) and they've told me several times that they are not really relevant to corporate training without offering further explanations. I don't think it's true, but I don't really have any counter arguments besides "why wouldn't the principles apply?" Evidence-based practice is evidence-based practice?

There's a difference between not relevant and making sound professional judgement to consider other things over the principles. Can someone help me understand?

More context : that's also a person who told me that evidence-based practice in writing multiple choice assessment questions aren't really important in a learning/practice context and we should only apply those rules when designing formal evaluation questions (exams). I also find that strange? Why not just do it consistently?

I'm an online learner. I used to take online courses in the past for a variety of reasons. I've bought plenty of courses and quit many of them. I have spoken to many online learners like me and many of us share similar experiences. Things like not getting adequate/prompt support, course creators who do not care about you after you bought their courses, etc. I'm so fed up with the time and money wasted lol

However, I wonder what's the other side (online course creators) like. As online course creators, do you face problems for your online course? What are your biggest difficulties when it comes to your own online courses?

Getting in contact with us learners? Making sure we are completing courses?
Or is it before courses are created? like editing videos? Content creation? Marketing? etc.

It seems like it's somewhat terrible for both sides, at this moment lol

My family is looking at relocating to Germany. I am in the process of applying to a Master's program here in the US but am wondering about programs in Germany that might be cheaper.

My own search only really pulls up a program in Oldenburg and a program at Saarland University. I think there's also on in Ulm that is all in German. I lived in Germany as a child so my german is better than average but still not at a level where I think I could follow an academic course with lots of theory.

I'm also curious at what the job scene is like in Germany. I know it's pretty gloomy here in the US, but didn't know if things look different abroad.

Edit just to say that, of course, I will be improving my German once I get there. I could also postpone my masters and spend some time just getting my language skills to a more academic level- I'm just weary of postponing a career shift while I am already unemployed.

I’m on an in-house training department; my boss has scheduled demos from various LMS vendors.

We’ve had four demos so far, and for two of them, an hour or so before the meeting, my LinkedIn has dinged from the salesperson that we’re meeting with viewing my profile lol.

It makes sense to do research on the team; I’m just amused and curious whether anyone else has had that happen.

I'm working on a training project, where I need to show scenarios of two people talking, it's just to demonstrate to leaders how to speak to their employees on a certain topic, I can create the AI voices myself, and have been using the characters in Storyline but it's just so static and boring. Makes me really unhappy with it, I tried to get my boss on board with Vyond but he didn't think it would be possible budget wise and this is a quick turnaround project. Any suggestions?

I'm with my team at the Vegas DevLearn Conference and all of us have food poisoning, or are vomiting.

My partner came with me and did not attend the conference or eat the provided lunch, and he's fine.

I have been at my new ID position for six months. My probation is ending and I hope to get a good revision, but have not been given a date for this yet.

My superior and I are waiting to hear from the head boss on a project. We have o hear anything back yet, even after I emailed him the project. When my supervisor asked me if I heard anything back I said no.

Should I go ahead and ask the top boss if he has any feedback on the project to get the final revisions rolling? If I do that I feel I will be taking on the role of my supervisor!

I’m moving ahead with other projects for now. Everything is moving so slowly here.

I am working with the Absorb online learning platform. My team has a gap in our ability to move the completed content on to the platform (ie. format the slides, add the pictures, create templates for quizzes ect). Basically, some graphic design, a bit of coding. Is their a word or title for this type of work?

I am young for an instructional design career and have been working at my current position for 3 years. With that said, I am pursuing a doctorate in ID, and next year, I will begin to study for my PMP. I maintain my website, which is filled with ID stuff I have done during grad school, internship, and current position. With that said, what could I be doing more to ensure that in case of recession or layoffs, etc, I can find an ID job quickly (or at the very least get headhunted by recruiters)? How can I recession-proof my ID career? What certification/qualification or other ID experience will guarantee instant career security in the world of ID?

I've been asked to improve the instructional design for a series of printed textbooks. At first I thought they wanted online content, but they don't, they just want a revision of the textbooks. There are some things I can do such as add objectives/assessments/box features, etc., but I don't think there is much I can do to increase engagement and learner retention. Am I missing anything? Thank you!

I admit it, I’m totally confused with the storyboard an SME gave me to work with.

Has this ever happened to you? How did you resolve the issue?

What do you think are the 5 emerging areas in instructional design?

Would appreciate any recommendations on where to look for certain trainings for youth employment related projects

I have a video in Storyline. I go to option, and select video controls and select light. I also go to Play Video and select When Clicked. How can I prevent the learner from moving the video play head forward?

If I go to Storylines Player option and select Seekbar is read-only or prevents the player from moving forward. I would like to do the same for the video player.

Thanks for your help.

Share your portfolio, a project, whatever! Let people know if you are seeking feedback or not.

Hey Reddit! I have a BA in Early Childhood Education and eight years of teaching experience. I’m now considering going for a master’s degree to broaden my career options. I’m particularly interested in fields like Instructional Design or UX Design, as they seem to align well with my background in creating engaging learning experiences.

Has anyone here made a similar transition? Which path—Instructional Design or UX—would you recommend for someone with my background? Or are there other fields I should explore? I’d love to hear about your experiences and any advice you have. Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone, I am currently enrolled in the Master of Education/Technology and Design Program at Western Governors University.

I am creating post this because I will soon be working on my Capstone project. For this project, I will be creating a one-hour e-learning experience for adult learners who are currently or thinking about returning to higher education after a long-time gap**. (The start date of my capstone term is December 1, 2024)**

What I am looking for are 8-10 adult student participants who might be willing to participate and review the e-learning module that I am creating. I need 8-10 participants to thoroughly review and rate this e-learning experience as part of my capstone data. Please see below for a description of my proposed e-learning module:  Module description: This module is designed for adult learners over the age of twenty-five who are considering returning to pursue a certificate or degree within a higher education setting after being away from a school setting for more than five years.

This module will include information on the following subjects:

·    Why do adults consider returning to higher education?

·    What challenges do returning adult learners often face when returning to school?

·    What types of schools/Programs are available to returning adult learners?.

·     What support is available for returning adult students?

·     What financial aid resources are available for returning adult students?

Instructional Goal: The instructional goal of this module is to provide potential returning adult students with the information that they need to navigate the challenges that are often faced for adult learners as they begin the lengthy and oftentimes confusing journey of returning to higher education after a long-time gap.

This e-learning module will be approximately and hour to an hour and a half in length.

If you or your organization would be interested in participating in my capstone project and research, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I hope that you have a wonderful day!!

Hi I'm using the AI text-to-speech (Matilda) and attempting to use SSML tags to create pauses. I'm finding that when I use whole seconds in the break time tag, it works fine. but when I try 900ms, it does nothing. Here is what I have at the moment. Has anyone else had this problem or see if I am doing something wrong? Thanks. I tried posting on the Storyline forums but haven't gotten any feedback.

<speak>This is a story about four people named Everybody, <break time="900ms"/>Somebody, <break time="900ms"/>Anybody, <break time="900ms"/>and Nobody.  <break time="1.2s"/> There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it.  <break time="1s"/> Everybody was sure Somebody would do it.  <break time="1s"/> Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.  <break time="1s"/> Somebody got angry about that<break time="700ms"/> because it was Everybody’s job.  <break time="1s"/> Everybody thought Anybody could do it, <break time="900ms"/> but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.  <break time="1s"/> It ended up that Everybody <break time="700ms"/>blamed Somebody <break time="900ms"/> when Nobody did <break time="900ms"/> what Anybody could have done. </speak>

Hi I'm using the AI text-to-speech (Matilda) and attempting to use SSML tags to create pauses. I'm finding that when I use whole seconds in the break time tag, it works fine. but when I try 900ms, it does nothing. Here is what I have at the moment. Has anyone else had this problem or see if I am doing something wrong? Thanks. I tried posting on the Storyline forums but haven't gotten any feedback.

|| || | <speak>This is a story about four people named Everybody, <break time="900ms"/>Somebody, <break time="900ms"/>Anybody, <break time="900ms"/>and Nobody.  <break time="1.2s"/> There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it.  <break time="1s"/> Everybody was sure Somebody would do it.  <break time="1s"/> Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.  <break time="1s"/> Somebody got angry about that<break time="700ms"/> because it was Everybody’s job.  <break time="1s"/> Everybody thought Anybody could do it, <break time="900ms"/> but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.  <break time="1s"/> It ended up that Everybody <break time="700ms"/>blamed Somebody <break time="900ms"/> when Nobody did <break time="900ms"/> what Anybody could have done. </speak>|

I'm having issues with Storyline's ai text-to-speech. I'm using SSML to try and add pauses in the audio so that if it comes back with a voiceover edit I can edit later...but I'm finding when I use milleseconds it's not recognizing it. It works with whole seconds. This is what I have:

I want to break into the field of instructional design, with a focus on e-learning and Im looking for some guidance on how to create a strong beginner portfolio.

For context, my background is :

• Knowledge Management & communications : I have experience organizing training activities and simplifying complex concepts (like climate change) into easy-to-understand language for diverse target audients in both french and english.
• Coaching & facilitation : I’ve facilitated online group sessions (in both french and english) and workshops, helping participants learn and engage effectively in a virtual setting.

I want to showcase my ability to develop clear, instructional, and engaging content for e-learning. Do you have ideas of what samples I should focus on ?

Do you have recommandations for platforms to host my portfolio ? Should I consider adding a downloadable PDF version for easy access ?