I am often asked; “What is an instructional designer?”. Many managers get this role confused with a technical educational writer, so the answer may surprise you. An instructional designer creates the educational project plan. Guides and manages the SME’s in the creation of educational content, and ideally manages the creative staff in the educational plan media creation, implementation, evaluation, and changes. Overseeing full training and scholastic curricula development. The role of the L&D manager is that of a Program Manager to manage the Educational Project Manager (instructional designer). If not concerned about rapid development or smaller projects, it is acceptable for the instructional designer to assume the e-Learning developer, graphic, and video production roles. However, much like in project management this is not recommended.
In this meeting we with discuss the instructional designer’s development process of informational and instructional projects beginning with a needs assessment evaluation and sound project management principles (of the PMBOK guide). Which is the beginning of the five-phase methodology of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE). The adaptive way in which I manage my team to use the ADDIE methodology (with Agile principals) makes the experience enjoyable and rewarding for your organization. (In recent years this methodology has been labeled as the Successive Approximation Model or SAM.)
