What's in a title? Instructional Designer vs. Digital Learning Designer
I'm not much for labels. You can ask my group members in EME5608. Our first google hangouts conversation included coming up with team member titles and I pitched that as long as we all put in the work and work as a team then I don't really care what my title is. To which I was then nominated as team leader, thanks Devlin ;)
All of this is to preface that this morning, in my google now feed (because big brother tracks our every move), I was presented an article by elearningindustry.com titled, "Is Instructional Design Dead? Enter The Digital Learning Designer." It's an interesting read, but to summarize it's basically focusing on new and emerging instructional design elements in the digital age. Something I consider under the umbrella that is Instructional Design. So I ask again, what's in a title?
A quick indeed.com search shows that there are currently 7,887 job openings under the position "Digital Learning Design" and 13,633 under "Instructional Design." So what do you think? Is instructional design dead, do you think the title is just clickbait, or are you somewhere inbetween? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I like instructional design better because everything you design isn't necessarily going to be digital.
ReplyDeleteHi Mallory! Thanks for the comment. I agree I think adding "digital" to the title kind of paints a designer into a corner. The flip side being that if a potential employer is looking for a digital learning designer, I have no problem changing my resume/website to reflect :)
DeleteHey Kyle,
ReplyDeleteI can attest to the verity of that first paragraph!
But yes, that article is a stimulating read (I actually just shared it on twitter a couple of days ago too!). A sentiment I've seen thrown around a lot is that the titles still aren't completely figured out in this field. Two instructional designers might have completely different job descriptions, whereas an ID might be doing the same work as an "eLearning developer."
There was actually a Reddit thread about this last week, and they discussed a pretty cool title in there: the esteemed "Learning Experience Designer" or LXD. I'm still thinking about it, but I vibe with this title. It is all encompassing and somewhat empowering. Whatcha think?
Hey Devlin,
DeleteThat's what I'm gathering as well. It's a very wide definition. It's like saying, "I'm a doctor." Well, a doctor in what? So depending on the needs of the employer we as IDers can "specialize" in whatever niche required.
I like that title! It has kind of a "Imagineer" feel to it. Plus the abbreviation in emoji language looks like a laughing face with a funny hat LXD
I think the title is clickbait. Semantic. A matter of personal preference.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were considering our program name 5 years ago (it changed, slightly) there were so many options to go with because the field hasn't settled on a single name. Instructional Design was deemed too boring and not sufficiently inclusive, but everyone agreed (faculty, alumni) that it's the core of what we do and will continue to do (although in a manner that is responsive to trends in the field, tech, etc.)