Instructional Design Consultation

Instructional design is a systematic and learner-centered approach to creating effective educational and training materials to support faculty in their teaching efforts by helping them create effective, engaging, and well-organized learning experiences.

Through learning theories, such as behaviorism, constructivism, and cognitivism, instructional design considers factors such as learner motivation, engagement, and individual differences to create engaging and effective student-centric learning experiences that aim to improve learning outcomes by aligning educational resources and activities with specific learning goals and the needs of a target audience.

Here’s how instructional design can benefit faculty and students:

Supporting Faculty Learning:

• Course Development: Instructional designers can collaborate with faculty to design and develop well-structured and effective courses, helping them organize content, select appropriate teaching strategies, and create engaging materials.
• Pedagogical Expertise: Instructional designers bring pedagogical expertise to the table, offering insights into effective teaching methods, learning theories, and best practices in education. They can help faculty incorporate evidence-based teaching strategies into their courses.
• Technology Integration: Instructional designers can assist faculty in integrating educational technologies and online resources, ensuring that technology enhances the learning experience rather than becoming a barrier.
• Time Management: By working with instructional designers, faculty can save time on instructional planning and materials development, allowing them to focus on other important aspects of teaching, research, or professional development.
• Accessibility and Inclusivity: Instructional designers can ensure that course materials are accessible to all students, including those with disabilities, and promote inclusive design practices that benefit diverse learners.

Supporting Student Learning:

• Clear Learning Objectives: Instructional design ensures that learning objectives are clearly defined and aligned with course content and assessments, helping students understand what they need to achieve.
• Engaging Content: Instructional designers can create multimedia and interactive materials that engage students and facilitate better retention of information.
• Active Learning: Instructional designers can suggest and help implement active learning strategies, such as group activities, discussions, problem-solving tasks, and real-world applications, to promote deeper understanding and active participation among students.
• Assessment Design: Effective assessment strategies are essential for student learning. Instructional designers can assist in creating varied and meaningful assessments that accurately measure student understanding and encourage critical thinking.
• Adaptation to Learning Styles: Instructional designers can design courses that accommodate various learning styles, ensuring that visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and other types of learners can benefit from the materials and activities.
• Feedback and Support: Instructional designers can help faculty establish systems for providing timely and constructive feedback to students, enhancing their learning and growth.
• Continuous Improvement: Through ongoing assessment and feedback, instructional designers and faculty can collaboratively refine and improve course materials and teaching methods to enhance student learning outcomes.

In summary, instructional design supports faculty by providing pedagogical expertise, reducing workload, and improving teaching strategies, while it supports students by creating engaging, accessible, and effective learning experiences. Collaboration between faculty and instructional designers can result in well-designed courses that benefit instructors and learners.

To schedule a consultation with an instructional designer, contact the CFT at 615-322-7290 or cft@vanderbilt.edu.