Job Responsibilities
Instructional Designer is a general term for someone who assists
teachers, staff and students with their online or distance learning courses.
The responsibilities and duties are somewhat specialized depending on
the educational institution. Some places track the time you spend on
tasks but many leave it up to you. Where I worked duties were rotated
and time varied.
|
Job Requirements
Most Instructional designers should have at least a BA and be working
towards a Masters in either education or design - preferable a mix of
both. Teaching experience is a plus. A good web site is also good to
have. Preferably you should have a firm handle on the main applications
such as Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Microsoft Office and some skill in
Flash, Director or something comparable.
|
Uppers
Usually you are working with individuals who are not expert in their field but
are willing to share what they know and are eager to learn more themselves.
Often the pay is fairly good and the workload can be light. At times you feel
that you are an asset to students and teachers.
|
Downers
The staff and faculty don't always appreciate your work and because you
may be making the same or more then them they may feel that your being
paid too much for what you do. In other words, you may get caught up in
school politics. Often schools with online courses are doing so for
prestige and as a service to their students but they also want to make a
profit and the turnover can be high. This is now a highly competitive job.
|
Lifestyle
If you end up working for a school with a lot of money to throw around you'll
work regular hours and occasionally be allowed to attend conferences and will be
encouraged to further your learning. If the department needs to prove itself to
the school you can end up working long hours and struggling to keep up with
technology and the workload. It is usually a fairly casual crowd. Business casual.
|
Compensation
Salaries vary. I was paid just over 4k per month. Good benefits, No
bonuses and no stock options. However, many private institutions may
have othe options.
|
Advice to Jobseekers
Be sure you have a web page that is up to snuff, that you know how to
hand code - at least the basics. Be humble - don't oversell yourself.
Express an interest in education as well as design. No matter what you'll
be the low guy/girl on the totem pole until the next hire. Don't act
otherwise. I don't recommend being intimidating. But if you get the job
work hard - especially on the tedious stuff - that's what you'll be judged
on by faculty.
|
