What is Instructional Design?

Instructional design is the process of taking information and framing it in a way that makes it interesting and easy for learners to understand.  It blends what we know about:

• The learners. 
• The subject matter.
• How people learn.
• The technology.

Instructional designers create and deliver educational and training materials to learners from all walks of life in a variety of ways. They work with traditional paper materials, such as handouts and manuals, as well as eLearning technologies and multimedia. Their work can be seen in elementary and secondary schools to universities and adult training facilities.

The ID should have the ability to assess the target audience’s attitudes, knowledge gaps, and learning objectives is core to this field. In order to achieve these goals, instructional designers encompass a vast repertoire of roles and responsibilities including, but far from being limited to:

• Working alongside subject matter experts (SMEs) to assess and define the target audience’s training needs.

• Defining clear and actionable learning objectives and producing compelling content that aligns with them.

• Conceptualizing instructional graphics, multimedia, the user interface, and the final product.


• Analyzing and applying principles, trends, and best practices associated with instructional design and learning technologies.

• Developing exercises, assignments, and assessments to maximize students’ learning potential.

• Developing supporting materials and resources that incorporate multimedia in various formats (e.g., audio, video, screencasts, gamification, scenarios, role-playing).

• Devising different assessment methods, including quizzes, tests, and polls, to evaluate the effectiveness of the course.