Introduction

Whitney Kilgore
Diane Weaver

The idea for this book was born out of a conversation at the 2018 Quality Matters™ Regional Conference in Denver. It was decided at that time that there is a need for a higher education-focused collection of stories and lived experiences, related to instructional design, that highlights research-based effective practices. A plan was developed and put out a call for chapters, the result of which you are currently reading. This collection of stories, from instructional designers and leaders of online learning programs, highlights the need for a focus on quality. As online programs and courses become more and more commonplace, quality is, and will continue to be, a critically important differentiator.

In creating this book, it was important to capture the rapidly changing discipline of instructional design through stories told by current practitioners and via interviews, which represent a diverse set of voices in the profession. What is presented here is a view of where we stand in the evolution of instructional design, as well as a glimpse of where we are headed.

Even as the final touches were put on this collection of chapters, the industry is changing. Follow the news and insights related to instructional design in the coming years from across the industry. Here are some of our favorite resources:

• Quality Matters
• Educause Instructional Design Resources
• Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
• Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and WCET resources and Frontiers Blog 
• Online Learning Consortium intentional futures resources
• International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction
• Competency-Based Education Network and CBExchange conference
  

The following chapters, written by 18 authors, recount stories and describes research on essential components of instructional design and the complex work that goes into improving student learning outcomes.

The first chapter, “Instructional Design: Insights into the Profession”, introduces some key ideas from interviews with seven instructional design leaders, who shared their thoughts, values, and opinions. Hopefully, reading through the chapter provides a sense of the current state of instructional design as a profession, where we have been, and where we are headed in the future.

In Chapter 1, you will hear from:

• Susan Adams, Senior Instructional Designer, Achieving the Dream
• Kelvin Bentley, Vice President of Learning Strategy, Six Red Marbles
• Steve Kaufman, Senior Instructional Designer/Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, University of Akron
• Karen Miner-Romanoff, Assistant Dean for Academic Excellence, NYU
• Rob Moore, Assistant Professor of Instructional Design and Technology, Old Dominion University
• Shannon Riggs, Executive Director, Ecampus, Oregon State University
• Anthony Salinas, Instructional Development Designer II, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Moving on, Chapters 2–10 are a collection of examples and stories of application and practice in instructional design by authors representing a variety of voices across multiple institutions. The parameters for submitting a chapter proposal were to exemplify instructional design in practice and capture one or more of the following areas: (1) the fundamentals of exceptional instructional design, (2) quality measures of instructional design, and (3) improving student learning outcomes.

The resulting nine chapters are the following:

Chapter 2: Fundamentals of Exceptional Instructional Design: Essentials of Mindset and Approach

• by Krista Galyen, Vice President of LX Design, iDesign; Leah Chuchran-Davis, Senior Director of Competency-Based Education, iDesign; and Mary Helen Culbertson, Senior Director of Learning and Development, iDesign

Chapter 3: Quality Measures of Great Instructional Design

• by Brenda Boyd, Senior Academic Director: Program Services, Quality Matters; and Penny Ralston-Berg, Instructional Designers Association Chair, Quality Matters, and Senior Instructional Designer, Penn State World Campus

Chapter 4: Applying a Gold Standard to Course Design and Development

• by Paul Huckett, Assistant Dean, Learning Design and Innovation, Johns Hopkins University; and Christian Utara, Program Quality Coordinator, Johns Hopkins

Chapter 5: Instructional Design in Adult Professional and Corporate Education Delivery: Temple University’s Office of Off-Campus Programs and Training

• by Nicole Westrick, Associate Vice Provost, Temple University; and Vanessa Williams, Assistant Director of Continuing Education, Temple University

Chapter 6: Neuroscience-Informed Pedagogy With UDL Principles for Quality Instructional Design

• by Tianhong Shi, Instructional Designer at Ecampus, Oregon State University

Chapter 7: Learning Design Strategies That Promote Student Inclusivity and Accessibility

• by Robert Gibson, Director, Learning Technologies, Emporia State University; and Anna Catterson, Director of Online Learning and Instructional Technologies, Heartland Community College

Chapter 8: Benchmarks in Action: Providing Distance Learning Students With Real-World Experiences

• by Christine Angel, Associate Professor, St John’s University; Gina Marandino, New Media and Communications Specialist, St John’s University

Chapter 9: Soul, Authenticity, and Compassion: Essential Ingredients in Designing Meaningful Learning Experiences

• by Dana Grossman Leeman, Provost Faculty Fellow for Online Education, Simmons University; and James Altman, Partner and Head of Strategy, Jackrabbit Learning Experience

Chapter 10: Utilizing the Community of Inquiry Framework to Provide Quality Instructional Design in Distance Education Social Work Programs

• by Beverly Araujo Dawson, Professor, Adelphi University; and Linda Ayscue Gupta, Former Associate Professor of Teaching and Distance Education Coordinator, School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University