Inside the Life of an Instructional Designer in Higher Education

Let the girl dad life commence! Here's what I've been up to recently.  👉 Recommendations: 🎓Take your instructional design skills to the next level 🙌Collaborating and Building Relationships with SMEs course 📚So, you want to become an instructional designer? 📙 My Book 👉 Connect with me: LinkedIn YouTube 👉 Support the Channel! Check out my favorite LMS: Brightspace  

Can you even remember life before 2021? On today's episode, let's reminicse about the good ol' days! 👉 Mentioned Links: Confessions of a Learning Nerd Newsletter 👉 Recommendations: 🎓Take your instructional design skills to the next level 🙌Collaborating and Building Relationships with SMEs course 📚So, you want to become an instructional designer? 📙 My Book 👉 Connect with me: LinkedIn YouTube 👉 Support the Channel! Check out my favorite LMS: Brightspace  

On today's episode, I'm joined by Dr. Chris Hakala and Dr. Leslie Cramblet Alvarez as we discuss the folks who work at teaching and learning centers. They wrote a tremendous new book called, "Understanding Educational Developers: Tales from the Center." In this book and in our conversation, we explore the diverse pathways into educational development, the role of teaching and learning centers, and the skills necessary for success in this field. They share insights on the impact of AI, the importance of student engagement, and the future of educational development amidst challenges in higher education.  👉 Mentioned Links: Connect with Leslie Connect with Chris Understanding Educational Developers: Tales from the Center Video Interview Transcript Confessions of a Learning Nerd Newsletter 2025 Instructional Design Podcast Award by Feedspot 👉 Recommendations: 🎓Take your instructional design skills to the next level 🙌Collaborating and Building Relationships with SMEs course 📚So, you want to become an instructional designer? 📙 My Book 👉 Connect with me: LinkedIn YouTube 👉 Support the Channel! Check out my favorite LMS: Brightspace    

What is the relationship like between faculty and instructional designers? In this episode, we'll hear from Ian August, Assistant Director of Online Learning and Adjunct Professor at St. John's University. Ian shares his research findings from speaking with both IDs and faculty about the course design and revision process.  👉 Mentioned Links: Connect with Ian Transcript Confessions of a Learning Nerd Newsletter 2025 Instructional Design Podcast Award by Feedspot 👉 Recommendations: 🎓Take your instructional design skills to the next level 🙌Collaborating and Building Relationships with SMEs course 📚So, you want to become an instructional designer? 📙 My Book 👉 Connect with me: LinkedIn YouTube 👉 Support the Channel! Check out my favorite LMS: Brightspace

An off-chance conversation sent me down the rabbit hole of the psychomotor domain. Why is it that this domain doesn't get as much attention as the cognitive domain? So, I did some research and sifted through the origins of this domain. How did we get here? Who created it? Were there any signs that this domain was going to be looked down upon from the start? Well... I discovered some interesting takeaways that led to a few theories. This is the story of the psychomotor domain and why we don't talk about it. 👉 Mentioned Links: 2025 Instructional Design Podcast Award by Feedspot Confessions of a Learning Nerd Newsletter 👉 Recommendations: 🎓Take your instructional design skills to the next level 🙌Collaborating and Building Relationships with SMEs course 📚So, you want to become an instructional designer? 📙 My Book 👉 Connect with me: LinkedIn YouTube 👉 Support the Channel! Check out my favorite LMS: Brightspace

What will Instructional Designers be called in the future? In this episode, I revisit a fun question from a recent webinar that got me thinking. Our field has gone by many names over the years, from training specialists and curriculum developers to multimedia designers and learning engineers. These shifts often reflect the trends, tools, and technologies of the time, from Gagné’s Nine Events to the rise of LMSs and now AI. So, what’s next? While job titles may continue to evolve, our core competencies remain steady. Join me for a lighthearted and slightly speculative look at the future of instructional design job titles. It’s Friday, so grab your crystal ball and let’s have some fun with this episode! 👉 Mentioned Links: Transcript and Blog 👉 Recommendations: 🎓Take your instructional design skills to the next level 🙌Collaborating and Building Relationships with SMEs course 📚So, you want to become an instructional designer? 📙 My Book 👉 Connect with me: LinkedIn YouTube 👉 Support the Channel! Check out my favorite LMS: Brightspace

In this episode, I sit down with Anna Lebedinets, a researcher and instructional designer exploring how empathic listening and culturally nuanced communication can transform language learning. Her and her colleagues recent study examines how integrating psychological and sociocultural components within the 4C/ID model can bridge performance gaps and enhance students' preparedness for real-life cross-cultural interactions. We discuss why traditional language teaching often falls short in developing meaningful communication skills and how this innovative approach can help learners become more culturally adaptive. 👉 Learn more about Anna and her research: LinkedIn Publication ResearchGate 👉 Mentioned Links: Transcript and Blog 👉 Recommendations: 🎓Take your instructional design skills to the next level 🙌Collaborating and Building Relationships with SMEs course 📚So, you want to become an instructional designer? 📙 My Book 👉 Connect with me: LinkedIn YouTube 👉 Support the Channel! Check out my favorite LMS: Brightspace

What's it like working as an instructional designer in higher education? Let's talk about it all: the day-to-day, rewards, growth, compensation, politics, etc. 👉 Mentioned Links: Transcript and Blog 👉 Recommendations: 🎓Take your instructional design skills to the next level 🙌Collaborating and Building Relationships with SMEs course 📚So, you want to become an instructional designer? 📙 My Book 👉 Connect with me: LinkedIn YouTube 👉 Support the Channel! Check out my favorite LMS: Brightspace

What happens when you upload 30 shorts in 30 days? Here's what I learned and what you can pickup from doing these kind of timed challenges.  👉 Mentioned Links: Transcript and Blog 👉 Recommendations: 🎓Take your instructional design skills to the next level 🙌Collaborating and Building Relationships with SMEs course 📚So, you want to become an instructional designer? 📙 My Book 👉 Connect with me: LinkedIn YouTube 👉 Support the Channel! Check out my favorite LMS: Brightspace

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Matt Kinservik, a literary expert and professor, and Rachel Lapp, a self-proclaimed Taylor Swift expert and instructional designer, as they share the behind-the-scenes journey of co-creating a one-of-a-kind college course focused on Taylor Swift. Together, they discuss how their distinct expertise combines to craft an innovative curriculum and how they not only marketed the course with social media, but how they let students use Gen AI. Swifties and educators alike—this one’s for you! 👉 More About the Course and Staff: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tortured_profs_dept IG: https://www.instagram.com/torturedprofs/ Rachel's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-lapp-a8255519/ Matt's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-kinservik-80a85226/ University of Delaware: https://www.udel.edu/academics/winter-summer/ 👉 Mentioned Links: Transcript and YouTube video 👉 Recommendations: 🎓Take your instructional design skills to the next level 🙌Collaborating and Building Relationships with SMEs course 📚So, you want to become an instructional designer? 📙 My Book 👉 Connect with me: LinkedIn YouTube 👉 Support the Channel! Check out my favorite LMS: Brightspace