DIY Instructional Design

Whether you’re an accidental instructional designer or the person tasked with creating learning materials for your department, you're likely using PowerPoint to create your learning. Even if your content is solid, you may feel that you could stand to improve your design skills a little. The good news is that you’ve got PowerPoint right at your fingertips! It's a robust design tool that can help you create some amazing graphics. This article will give you five easy-to-use tips that you can start using right away.    Let’s get started. Tip 1: Find a color palette The first thing you can do today to improve your PowerPoint training decks is to choose a simple color palette and try your best to stick to it. You may have free reign to choose your colors, or your company may have brand standards that tie your hands. Either way, it’s best to decide on your color palette in advance, and stick to it throughout your training deck. Why this works : A color palette ties your entire design...

  As a new, aspiring, or accidental instructional designer, you probably recognize the need to continue growing your skill set related to all things learning. The good news is that there’s no shortage of advice on this topic. Such advice typically centers are studying learning theories, instructional design models, and software. These are important things to learn about, and they’re essential parts of your growth as a newer instructional designer.  At the same time, as a newbie or maybe the only person creating learning in your department, you might at times wonder what else you might be missing related to ID. Maybe you want to learn more about certain technologies, learn interesting ways to apply instructional design models, or just hear how colleagues are approaching their work. If so, that’s natural and makes complete sense. Even designers who have been at their craft for years express some of the same concerns. If this sounds relatable, there’s one more facet of your perso...

  There’s no shortage of opinions on the topic of what should be included in an instructional design portfolio.  Like any good instructional design project, I’d challenge you to start by considering your audience and your intended outcomes. Afterall, isn't the goal to teach someone a little more about yourself and what you can do for them? So, start by thinking about your personal objectives and what you want to achieve by having this portfolio available to share with others. Consider your objectives  Most people want to use a portfolio to do one of the following: Land a new job at a different company Land a new role at their current company Land some job - any job! Compile a history of past work If you’re not sure what you want to do with your portfolio, you might consider it helpful to read the post 4 Reasons Why You Need an Instructional Design Portfolio first.  No matter what your reason is for having the portfolio available, you’ll want to tailor the content in...

If you’re reading this post, you’re very likely either getting ready to create your own portfolio, or considering how you might revamp an already existing one. If so, that’s great! It means you’re taking the time to invest in yourself, share your work, and have dedicated examples showcasing what you can do.  On the other hand, If you’re on the fence about whether you actually need a portfolio, you might want to check out the DIY ID post 4 Reasons Why you Need an Instructional Design Portfolio first.  4 Reasons Why you need an Instructional Design Portfolio Either way, getting your instructional design portfolio together can seem like a daunting task, but it’s not nearly as complicated as you might think. Basic steps for creating an instructional design portfolio As someone who has had several portfolio iterations, I find that creating an ID portfolio generally means considering 3 main factors: Deciding what to include in your portfolio Decid...

So you’ve heard that every ID needs a portfolio to land their dream job. While that’s not always 100% true, having a portfolio certainly improves your odds. This is especially true for new instructional designers, or those with limited experience. If you think about it from a logical perspective, there are at least four good reasons why every instructional designer should build a portfolio of work: Everyone likes a sample You’ll benefit from the practice You can use it as a benchmark You can repurpose the content First, think about it from the perspective of your potential employers. They need someone who can do the work, and who can contribute to their team without needing to be trained. But how can they be sure that you’re that person? They need you to show them that you’re just what they need. If you were the hiring manager, and you were choosing one more person to interview, would you choose a mystery applicant, or one who showed good work samples? Naturally, most people would fee...

On social media platforms, I often see people who are new to (or just curious about) instructional design and who want help getting started.  One of the most common roadblocks that I hear mentioned is cost. If you've looked around at all, you already know that instructional design tools are relatively pricey. While it's not impossible to find inexpensive workarounds, it does require some extra work and a bit of creativity.   The goal of this blog is to help with that. As someone who fell into instructional design and had to find inexpensive tools and creative workarounds for reaching my learners, I know the struggle.   It might be that you're just starting out – you don't have access to expensive software or are waiting to invest after making sure instructional design is right for you. Or maybe you're that one-person learning department without access to a lot of resources. Even if you're working on a zero-budget side project or are a student looking for a...