The Increasing Quest for Instructional Designers and Technologists in Higher Education and Corporate Settings

Abstract

As recognition of the roles and contributions of Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) professionals has increased, so has the demand for their skills in the workplace whether in higher education institutions or business entities. However, there remains some ambiguity, especially in higher education, about who IDTs are and what they do. There are also questions about who is hiring them. This content analysis study of 250 advertised higher education and corporate IDT positions found no fewer than 9 job titles, 13 academic programs, 5 degree levels, work experience from 1 to 10 years, and compensation that ranged from an hourly pay to a six-digit annual salary. Required skillsets included not only technical and analytical expertise but personal qualities. This study was conducted to provide a current look at the employment opportunities for Instructional Designers and Instructional Technologists.

The Learning Experience Designer Skillset: Employer Expectations

“…The rapid prototyping, project management, technology, and business positioning skills listed in the JAs also hinted that LX designers plan for and manage data, time, quality, and cost. This study supports the ID, technology, and project management skills purported by North et al, 2021;Nworie, 2022;Raynis, 2018. Hence, the JAs suggest LX designers need to be responsive to business needs, use data to inform their designs, and be mindful of effectiveness and efficiencies.…”

“…A replication study with more JAs over a longer timeframe can compare and strengthen the key constructs that emerged in this study across industries. Second, Nworie (2022) shared that employers in the education industry may require different design skills than those of business and industry. Like Schmidt and Huang (2021), this study showed that an LX designer draws knowledge and skills from various disciplines and theories.…”

“…Job announcements are rich data sources (North et al, 2021; Nworie, 2022; Sugar et al, 2012), and in this exploratory case study, we looked at 25 jobs on one job site for two months. Given the dynamics of companies and the job market, a more comprehensive data source may offer insights into how LX designer skillset cluster across industries.…”

“…Learning designers are central to employee capability transformations, and their contributions became invaluable during Covid-19 (North et al, 2021; Xie et al, 2021). Resultantly, jobs for learning experience (LX) designers became more noticeable (North et al, 2021; Nworie, 2022). Yet not much is known about LX designer skills.…”

“…Given the practice-based viewpoints, Schmidt and Huang (2021) posited that research on the LXD phenomenon, its components, and boundaries is needed. While assumptions that a LX designer may be similar to an instructional designer or technologist exist (North et al, 2021; Nworie, 2022; Raynis, 2018), there is no empirical evidence. Moreover, in recent reviews of instructional designer competencies, UXD skills remained uncited (Klein & Kelly, 2018; North et al, 2021; Wang et al, 2021).…”