In a recent episode of the Designing with Love podcast, host Jackie Pelegrin interviews Shane Strand, an instructional designer working in higher education. The conversation illuminates the journey many educators take when transitioning into instructional design and offers valuable insights for those considering or currently pursuing this growing field.
Shane's path into instructional design is familiar to many in the profession—he began as a high school teacher, transitioned to an assistant principal role, and then became a curriculum coordinator before discovering instructional design through graduate coursework. This "accidental instructional designer" phenomenon is common, with many practitioners realizing they've been utilizing instructional design principles in their teaching roles without formally recognizing it as such.
What drew Shane specifically to instructional design was the technology aspect. "What really drew me was just the technology aspect, like all this e-learning technology, seeing these online courses that are out there," he explains. His experience in an alternative school setting where students worked on computers with a learning management system sparked his interest in online learning. The rapid evolution of LMS capabilities, course authoring tools, and multimedia integration continues to fuel his passion for the field.
The conversation highlights instructional design's versatility across sectors—from corporate training to higher education, military applications to nonprofit organizations. This diversity creates a field that "doesn't seem to grow old," as Jackie notes, offering practitioners opportunities to develop varied skill sets and explore different specializations throughout their careers. For example, Jackie shares how her experiences in both corporate and higher education settings allowed her to acquire different tools and perspectives, making her a more well-rounded instructional designer.
For those pursuing instructional design careers, Shane emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and networking. He specifically recommends following industry leaders like Devlin Peck and Tim Slade, joining online communities and LinkedIn groups, and exploring resources like Peck's YouTube channel or Slade's "E-Learning Designer's Handbook." These connections provide insight into what instructional designers are doing across various industries and offer opportunities for feedback and growth.
The podcast also addresses how artificial intelligence is transforming instructional design work. Both Jackie and Shane discuss using AI tools to streamline processes—from podcast development to course creation. Jackie mentions using AI for generating topic ideas, creating outlines, and editing episodes, while Shane notes how AI is being integrated into course development, helping instructional designers create competencies, assignment descriptions, and more.
A fascinating historical perspective emerges when they discuss how instructional design originated with military training during World War II, with foundational models like Bloom's Taxonomy (1960s) and ADDIE still relevant today. They observe that modern instructional design often employs hybrid approaches combining traditional models like ADDIE with newer, more agile methodologies like SAM (Successive Approximation Model).
For instructional design students and new professionals, perhaps the most valuable takeaway is the importance of staying current with ever-evolving technology tools. Shane recommends taking advantage of free trials to experiment with new software and continuously expanding one's toolkit. As he notes, "There's always new tools popping up, new technologies. Almost all of them have free trials, so be brave and test them out."
The conversation concludes with an encouraging outlook on the field's future, emphasizing how technology continues to create new opportunities for instructional designers to innovate and enhance learning experiences across all educational contexts. As both Shane and Jackie demonstrate through their experiences, instructional design remains a dynamic, evolving profession with abundant opportunities for growth, specialization, and impact.
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