Reddit mentions of Design for How People Learn (2nd Edition) (Voices That Matter)

Read up on the following:

• Bloom's taxonomy
  
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs
  
• ADDIE
  
• User Interface design (UI)
  
• User eXperience design (UX)
  
• Educational psychology
  
• Instructional Systems Design
  
• SCORM/xAPI
  
• Agile PM
  
• Waterfall
  
  Get to grips with the following:
  
• Authoring tools: Storyline, Captivate etc.
  
• HTML5 (not necessary but helps)
  
• MS Word (if you think you know enough teach yourself more!)
  
  A great book to read which outlines much of what you need to know is [Design for How People Learn by Julie Dirksen](design for how people learn (voices that matter) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0134211286/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ZzV9BbKZ740GT). I give a copy of this book to all new IDs that I take on as it provides clear guides and excellent examples to illustrate the concepts.

There are plenty of "accidental IDs" and self-taught IDs on here (myself included). I have since obtained a bunch of ID related certificates and dedicated myself to this field, but I started as a "guy who knew a bunch of computer stuff and graphic software". I would start out picking up the basics: books and videos followed up with doing example projects on my own. Books:

Accidental Instructional Designer https://www.amazon.ca/Accidental-Instructional-Designer-Learning-Digital/dp/1562869140

Design for how people learn: https://www.amazon.ca/Design-How-People-Learn-2nd/dp/0134211286/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0/132-9279317-1969362?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0134211286&pd_rd_r=23175abb-8397-425a-a4e0-c2f8782513c2&pd_rd_w=z99C5&pd_rd_wg=dnaNm&pf_rd_p=9926bb69-42b9-46e4-b788-f665992e326d&pf_rd_r=JCRB7DERAEAJTZR152GW&psc=1&refRID=JCRB7DERAEAJTZR152GW

I have recently gone through a ton of interviews for various ID positions and I will share my experience with you.

Some companies are going to be focused on your process for developing courses and curriculum from beginning to end. Being familiar with adult learning theories, ADDIE, Kirkpatrick Model, ect. will help you get into an entry level role if you can competently demonstrate your grasp of those subjects. You will also be asked to speak to your experience working with SMEs, project planning, how you see yourself functioning within a team, and how you pursue individual projects.

Other places are going to be more concerned with the technology itself. How many authoring tools can you use? Do you know HTML/CSS/Javascript? Are you good with Photoshop? Illustrator? After Effects? What experience do you having working with Learning Management Systems? What is your approach to data and analytics? Do you have experience using SCORM or XAPI? Can you show examples of work you've created across multiple modalities? You may even be asked to complete a short design assignment where you are given some branding material and asked to storyboard or outright create an entire course.

My opinion is that since you already have a degree in Psychology and professional experience as an event manager, you could easily parlay that knowledge and skill set into the theory and conceptual aspects of ID. There are plenty of great books you can read to supplement your degree like this and this. If you feel like you are lacking in the technology department then definitely go get experience using all the tools you can get your hands on. Employers wants to see real examples of real work, so the faster you can start building things the better. Not just courses but all the other things associated with ID like storyboards, job aids, and lesson plans.

Again just my opinion, but I believe ID is a field open to many types of professionals. It's just a matter of filling in the gaps where you may need it. I have a degree in English/Professional Writing and started off my career doing tech support. There have been positions where I've had the title of "Instructional Designer" and barely had a single course up in the LMS that was mine because I was focused on script writing, video production, and managing assessments. Just to give you a personal example of the different paths you can take.

If you have any more questions I'd be more than happy to help out in any way I can. Good luck!!!

From my experience, it can actually make Instructional Design harder when you highly knowledgeable with the content. A big, vague suggestion: return to the objectives and try to cut any content that doesn't directly pertain to training those objectives.

It may also be useful to think about scenarios or examples, and using them more frequently. This can often make the content more easy to follow, and provide learners with more of a frame of reference. Even with the same amount of learning content, the right structure for the learning can make it an easier learning experience.

As an example, I'm working on healthcare training courses right now that started off as 20-page documents about processes, rules, etcetera. I've whittled that content down into narratives that can be covered in 5- to 8-minute lessons focused on an example employee's experiences. About every minute, learners answer one or two questions that directly tie back to the learning objectives. (Wish I could share the actual content, but I can't.)

If you are still new to the field, I would recommend reading Design for How People Learn, which covers some helpful strategies to get started, and is also an entertaining and quick read. This also makes it a good example of a great educational resource, and may give you some new ideas based on the approach used in the book!

I hope these ideas help a bit as you figure out how to get started!