E-Learning Design - How did you get started?

Hi Martin!

I stumbled into Instructional Design when a friend of mine pitched me to the organization she was working at. I didn’t realize it was a career option, and it really wasn’t my first choice, but I’ve grown to become quite passionate about the work that I do.

I stayed with that organization for five years, completed a Masters of Education (Post-Secondary Studies) and then took my side hustle (I was freelancing in what little downtime I had) full-time. I LOVE development, but I also really enjoy doing analysis and design (two tasks that don’t get contracted out enough, in my opinion), and I think it’s important that no matter what phase of development you’re most passionate about, that you at least understand and appreciate all phases. If you’re note sure what analysis or evaluation or design entails…dig a bit deeper in your research and at least familiarize yourself with the other phases.

I’m quite passionate about working within Higher Education, and it is a bleep of a role to get into when your local demographic is over-saturated with educators. I don’t necessarily agree that face-to-face instruction is an asset for Instructional Designers, although I will admit that it can provide you with a good context for your development. With that being said, I’m not a face-to-face instructor and never have been. I’ve never aspired to be a teacher, and I truly love the behind the scenes work that I do for organizations and/or faculty members at the institution I work for. Is face-to-face essential? No, I don’t think so. Is it a nice-to-have? Sure.

In the end, it really just depends on where you want to go with your career. You may settle into a few roles before figuring it out, but perhaps you want to be an Instructional Designer, perhaps you want to be a project manager for an e-learning company, perhaps you want to design and deliver your own instructor-led training. It can seem daunting, but give it some time and you’ll quickly figure out what path you’re most passionate about

My best advice is to research, research, research! Try on as many hats as you're provided and see what fits best!

Ashley

A good design details you all shared here with us.

I started out as a technical writer. I was hired on for a contract doing instructional design due to my technical writing and tech savvy background.

I learned Articulate Presenter, Engage, and Quizmaker in a matter of days by using e-learning hero's and playing around with the program myself. Only one other person on my team knew Articulate so I didn't have much help.

I then got a contract doing QA and editing courses in Articulate Storyline. I learned this program on the job with a few hours introduction by my co-worker and then I dived in.

Some hints:

do the 30 day trials of the programs

also you can use udemy or Lynda.com

I came into my current instructional design position after having worked in previous jobs as a web designer/developer, computer teacher (grades 7-12 and adult learning) and technology coordinator, mentor in an online learning lab, and tech support person responsible for creating training videos and helping instructors build their online courses in Moodle. Even though I had never held the position of ID, my past jobs included just about every responsibility within ID. One area in which I didn't have experience, was with using an e-learning authoring tool, like Articulate. However, I easily and quickly picked it up. My biggest obstacle in getting into ID was not having a masters degree. Most of the job postings I saw required an advanced degree in ID or instructional/educational technology.

Currently, I supervise an ID support person, and whenever the position is vacant and I'm trying to fill it (like right now), I look for the following qualifications:

1. Experience using Articulate Studio/Storyline or a similar program
2. Experience performing teacher/admin tasks in an LMS
3. Online or classroom teaching experience
4. Experience using screencasting and Adobe software
5. Basic to intermediate web design skills

Nos. 1 and 2 are make-or-break items. If the applicant has Articulate experience but little or no LMS experience, I would be fine with that, as I desperately need hands-on course development help above all else and could manage the LMS work while the support person got acclimated with our three learning management systems. If the applicant has a strong LMS background but no experience using Articulate, I'd be more hesitant hiring that individual. The exception would be if the person has a very strong tech background that's similar to mine, and maybe had some teaching experience. In that case, I might feel a little more confident the applicant could learn Articulate on the job relatively quickly.

Thank you so much for such a big response. I'm gonna give this a big read over the weekend and get started on all this stuff.

Hi Martin,

I started working in the Corporate environment in the training and development area, and was a facilitator teaching face to face classes. As part of each project I worked on, I was able to collaborate with instructional designers and took on pieces of a project until eventually I was leading projects and working them soup to nuts! I would perform the needs analysis, create learning strategies, perform project management tasks, and took on the design/development and deployment. Eventually I started creating eLearning courses and I was hooked! I knew I wanted to concentrate on eLearning so I found a job as an eLearning developer. I will say, because of my experience, I also still perform all those instructional design tasks in my current role because of need.

My advice is to figure out what you want to do...eLearning only? Or instructional design? Or both? The figure out the best place to go for experience in those skills. ASTD has many courses that you can take that look pretty good on your resume.

Good luck!

Hey Martin, I came in all ready to give my two cents, but Nicole Legault's response is spot-on on all points.

The one thing I would add on to this first bullet is that it's worth exploring a graduate-level master's or certificate. Once you get in the door, you'll have access to a lot of professors and colleagues who are already in the industry. Additionally, most programs have pretty active job boards as often organizations will reach out to the college directly to fill open positions. Even if you only take one class per term, I think it's a pretty valuable experience from both a networking and an educational standpoint.

Putting together a portfolio is a great idea too -- there are some really great examples from members of the community on this thread: http://community.articulate.com/blogs/david/archive/2014/08/08/show-your-elearning-portfolio.aspx

It's really nice to know that, when you're looking for a job, you can just fire off that link and it'll include everything: your samples of work, your resume, and your contact info. I think any organization that's serious about hiring will ask for samples and this will put you ahead of the pack.

Good luck and thanks for posting your question! It spurred some great discussion -- I really enjoyed reading how everyone got into the field.

By accident: http://businesscriticallearning.com/my-id-story/

But in a nutshell, the two things that will get you in the door:

Show your work (HT to Jane Bozarth), but seriously, have a portfolio that demonstrates your ability- #ELH challenges are wonderful

Network- if you are near a conference and can't afford it, get the EXPO pass, #lrnchat and #chat2lrn, LinkedIn Groups. Engage and share and be helpful.

Everyone in this industry wants to help their peers, so connect and show how you can help. Folks knowing organizations who need your skills will start looking for you.

And, don't be afraid to just jump in and say you can do something, even when you really weren't prepared- worked for me over 19 years.

Hi Martin, 

 I obtained a job as a Course Developer by volunteering to help with training and documentation projects in my organization, and  taking the initiative to learn everything I could about adult learning principles and e-learning instructional design.  This led to a promotion to the E&D team, where my passion for instructional design grew. A year ago, I ventured out into freelance and obtained my first customers through Elance. I am still working with them on various projects.  

The key has been not just having a good portfolio, but also networking and building  relationships with clients and other instructional designers.  The Articulate Blogs, the Association for Talent Development (ATD), and various Instructional Design blogs on LinkedIn can be a great place to start. I am especially fond of the resources that the ATD offers, including local chapter meetings, webinars, and various eLearning Instructional Design courses. 

Brandie

In these days, Many of them are planning their career in eLearning profession. I hope, It will become a very good path for developing yourself in this field.

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