Megan McQuaid

Instructional designers, How long should a storyboard take to write as a beginner/intermediate/advanced instructional designer? The outline provided has 14 sections of content with a 30 question quiz at the end.

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𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐕𝐑 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧? I've been receiving numerous inquiries on LinkedIn about transitioning into VR instructional design. Responding individually has become challenging, so I'm planning an exclusive online session tailored for instructional designers looking to transition into VR instructional design. Before we finalize details, I want to hear from you. If you're interested in learning more about integrating Virtual Reality into instructional design, show your interest by commenting "Interested" below or reacting to this post! Let's spread the word and see how many are excited about this opportunity! Feel free to share with your network too! Stay tuned—details about the session will follow based on the response! #VRInstructionalDesign #VirtualReality #InstructionalDesign #CareerDevelopment #ProfessionalTraining #FutureofLearning #DigitalLearning #ImmersiveLearning #LearningInnovation #OnlineLearning #TrainingAndDevelopment

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If you're looking for guidance to create your instructional design portfolio, don't miss this week's blog post! In it, I discuss six steps to creating a standout portfolio—and I'm giving you an amazing toolkit that answers frequently asked questions, walks you through the design process, and compares some of the most popular website builder tools. This is a resource you'll want to save and share! https://lnkd.in/gXWxRKb4 Graphic description: Winding road with six steps marked as locations and icons representing each step: 1. Visualize Your Dream Job. 2. Select Your Samples. 3. Plan Your Design. 4. Choose a Tool. 5. Build It. 6. Test It. #InstructionalDesign #Portfolio

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I have seen so many job postings for learning/instructional designers that require content-area expertise--only learning designers with experience with this-super-specific-enterprise-software will be considered. Why isn't it more common knowledge that it's usually better if your learning designer doesn't have a lot of prior knowledge in the content area? That's what the SME is for. The SME-ID relationship depends on the SME to be the holder of the content expertise and the ID to be the holder of the learning expertise. Then we become greater than the sum of our parts. Then the magic happens.

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Would you rather be bored or lonely? I recently picked Paolo's brain on an important question... should someone in the social sciences jump from a career in academia to a UX research career in industry? I won't spoil which is which, but we were both pleasantly surprised to stumble on this insight. Most people know that life is all about trade offs. The bored vs. lonely tradeoff may be one of the most important decisions you have to make as you choose between these two different environments. Have a listen and ping Paolo with any new questions you get while listening to this episode 😎 ===== Jumping from Academia into Industry =========== 🍎 Apple: https://lnkd.in/gXRRGMSn 📗 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/g5E39afr =========================================

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Transitioning teachers might be curious…what do instructional designers actually DO? Here is an example of a real world project I am working on this month. Working in tech, we regularly roll out software updates, version releases, and new functionality. My big focus for this month is a curriculum refresh for all of the training materials that are impacted by the latest release. For instructor led training, updating the text in slide decks and quick reference guides is pretty straightforward, followed by swapping out screenshots with new visuals to represent the current GUI (interface). For on-demand content, it's a bit more time intensive because I need to record new audio and edit the video demos to incorporate the narration. More complex impacts are related to customer delivery. I have to stay clear on which version of the software customers are purchasing so we deliver the right training. I stay organized by managing the course catalog and source files. There you have it, a real world instructional design project. #TechnicalTraining #CustomerEducation #InstructionalDesigner #FormerTeacher #TransitioningTeachers Image Description: A photo of a woman working on a laptop with the text “Real World Projects”

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When it comes to UX content, are you ever tempted to just "write your own"? You're not alone, but maybe this article by Aprill Jones, Associate Content Director at CapTech, will convince you to call on a professional. (I sure hope so.) #captech #uxwriting

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❗️📖 Hurry! My books are now open. 📖❗️ I tend to keep a full book when it comes to instructional design projects, but I’ve recently opened my books for the coming months. 🌟Is your Learning & Development team bursting at the seams with projects that your head count just can’t handle right now? 🌟Are you coming up on the end of your fiscal year and your leader has tasked you with a massive training goal with no clue how you’re going to do it? Do you have an instructional design project that either needs: 🌟A fast turnaround 🌟A complete overhaul of a past training 🌟An innovative, creative solution that drives real behavior change 🌟A modern, agile approach to learning that learners will actually use 🌟A multi-modal learning experience for your diverse learning needs 🌟A needs analysis and/or a data-driven approach to training with metrics to confirm behavior change —————— 🤗Hi! I’m Brittany and I’m about to be your new best training buddy. I’m here to take so much of that heavy stuff off your shoulders so you can concentrate on more strategic projects…or the 197 other items waiting in your email inbox.🤗 —————- 🤗Who am I and what do you get by work with me? ✅ I have thirteen years of instructional design and facilitation experience, in addition to having my Masters degree in English. ✅ I’ve trained audiences from frontline associates to executives and every level of people leader in between. ✅ I have developed training for small audiences of 10-15 people, to audiences of over 165,000 a month. You need scale? I can scale! 😎 ✅ Ive done trains for small initiatives. However, I’ve also been responsible for designing, developing, and delivering company-wide initiatives that influence every level of the organization. ✅ Because I’ve been at every level of a company in many different businesses lines over the years, I’m able to pivot easily when a client needs me to quickly shift to a new project or to quickly put out a fire in a totally different area of their learning business. This—the ability to put on and take many different styles, colors, and shapes of 🎩 hats—I would argue, is one of my greatest strengths. I work great on the fly and work great with ambiguity. Cowan Learning Solutions is known for these five principles: 🏆 Always keep the learner’s experience as the top priority 🏆 Training should be fast, accessible, and easy to understand 🏆 Agility is essential 🏆 Everything is figuroutable 🏆 Communication is key If this sounds like something your business needs right now, feel free to send me a DM or send me an email. 👩‍💻 I work on a project-by-project basis or I can work on retainer for a fee. Reach out to me for more information about this and to negotiate a price discount for a long-term retainer. 💡💡If you’d like to learn more about Cowan Learning Solutions and/or see some past work, you can check out my website for more information at: https://lnkd.in/eCbdScfg.

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📢 Calling all Instructional Designers and course creators! 📚 I've developed a course design document template and am working on a free micro-learning course to go with it. What would you hope to find in these resources (specifically geared toward the design phase of the instructional design process)? A. Step-by-step guidance on writing clear and measurable learning objectives B. Tips for organizing and structuring course content effectively C. Guidance on choosing the most suitable mode of content delivery (e.g., text, video, interactive) D. Examples of effective course design documents E. Other (please specify in comments) 👇 Thanks y'all!

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I use Articulate to design elearning courses and presentations for clients. I mainly use Articulate storyline and Articulate Rise and Articulate review. Articulate is a cloud-based platform that enables businesses to create interactive eLearning courses. Content creators save time with prebuilt courses, lessons, and templates. The platform also has an easy-to-use review tool and live, on-demand online training. More on: https://bit.ly/4e9hGU5 #Articulate #Design #Learning Design #AuthoringTool #LearningDevelopment #eLearning 👩‍🏫 👩‍🎓 📚 Do you know any alternatives to Articulate? i am really curious! ❓❓❓

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Can I get some freelancer advice? I'm have a few e-learning/instructional design projects right now and keep running into clients pushing back deadlines. I get it, things happen, but it's a real challenge when schedules shift constantly. It messes with workflow, income stability, and the ability to plan for new projects. It's happening far more often now. Anyone else dealing with this? How do you handle it gracefully while still advocating for yourselves and setting boundaries? Any tips for managing expectations and keeping projects on track?

👍 Need a storyboard template for your eLearning? ❤️️ No worries iSpring Solutions has you covered! ➡️ This template is designed to make your course creation process seamless and efficient. With just a few clicks, you can: ✅ Organize and present content visually ✅ Engage learners more effectively ✅ Provide stakeholders with a clear course preview 🙌 The template includes 5 customizable slides, each with all the elements needed to storyboard most online courses. Plus, they’re already professionally designed, saving you time on fine-tuning visuals! 🎨 Don't miss out on this fantastic resource. Start creating engaging and visually stimulating eLearning courses today! 📥 Download the FREE storyboard template now (link in the comments) #eLearning #CourseDesign #Storyboard #InstructionalDesign #FreeTemplate #iSpringSolutions #ProfessionalDevelopment

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Instructional Design Approaches For Adult Learners. Most of us on LinkedIn are designing learning for adult learners. If you are new to instructional design, you may not have had any background or training in adult learning. This article gets you started on 4 learning theories that can help you in your learning design.

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(Part 2) How do you transition from academia to UX research in the current tough market? In my first post on the topic, we looked at leveraging LinkedIn to the fullest: https://lnkd.in/g2u2UAJq Today I’ll talk about additional strategies and ways to prepare for UX: ➡️ Convert your CV to a short industry style resume. Check out my post on this topic here: https://lnkd.in/gYbsVdT2. I don’t recommend to send your long academic CV to recruiters unless they are specifically recruiting academic style researchers (e.g. publications are required). ➡️ Network beyond the internet. Attend conferences and meet-ups related to UX. There are usually sessions related to careers and jobs and you can make connections and learn more about the craft. E.g. one great opportunity to learn about Quantitative UX research is the attend the Quant UX Con yearly conference, or look through their materials online: https://lnkd.in/ghFD3zcr  Companies also often hire at conferences. For UX research CHI and HFES are good ones to attend. ➡️ While you’re waiting for your first opportunity, work on acquiring more relevant skills and knowledge for the industry. For example by taking online courses and certifications like Google’s Certificates on UX design and Data analytics: https://lnkd.in/guErZk8u ➡️ Consider volunteering for a company or a government agency to get more relevant experience and practice your skills in a non-academic setting. Back when was looking to switch to industry, I volunteered for a government agency in immigration and analyzed survey data for them. ➡️ Consider creating an online research portfolio to share with potential employers. It gives them an opportunity to see what type of experience you have. Showcase skills and projects that are relevant to UX research. Add more tips and tricks to the comment section! #ux #uxresearch #userresearch #jobs #careers #academia

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Creating an effective portfolio that generates leads and helps you get job interviews can seem like a big task, but trust me guys — it isn't rocket science if you follow the right guidance. 😉 Join Holly Owens for today's iSpring webinar to learn how to create an ID portfolio that will shine bright and help you easily find a corporate full-time job or dream freelance projects! 📅 When: Thursday, May 23rd, at 11:00 AM EDT Learn how to: ✅ Create a unique brand and convey it through your portfolio ✅ Use critical elements that contribute to an effective portfolio ✅ Enhance it with interactivity or better audience engagement ✅ Explore the portfolio hosting and sharing option and ensure its compatibility across devices As usual, attending is absolutely free but seats are limited! Hurry and reserve yours:

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Two things I learned about Articulate Storyline today: 1. If you click Undo all the way back until you can't anymore, and then try to close without saving the file, Storyline may decide to corrupt your file for fun. 2. Icons used from Articulate are not included in the Media Library. One of these was less impactful than the other.

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Hot take: Having technical skills alone is NOT enough in the field of Instructional Design. If you want to stand out, you have to do more. I agree that “technical expertise” is crucial, but it’s not everything. Here are some tips I have learned over the years as a full-time, contractual, and now freelance Instructional Designer on enriching client relationships. 1. 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲 Understanding your clients' needs is so important. How to do it: Listen to your clients' concerns, ask clarifying questions, and put yourself in their shoes. 2. 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 Clients' needs may change over time. How to do it: Be open to feedback, and adapt your design accordingly. 3. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Clear and concise communication is key. How to do it: Use simple language, visual aids, and regular updates to keep clients informed. 4. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦-𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 You should be able to provide innovative solutions. How to do it: Encourage brainstorming. If you don't have immediate answers, do your research and don't be afraid to think outside the box. 5. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Keeping projects on track is essential. How to do it: Plan your work and stick to the schedule, use project management tools, and provide regular progress updates. I enjoy project and time management the most in my projects. 🤪 Do you have a favorite? Which one is your favorite? #InstructionalDesign #ClientRelations

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I get asked pretty often what resources are out there that help people break into the UX field. Ryan's great and could offer some really good well informed insights. if you're curious about some interview prep, give this a look

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Game Changer Alert for Instructional Designers! Articulate Storyline's new AI features are a dream come true! Being able to rewrite content and generate images directly within the software will save us tons of time and open up creative possibilities. Here's how the ID landscape would change: Effortless Content Revamps: Stuck on writer's block? The AI rewriter breathes new life into existing content, suggesting fresh ways to phrase things. Image Generation on Demand: No more endless image searches! AI generates relevant visuals based on my descriptions, saving me precious time and budget. These features free me up to focus on the bigger picture - crafting engaging learning experiences. Huge thanks to Articulate for pushing the boundaries! #InstructionalDesign #ArticulateStoryline #AI #eLearning Tom Kuhlmann

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