Learn the fundamentals of instructional design

The purpose of Instructional Design Institute is simple: to help you create meaningful learning experiences. This is a 7 week-long instructional design bootcamp for learning nerds to provide you with what you need to know in the real-world.

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The learning experience

What makes IDI different from other forms of professional development for instructional designers? It all comes down to the learning experience.

IDI was created for a hands-on experience with learning a new topic each week and then immediately applying this knowledge into designing your own course. You’ll also be given full autonomy and flexibility with how you choose to design your own experience. In a meta fashion, you’ll also experience how IDI was developed with exploring readings, videos, discussions, practice questions, journal entries, case studies, scenario-based assignments, peer-review based assessments, reflections, research, projects, and more. 

You’ll receive coaching and feedback along the way with each important submission to know you are on track. Each week, there will be a live workshop to build off of the learning material and of course, these will be recorded if you can’t attend live.

IDI is also a cohort-based program with strongly emphasizing the significance of a community and peer-feedback. Giving and receiving constructive feedback is an important part of an instructional designer’s world and this was included intentionally to help you on your instructional design journey.

the 7-week Curriculum

  • How exactly do adults learn in the online learning environment? In the first week, you’ll discover the science and practice behind Andragogy. Additionally, you'll learn about the significance of analysis for your designs. Conducting research is a step that cannot be skipped for launching a successful project!

  • In the second week, you’ll be introduced to an instructional design model known as Backward Design. This model highlights the importance of starting with the end goals in mind and working your way backwards. You’ll also learn about how to create clear, concise, and transparent learning objectives.

  • Learning strategies are what makes learning experiences so meaningful, relevant, and engaging! You can incorporate several different kinds of ideas into developing assessments that your students and learners will love. 

  • Just like how there are various ways to design assessments, there are a multitude of ways of thinking about learning activities and content. You’ll conclude this week by experimenting with a technique known as course mapping to visualize what every step in your learning experience looks like.

  • Can you design learning experiences that everyone can enjoy? Absolutely and you should always strive for this goal. This week goes into the research behind Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and how to apply known guidelines into your learning experiences. This also touches upon use cases for Generative AI and how this can be applied through a UDL lens.

  • There is no such thing as a perfect course and this is where the course improvement process begins. Collecting, analyzing, and applying student and learner feedback can and will enhance the learning experience. This week is all about following a framework to improve your learning experiences.

  • In the final week, you’ll incorporate the feedback from your peers and instructor into the final design of your own course. You’ll also reflect on the design process overall so you are better prepared the next time you are asked to create an online course for yourself or for your organization.

benefits of Instructional design institute

Cohort

Join the community of lifelong learners. If you are passionate about education, you'll fit right in.

WORKSHOPS

Attend weekly workshops to work on real-world problems. They'll always be recorded if you can't attend live.

COACHING AND FEEDBACK

Receive guidance and feedback to make your online courses engaging and effective.

course project

Design your own learning experience. Each week, you'll be learning new skills to build your own course.

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

Learn by doing. You'll develop tangible skills by practicing, applying, and reflecting on real-world problems.

Free Ebooks

Enjoy your free copies of Dr. Hobson's e-books, What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming an Instructional Designer and So, You Want to Become an Instructional Designer.

 FAQs

  • The simple answer is learning nerds. 🤓 

    Our students come from all backgrounds (higher education, corporate, government agencies, free-lance, and non-profit organizations), but here are some titles from the past cohorts:

    • Current instructional designers who need help developing their skillset further

    • Aspiring instructional designers who want hands-on experience with an LMS and guidance with portfolios, interviews, branding, etc.

    • Instructors and professors who wish to transform their courses

    • Entrepreneurs who need help building a course for the first time

  • You can expect to dedicate 5-7 hours each week. IDI is mainly asynchronous with having the assignments and activities due at the end of each week. The workshops are also optional.

  • Within IDI, you’ll experience exactly how I design online courses and programs. You’ll see a variety of assessments, activities, and content. There will be readings, videos, podcasts, scenario-based problems, project-based problems, case studies, practice questions, discussions, reflections, journal entries, and more.

  • You’ll have lifetime access to the course and learning materials. 

  • Each week, we will host office hours on Thursdays evenings at 7 PM ET. There will be a Zoom link embedded in the course for you to follow. These office hours sessions will also be recorded and uploaded by the following day.

  • The price for enrollment is $799.

  • Yes, it’s quite common for leaders at institutions and organizations to send their instructional designers to learn from Instructional Design Institute. If you need help with asking for funding to be used for IDI, please use this template as a guide.

  • Absolutely. If you aren't satisfied with the experience, you can get a full refund within 7 days of the course start. If you aren't happy though, please definitely let us know why and we'll do our best to find a solution!