Media Design Training Plan for Instructional Designer: Need Your Thoughts

We’ve had some new instructional designers join Upside Learning recently. They come from varied backgrounds, with varying levels of experience and expertise in eLearning development. We don’t offer much in terms of training other than a bit of induction niceness. While they’ve been assigned to work on projects on one hand, they’re also required to hit the ground running when it comes to media design.

During the initial period that IDs work for Upside, a significant part of their role involves media design and writing storyboards. Learning these is best on the job, and when the work situation constantly demands you apply your new-found knowledge.

Having said that, it helps IDs if they’re given some insights into the fundamental concepts and basic principles of designing electronic instructional media. To help them along, I’ve been planning a series of hour long weekly training sessions that will cover the basics of new media design. I came up with ten topics that I’d really like to cover. To me, this is essential knowledge before one can be effective in an ID role that’s mostly about media design.

Note the absence of instructional design theory is deliberate. It needs to be very practical oriented.

1. Storyboarding
   1. Basic principles
   2. Media Design
2. Reviews
   1. Storyboards and Design
   2. Multi-pass Method
3. Content Structuring
4. Media Design
   1. Multimedia & Communication
   2. Mayer and Clark
   3. Tips and Tricks
5. Visual Communication
   1. Principles
   2. Form, composition, layouts, etc
   3. Visualization & Varied Exercises
6. Design of Interaction
   1. Principles of digital interaction
   2. Metaphors and Interfaces
   3. Interaction types and appropriate uses
7. Elements of Game-play and gaminess
8. Brainstorming Visuals
9. Finished Product Review (course alphas, betas,…)
10. Merrill’s CDT and Assessment writing

This is what comes to my mind. Add a comment if you have suggestions.