Key Terms and Concepts - Instructional Design

This page explains some of the terms and concepts related to instructional design.

Instructional Design

As a process, instructional design includes analyzing problems or situations and developing solutions. In educational settings, instructional design usually begins with a given course or curriculum, its learning situation, and the instructor. The goal is to design and build a course that addresses the needs of the situation. Along the way, there is often training, such as familiarizing an instructor with the LMS and its tools.

Instructional Designer

Often abbreviated as ID (or IDs), instructional designers work with a faculty member (or a SME - subject matter expert) to plan and prepare the best methods and tools for delivering course content, the best course activities to address the learning situation and all other aspects of the course in question. IDs are not "technical support," but are very technically oriented professionals who stay well-versed in what tools, softwares, and solutions are available and the processes necessary to implement those tools. IDs are also pedagogical experts, often having taught for many years themselves before moving into instructional design. IDs at MHCC are glad to introduce faculty to new technologies and support their introduction to those tools. We are also excited to work with faculty to design great learning experiences (it's much of what we do!) and to support you as you build your online course.

UDL

UDL stands for Universal Design for Learning. The concept of universal design originates in architecture. The idea is that instead of making exceptions for people who need them, we should plan from the very beginning of a project to make our spaces (and in our case, learning environments) usable by the widest audience possible. An example from architecture might be door handles that have levers instead of round knobs. Handles are easier than round knobs for those suffering from arthritis or hand injuries. And the rest of the population loses nothing from the change to levers. In fact, we can all make use of them, such as when our hands are full: we can use an elbow to open the door. Designing with UDL principles from the very beginning prevents many future revisions to course content. UDL is a very broad concept and applies to web page design, course organization, media player settings, and beyond.

Resource: National Center on UDL

Accessibility / ADA / Section 508

Accessibility means more than just the ability of students to "access" course content. It refers to a set of federal guidelines with which all schools receiving federal funding must comply. All web pages, PDF documents, Word documents, PowerPoints, videos, and other materials used in online classes at MHCC must meet minimum standards of accessibility. As you work on your online course with Online Learning, your ID will guide you through creating accessible content and maintaining accessibility as you edit your course.

Resource: WebAim

UX / User Experience / Usability

User experience (UX) encompasses the way a document or website or other interface is prepared with the user's needs in mind. We not only need to present accurate and engaging information, but we need to present that information in ways that users find appealing, easy to navigate, and intuitive.

Findability

Findability is a sub-topic within usability and refers to how easily users can locate what they need within your content. Read more about findability.

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