SIG: Instructional Design (ID)

Instructional Design SIG

Program Overview:

In the 2025 Instructional Design Special Interest Group (SIG), we’ll hold ten sessions on key instructional design topics to equip participants with the foundational knowledge and practical skills needed to create effective and engaging learning experiences. Through a blend of theoretical insights and hands-on activities, participants will explore key concepts, models, and best practices in instructional design.

By the end of the SIG year, participants will be able to design, develop, implement, and evaluate instructional materials that meet the needs of diverse learners. You are encouraged to attend all sessions because they build on one another, but it’s not necessary if you’re already established designers and know the science behind the instruction. At the end of the program you will have a learning unit for your portfolios. 

To see an outline of the whole program, please refer to this document. 

Activities

Activities will be assigned at the end of each session, due a week before the subsequent session. This enables participants to develop instructional design skills, field questions, and obtain feedback from the group. At the end of the year, you’ll have a fully developed learning unit you can add to your portfolio.

Workbook

There will be an electronic workbook available for download for free to participants of the SIG. You’ll be expected to participate by completing assignments and sharing them for review throughout each month. Participants will receive feedback from me and others in the ID SIG community.

Reflections

It is highly recommended that you keep a learning journal throughout the year. We would love for you to share your feedback about skills you developed, insights you have learned, and whether the program helped you develop instructional design mastery through participation in the SIG. 

Current Session Information:

Session 3: Conducting Needs Assessments

• Techniques for identifying learning needs
  
• Stakeholder analysis and engagement
• Tools and methods for conducting effective needs assessments
• Activity: Execute a learning needs assessment for a topic of your choice, or an assigned case study, and provide an executive summary of your findings
• Activities are due no later than Monday, May 12, 2025

Location: Zoom

*Zoom URL will be provided upon registration

Members: FREE with registration

Non-Members: FREE with registration

Host:

Paula O'Brien, M.Ed., PMP works as a Senior Instructional Designer managing projects across business segments, developing materials for virtual instructor-led training, and creating eLearning curriculum for Pharmacists who specialize in renal care and dialysis. Paula's 15 years of expertise represent her creativity and passion for designing engaging instruction used in online and blended-learning sessions. Her courses have been delivered to enlisted military, veterans, technology professionals, and pharmacy teams around the world.