RE: Instructional design newbie needs pointers!

["DeFrias, Kara" <Kara_DeFrias -at- intuit -dot- com>]

Hi Mark,

I'm new to this list as of last week, so I'm a newbie as well!

I spent 10 years in Training & Development, most recently as an
instructional designer, and last month morphed to focus solely on
writing. (Along the way I got a Masters degree in Instructional Systems
at Penn State.)

I tended to look at the profession from a more holistic standpoint;
meaning, I didn't just focus on adult learning theory or gadgets/media,
but also from a user experience and usability perspective. It's amazing
the results you achieve when you look beyond simply ID.

For new IDs I mentored, I recommended reading these books:

- "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug (he'll help you get inside the
head of users/students)
- Anything by Thiagi (he focuses on interactivity in training and is a
mentor of mine)
- "Psychology of Learning for Instruction" by Marcy P. Driscoll (A
fantastic overview of the different educational theorists - each chapter
has a great table summarizing everyone from Piaget to Brunner. A good
view into constructivism, behaviorism, et al.)
- "First Things Fast" by Allison Rossett (One of the ID legends. Good
quick and dirty primer to ID.)
- "Flawless Consulting" by Peter Block (a good ID has good
consulting/project manager skills)
- Anything by Edward Tufte (he'll help you see the different ways you
can present information)

You'll want to brush up on ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development,
Implementation and Evaluation). It's a simplistic method that absolutely
works. By understanding all the phases of ADDIE, it makes your job
easier when the work calls for you to skip a step. (That way, you know
the implications of dragging a phase out or having to cut it.) There are
many other methods, but that's a great one.

I could go on and on, but this should get you started. Hope this helps!
:-)  Let me know if you have any other questions.

Cheers,
...
Kara DeFrias
Senior Writer | CTG web(creative)team
Intuit | San Diego, Calif. | p 858.215.9121 | e kara_defrias -at- intuit -dot- com

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