The Multi-Disciplinary Instructional Designer

The Multi-Disciplinary Instructional Designer explores how the instructional design and development process can be energized and deepened through principles gleaned from other fields of academic study. Despite their shared academic preparation and theoretical foundations, many instructional designers come to the profession also bearing formative knowledge from a diverse range of other subject areas, career tracks, creative practices, or intellectual pursuits. Their training, however, typically does not prepare them to leverage these specializations into the creation of more effective educational experiences and materials. This first-of-its-kind book guides instructional designers to apply key concepts, strategies, and lessons learned from a variety of disciplines - spanning the social sciences, arts and humanities, and STEM - to their practice. Chapters replete with example scenarios, reflection activities, and field-tested strategies provide an expansive yet actionable reframing of the profession's potential. By seeking inspiration across disciplines and from the world at large, instructional designers will emerge with robust and revitalized toolkits, ready to enrich their approach to teaching and learning.

Chris Gamrat is Assistant Teaching Professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at the Pennsylvania State University, USA. Megan Kohler is Learning Designer and Lecturer in the John A. Dutton e-Education Institute at The Pennsylvania State University, USA.

1. A Closer Look at Instructional Design 2. A Consultative Mindset: Aligning Strategic Learning Initiatives Using Marketing-Based Approaches 3. Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire: The Unintended (And Amazing) Consequences of Risk Taking in the Practice of Instructional Design 4. Critical Theory for Critical Work: Feminist Approaches to Instructional Design 5. A Tale of Two English Teachers: Instructional Design Lessons Learned from the Classroom 6. Building Resilient Courses: How Crisis Management Can Inform Instructional Design 7. Always on Stage: Acting and Improv Skills for Creating more Collaborative Design Dynamics 8. Designing Therapeutic Landscapes for Learners: What a Critical Health Geography Approach Can Add to the Field of Instructional Design 9. STEM and Instructional Design: A Discussion of STEM Identity Soft Skills in the Instructional Design Field 10. Lessons From the Barre: The Intersection between Dance and Dynamic Instructional Design Decision-Making 11. Instructional Design as Communication: Insights from the Field of Journalism