I am currently enrolled in an online MS program in Instructional Design & Technology at Quinnipiac University, and I am covering the cost myself, which amounts to $2240 per course. While this approach might slow down my progress due to the substantial expense of each class, I have noticed a significant shift in my expectations and motivations compared to when I relied on loans.
Paying for my education directly with cash has shifted my focus from merely meeting course requirements to actively creating valuable additions for my portfolio. The investment I make has translated into a stronger dedication to gaining practical and applicable skills that will benefit my career.
IDn 525 is an introduction to the field of instructional design, employing a project-based approach. In this course, students are guided through the instructional design process while addressing a real-world problem of their choosing.
The Quinnipiac ID program is highly responsive and extremely flexible, ensuring that students will have the opportunity to engage with new technology and innovative learning concepts. Courses are divided into easily understandable learning modules, and IDN 525 is no different, encompassing the following modules:
- Module One: What Is Instructional Design?
“Let’s begin by defining what we mean by “instructional design” and exploring the many different things that instructional designers do each day.” - Module Two: The Instructional Design Process
“The instructional design process creates a pathway for effective design by ensuring that appropriate information is gathered to make informed design decisions.” - Module Three: Identifying the Need for Learning
“A needs analysis helps to pinpoint the problem that will be solved through careful design of an instructional experience.” - Module Four: Identifying the Target Audience
“Who are your learners? What do they bring to the experience, and what do they want to get out of it?” - Module Five: Understanding the Learner Context
“Learning does not happen in isolation – multiple factors will contribute to the context in which learning takes place. Therefore it’s important to analyze these factors and the impact they will have on the learning experience.” - Module Six: Developing Learning Objective
“Clear learning objectives are the foundation on which the entire learning experience is built, and the measure by which the effectiveness of the experience will be assessed. Often seen as one of the most challenging aspects of the process, it is also the most essential.” - Module Seven: The Role of Technology in Instruction
“Leveraging the myriad of technology tools available to us to enhance instruction is often at the core of what we do as instructional designers.” - Module Eight: Designing the Learning Experience
“We have arrived – after analyzing, assessing, and refining our goals and context, we can finally begin to design the learning experience itself!” - Module Nine: Sequencing & Universal Design
“The sequence of events in a learning experience will greatly determine the success of the experience – and through this process it is important to remember design considerations for all of your diverse learners.” - Module Ten: Theories of Motivation
“Grabbing the student’s attention is the first step – but we also need to understand how to maintain that attention throughout the experience, and motivate them to move forward.” - Module Eleven: Design Proposal Presentation
“Based on everything you have learned so far, and all the work you have done on creating your final project, you will present your design plan to the class in an engaging multimedia presentation.” - Module Twelve: Developing an Implementation Plan
“With the plan in place, it’s now time to think about implementation. While we won’t implement our plans in this course, it is important to look at the steps needed to turn your plan into reality.” - Module Thirteen: Evaluation of the Learning Experience
“The last, but perhaps most important, part of the learning experience – evaluating whether or not it was effective. This closes the instructional design loop, but in many ways also kicks it off again as we seek to continuously improve the learner’s experience.”
“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”
-Albert Einstein
In a wonderful approach to creating ID community, Professor Bourgault requested advice from former ID students to offer guidance to incoming students. This was my tip:
nikolaidesigns.com 
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