It's no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges for instructional designers. It's been a time of uncertainty and adaptation as we navigate new ways of teaching and learning. However, even though the pandemic has been overwhelming at times, it's exciting to think about the possibilities that lie ahead.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced rapid changes in the way organizations operate. With the shift to remote work and new technologies, leaders had to adapt quickly to keep their businesses operational. These changes usually take time to plan and implement and convincing employees to embrace new systems can be challenging. However, the crisis forced everyone to realize that change was necessary.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, instructional technology became necessary for teachers, instructors, and educators. Everyone had to accept this change regardless of their previous opinion of technology. Moving to an emergency remote teaching (ERT) format focused on getting the courses online as quickly as possible. As a result, instructional designers, teachers, and administrators may have selected instructional technology tools based on how quickly they could implement the tech and the cost involved.
With the rise of technology, distance learning has grown from a novelty to a necessity. Before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, many instructors and teachers resisted utilizing a partial or complete distance learning option. Despite the evidence that an online course is as effective as a face-to-face course, the assumption that distance education is inferior persists.
A drop in organizational performance can be a source of mystery—which is precisely why performance improvement is so essential. Digging deep to find the root causes of performance gaps is a complex process, but it’s necessary for identifying effective solutions to successfully close those gaps and improve performance.
Without question, the rapid shift to ERT significantly impacted the credibility of online learning (Zimmerman, 2020). However, correcting the misconceptions surrounding ERT vs. online learning may provide an accurate view of quality online education and create a new interest in distance learning and training as a viable option for the future (Samson, 2020).
In 2013, I took a position as training director of a crisis hotline. The majority of call agents worked remotely from locations all around the world. Even though the virtual training program was successful, the process could have benefited from an AAR during the train the trainer phase.
Addressing generational differences in course design is an important, yet challenging task for instructional designers. In theory, design for younger learners is less complex than design for mixed-age adult learners. Much has been written comparing Baby Boomers to Millennials; however, today’s secondary schools are not filled with millennials. These students are from Generation Z (also known as post-millennials, iGeneration, Homeland generation).