My title for today’s post is in German. That is because my father spoke German before he spoke English, and he truly wanted his native language to rub off on his five daughters. My father’s “Wie geht’s” didn’t just translate into a casual greeting. When he asked me, “Wie geht’s,” he truly wanted me to reply with how I was doing and what was going on in my life. So as I progress in my quest to learn the bones of instructional design, it is time to ask myself, “Wie geht’s?”
What’s going on?
At this point in my course work, I am rapidly completing the planning stage of my first instructional design project and closing in on implementation. I have examined my philosophy of learning, located a client and pitched an idea, assessed the needs of the targeted learners and the instructor, written and rewritten course goals and objectives, identified instructional activities, and planned for both assessment of the learners and the course as a whole. So to answer my father’s question, there is certainly a lot going on.
With all of this planning, I am still finding a big contrast between instructional design and traditional K-12 instruction. I almost chuckle each time I open up the Kindle version of my text entitled Rapid Instructional Design (Piskurich, 2015) since instructional design has proven to inch along at a much slower pace than what I am accustomed. There is nothing “rapid” about it! However, I know that the planning for my instructional design project seems to be crawling along because it is exponentially more thorough than anything I would attempt for my current day job.
How am I doing?
An answer to my father’s “Wie geht’s,” however, did not just encompass a list of the activities I was currently pursuing. My father truly wanted to check in on my emotions like a barometer. He wanted to know how I was feeling about life at that particular time. In context of becoming an instructional designer, therefore, I must report some of my sentiments and reactions.
My first realization is that l believe I am fairly comfortable transitioning into the instructional design world. I say, “believe” at this point, because I have not actually experienced what this career would be like on a full time basis. However, much of what I have learned as a K-12 classroom teacher IS translating well into this work. I already bring much experience in identifying and accommodating for the needs of my learners, and I have found that skill to be key. I also understand how instruction should flow and when natural times for assessment arise. Because I am feeling comfortable in these aspects, I am pleased that I have selected instructional design as a future.
Unfortunately, I am also running into patches of self-doubt, something I have not experienced as an instructor or as a student for several years. I have a constant nagging feeling that I am somehow missing something. That I am NOT on as solid of a footing as it appears. I know that my uncertainty most likely stems from lack of specific experience in instructional design projects. These feelings should subside with time and practice.
So although my father passed away many years ago, I must consider the achievements I have made toward become an instructional designer and reply, “Ganz gut!” I’ll let the non-German speakers Google that one.
Grrowing Ideas 