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As the demand for online and blended courses in higher education continues to increase, so too has the demand for and responsibilities placed upon instructional designers (ID). Through the analysis of round table discussions and relevant literature, researchers found that role discrepancies and strained faculty/ID partnership dynamics are commonly cited challenges in the ID field among practitioners, particularly in higher education. The researchers introduce a new framework, the CISSCO model, which deconstructs the ID role to determine gaps between various institutional expectations and practical responsibilities, to create an action plan to improve efficacy within the role, and foster positive changes among collaborative efforts.
Keywords: instructional design, collaboration, framework, faculty, higher education, online learning
Introduction
Higher education is continuously transforming as technology has shaped and continues to evolve our ways of life inside and outside the classroom. With the flexibility to learn anywhere, anytime, and the internet quite literally in the palms of our hands via smartphones and tablets, students find the option to learn online appealing. While the traditional face-to-face lecture courses are still a cornerstone at colleges and universities, institutions are more commonly integrating online and blended courses into their programs across all disciplines.
As online education has become more widely accepted and the demand for online courses in higher education continues to increase, so too have the roles geared toward ensuring the quality of online and blended courses offered to students. One such role, instructional designer (ID), has proven to be a valuable asset to, and a critical component within, colleges' and universities' pursuits in access to distributed learning. While the position of ID is found in various fields outside of higher education, the role takes on a unique charge in higher education, as opposed to other industries where IDs are much more closely aligned with training positions (Moskal, 2012). In higher education, IDs often find themselves as consultants, facilitators, technology experts, researchers, and quality assurance checkers, all wrapped into one. With high expectations to create an equitable experience in online and blended modalities for students, when compared to the traditional face-to-face format, IDs constantly have to expand their skill set and responsibilities to provide students with dynamic activities and sound design approaches in the online and blended courses being offered.
The...