Probably you might feel that I have raised this question as a topic of hot debate. Many might feel that the question itself is absolutely abstract, a weird one. Absolutely No! Neither is there any intention to stir people into debate nor is the topic an abstract one.
In a world, where statistics says “In 2011, it was estimated that about $35.6 billion was spent on self-paced eLearning across the globe. Today, e-Learning is a $56.2 billion industry, and it’s going to double by 2015.” With such a huge potential in this market, can you simply imagine a scene where the instructional designer will rule the world or if they were given the onus to drive the whole world. Believe me, it would have been a wonderful place to live in. Let’s see HOW!!!
- Day 1 Change 1: Life of Purpose and Significance
An instructional designer talks about objectives, more precisely learning objectives. For each lesson of an eLearning course, they come up with certain learning objectives. An objective has got a sole purpose, and it clearly states what the learner will be able to DO after the completion of this course. So, if instructional designers rule the world, they would make everything worth doing in this world, a purposeful job. Thus, all are very clear with their destination and goals. Had it not been there, we still would have wondered about the purpose of our lives.
- Day 2 Change 2: A Green Environment
Going green is one of the major Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of business worldwide. Do you ever think of saving energy, using non-renewable resources effectively, reducing carbon footprint? Then, take a glance of this eLearning statistics: “Recent studies conducted by Britain’s Open University have found that e-Learning consumes 90% less energy than traditional courses. The amount of CO2 emissions (per student) is also reduced by up to 85%”. Thus, instructional designers who drive this eLearning market with their innovation and creative ideas can rightly help in adopting effective ecological footprint and thus marks a major contribution to improving the health of the environment.
- Day 3 Change 3: We All have 24 hours and MORE!!!
Time is one parameter that God has equally divided among all individuals beneath the sun. Then, how can instructional designers give us more time? Yes they can. Designers with their technology based skills and using appropriate authoring tools design a course that can be accessed anywhere from the world. We can learn at our own pace. Thus, a bulk of our time is saved without attending a lecture in a classroom. Again, to support this context, there is a small statistics that depicts “Corporations now report that e-learning is the second most valuable training method that they use. This is no surprise, given that e-learning saves businesses at least 50% when they replace traditional instructor-based training with e-Learning. Not to mention that e-Learning cuts down instruction time by up to 60%”.
- Day 4 Change 4: All of us are PRODUCTIVE in a working environment
Little do we pay heed to sharpen the saw of the human resources working worldwide. Instructional designer come in handy here. They will pave the way for effective training solutions by analyzing the hard-pressing needs of human resources. They analyze by using their problem-solving skills and active listening to people’s problem and coming up with the best possible solutions. It’s been estimated that nearly 25% of all employees leave their job because there simply aren’t enough training or learning opportunities. On the other hand, companies who do offer e-learning and on-the-job training generate about 26% more revenue per employee.
Thus, an instructional designer with his acumen of that an engineer and a craftsperson have so much to contribute to this world that sometimes goes beyond our comprehension.
So, after going through this, I think you will agree with me that instructional designers are no miniature but a giant who can contribute a lot to this world.