L and T: Sect. 6

Section 6: Getting and IDT Position and Succeeding at It

• Take a look at a few of the sources provided for job openings from lesson 1 and search for at least 3 positions that are of interest to you. Describe the general nature of the positions and list the skills required for the job. Do you have these skills?

The first position I found was for an assistant professor of Organizational Learning and Instructional Technology at the University of New Mexico.  I freely admit that I was interested in this because I’d love to go back to New Mexico.  The first requirement is for a doctorate, but I obviously don’t have that yet.  The other requirements are focused on teaching and researching “adaptive learning environments, multimedia technologies, designing learning systems, performance support systems, computer-based simulations, and, instructional design.”  I don’t feel, yet, like I have the skills and experience to teach about adaptive learning environments or computer-based simulations, but I do think that I have the basis of knowledge needed to examine the other areas.

I found an entry-level position for training and development at The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.  Since this was a job that only requested a bachelor’s degree, I thought it would be an interesting contrast.  The required skills are pretty straight-forward, with design of online learning for technology training as the focus.  This was obviously much more directly related to putting instructional design into practice as opposed to teaching about it. 

The third job I reviewed was for a high-level regional training manager for a health care company that handles electronic medical records.  This would be far beyond the skills that I have to-date, in that it manages an entire region of designers and I don't have the level of experience needed to direct at that level.  There are several skills in communication, MS Office experience and the ability to meet deadlines are within my skill-set now, but the description says this position provides consultation and management support for the implementation and training of clients.  This would add a level of complication in service the clients by having to serve both the company I would work for as well as the client companies.  The position also manages resources for  clients and for the designers as well as the project managers.

•    Look at the resources provided on page 258 in chapter 25 and select one of these links and complete the self-assessment. What did you learn about yourself from the assessment?

I took the Princeton Review Career Quiz, which was a link from the careeronestop.org site.  The career that I currently have showed up among the recommended list, but so did inventor, teacher, mediator and product designer.  I see these things as combining well into a career as an instructional designer where you are mediating between client needs and goals as well as mediating between outcomes and resource while inventing the process and evaluations that are needed.

Professional Organizations:

Professional publications:

CITE:  Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education

This online, peer-reviewed journal focuses on current issues and current practices, but also features “scholarly adventures” that take readers a bit off the beaten path.   You can find details for submission here, so I won’t repeat them, but they have only a 9 percent acceptance rate.

I like the fact that it is interactive in that it allows external comments about the articles and it includes multimedia features. 

IJEL – International Journal on E-Learning

This peer-reviewed journal is inclusive of corporate, government and educational settings and trainers, so  I think it would offer a wide perspective that could be very useful for those who are working in education, and those who are trying to decide about job fields.  It is very hard to see if it is online as you can’t look at it at all if you are not a subscriber.  

Submission Guidelines can be found here and here.

•    If you were responsible for identifying the domains, competencies, and performance statements for a performance technologist, what would they include and why?

I don’t like some of the competencies that are listed with the performance technologist competencies.  I think the “help clients focus on results” could be misconstrued if clients are too focused on results and not able to see the need for continuous evaluation.  I also don’t know that “add value in how you do the work” as any real meaning as a competency.  There are some of the competencies for instructional designers listed on the other charts that I think point to valuable competencies that aren’t included here.  Promoting collaboration and applying current research and theory are two of the pieces that I see as essential that are missing from the list of 10.