
Competencies and Skills for Instructional Designers
1. Perform a needs assessment/analysis
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Develop a needs assessment/analysis plan and instrument
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Conduct a needs assessment/analysis and collect data
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Identify discrepancies based on analysis of data collection
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Recommend options that solve the discrepancies
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2. Plan and monitor training projects
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Develop a project management plan
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Develop cost-benefit analysis
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Develop budgets and schedules
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Identify resource allocation requirements
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Monitor activities and make appropriate adjustments to achieve project goals
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Identify constraints that impact budget, schedule, resource requirements
3. Assess the relevant characteristics of the target audience
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Select the target audience characteristics that are appropriate for assessment
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Develop a target audience profile
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Differentiate between the types of learners that will benefit from the instruction from those who will have difficulty comprehending the courseware
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4. Assess the relevant characteristics of the setting
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Identify relevant resources, constraints, and context of the development and delivery environments
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Identify how the courseware will be used in the curriculum
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Evaluate how the setting characteristics may impact proposed instructional approaches
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State a rationale for the selection of the resources and constraints of the development and delivery environments chosen
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5. Perform job, task, and/or content analysis
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Analyze the characteristics of a job, task, or body of knowledge
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Identify appropriate source documentation to support analysis
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Identify tasks, subtasks, cognitive processes and their sequential and/or hierarchical relationships
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Comprehend technical content in terms of the entire course content and individual lessons
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Assess frequency, criticality, difficulty and complexity of knowledge and skills contained in curricula to accommodate target audience learning styles
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Identify prerequisite knowledge and skills for tasks, subtasks, and knowledge
6. Write criterion-referenced, performance-based objectives
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State an objective in performance terms that reflect the intent of instruction
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Sequence the objectives to reflect the curriculum design
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Describe the relationship between the objectives, technical content and performance measurement
7. Select instructional media
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Identify instructional media options that address training needs
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Describe characteristics of instructional media
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Evaluate candidate training system hardware and software capabilities and limitations
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Conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine cost-effectiveness of instructional media options that support objectives within imposed constraints
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Recommend instructional media that provides utility and probability across and within each unit of instruction
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8. Recommend instructional strategies
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Discuss learning theories, instructional design strategies, instructional psychology, and learning styles appropriate to the curricular objectives
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Describe and provide a rationale for the selection of an instructional approach
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Design instructional materials that are appropriate to the ability level of the learners
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9. Develop performance measurement instruments
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Develop performance measures: criterion-referenced achievement tests, questionnaires, interviews, simulation scenarios, observation checklists, performance checklists, product checklists
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Identify variables to measure and construct assessment items appropriate to the associated objective
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Judge the validity and reliability of instruction based on statistical results
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State the rationale for using one type of assessment tool over another
10. Develop training program materials
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Develop media materials that are linked to and within the hardware/software constraints, are consistent across and between lessons, and clearly communicate information
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Develop flowcharts to identify learning events at the frame specific level using standardized symbology
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Develop storyboards using a template appropriate to the needs of the project to enter data that clearly communicates what will be developed and presented to the user
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Select and construct appropriate interactions and user control techniques
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Write scripts that include: Introductions, body, transitions, and summary in conversational, active voice to match comprehension level of target audience
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Consistent use of tense, grammar, terminology that is interesting and varied
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Use a variety of authoring and/or software applications packages
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Develop audiovisual display designs that include: screen layouts and human-machine interfaces
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Develop course support materials and documentation
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Perform debug procedures to identify inconsistencies and discrepancies
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Understand video production/postproduction procedures
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Understand the relationship between storyboard production and courseware production
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11. Prepare end-users for implementation of courseware materials
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Train instructors on how to present courseware to students
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Provide guidance to users on hardware, software, and courseware
12. Evaluate instruction, program, and process
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Develop a formative/summative evaluation plan and conduct the formative/summative evaluation
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Generate specifications for revisions based on feedback collected during evaluation