Instruction, design, and the fight...

I started my life as a freelance designer in the mid-1990s, when computers were just beginning to supersede traditional commercial art processes and methods as the industry standard. A portfolio of some of my recent work can be viewed here:

www.lizmelendezdesign.com

I consider myself primarily an artist (musician) who is a designer by proxy and a communicator by passion. As such, I have found a very natural acumen as an instructor, teaching music on four instruments — assessing needs and designing learning experiences across multiple skill levels and genres.

In my undergraduate program, English, Technical Communications and Media Arts, I often found myself in the MKO role and taught basic design to struggling students outside of our class time. I find the Krause book a very handy and comprehensive guide for those just entering the design field. While instructional designers need not feel the pressure to become design masters, effective communication through the design principles outlined in our course text are essential in crafting effective messages for teaching. Conveyances within the learning sphere shape the learner’s experience, and can determine the success or failure of the instructional designer’s work. Attention to balance, composition, color theory and typography are as important as the content. Even a cursory grasp of Gestalt principles (ex. proximity, continuity, order) and rhetorical principles (ex. arrangement, emphasis, clarity) can be the refinements by which designers can move beyond proficiency and stand out as producers of exceptional and effective learning experiences. We can win the fight of the designer with effective and beautiful instructional content development.

Taking some time to learn the essential tools of the design trade can pay off handsomely for one’s move into instructional design. Understanding the tools in the context within which they are used can actually be a lean and efficient pursuit. Programs such as Photoshop and many others in the Adobe design suite are so densely layered with powerful capabilities, it can seem daunting. But mastery of just a few functions can make development of effective and compliant content much easier to manage. When we understand just a little about how content is composed, we can easily incorporate all the appropriate 508 compliance considerations, and can streamline our design process.

Industry-specific applications such as Captivate or Storyline offer a bit of a learning curve, but are essentially content development tools similar to many we may have worked with in the past. The ability to integrate more interactivity allows designers to create constructivist learning environments which can algorithmically and interactively present opportunities for the learner to shape the experience as they move through the modules. In situations where outcomes and proficiencies are measured, stake holders can assess the effectiveness of the design with automatic learning management system (LMS) integration.

Going forward, I would like to create a module on music theory. I would like to use Storyline to create an interactive tool that helps students understand key signatures by deconstructing and divorcing them from the traditional notation, contexualizing the circle of 5ths, and clearing the path to better understanding the underlying theory.