5 Great Jobs in Instructional Design and Technology

5 Top Instructional Design and Technology Careers

Teaching
Online Course Designer
Multimedia Content Developer
Instructional Design Librarian
Consultant

Jobs in industrial design and technology involve combining education theory, curriculum design and current technological innovations to create a curriculum that will enhance student learning. For people who are interested in both education and technology, this is a growing and fast-changing field that offers many opportunities to develop innovative approaches to learning. Below are five types of jobs a person might have with this focus.

1. Teaching

Although careers in industrial design and technology usually involve working in a more behind-the-scenes role in education, some people with specialized training in designing curriculum that incorporates technology may still go on to classroom teaching. They might teach the subject of industrial design and technology at a university level, where they may also be engaged in further research into the topic. However, at a K-12 level, they might bring their expertise into the classroom as well as acting in some capacity within the school to bring more technological solutions to all classes.

2. Online Course Designer

Online education has exploded in the past two decades, and many brick-and-mortar colleges and universities may offer some or all of their courses online. A 2016 Washington Post article reported a surge in both the popularity and prestige of online education, and that has only increased since. However, creating an online course is not simply a matter of adapting in-class material to the online environment. An online course designer has the opportunity to entirely revamp how the course is presented to the student using the entirely different tools that are available in online courses from message boards to simulations and more.

3. Multimedia Content Developer

Education technology uses videos, podcasts, real-world simulations and more to reach learners. With a background in instructional design and technology, a person could move into developing the multimedia within online courses or could design entire courses around multimedia content. Even games can be used in some types of educational settings.

4. Instructional Design Librarian

While all librarians today work with technology to some degree, a small but growing number are moving into this field. In general, these are academic librarians with graduate-level degrees in educational technology who work toward making online material more accessible to students and faculty and to assist faculty in using educational technology more effectively in the classroom. Instructional design librarians might also use technology in teaching students and faculty. For example, they might create videos that show them how to use various library services.

5. Consultant

A job as a consultant is rarely an entry-level position, but this is something a person might move into with a background in both the classroom and educational technology or from the above career fields. A consultant might work with various teams to develop a curriculum within a school system or manage educational technology in a business environment among other tasks. There are many other types of jobs in instructional design and technology that might be done on a consultancy basis as well.

These are only a few of the career paths available in this area. As technology continues to play a bigger role in our everyday lives, it is likely that jobs in instructional design and technology will continue to grow and innovate as well.