I am very fortunate to be able to work with some great universities and develop classes in in the field of digital marketing, marketing and other business disciplines. For those who have ever been on the subject matter expert or content developer side, you know the rigor it takes to find content, write it, and build together a curriculum of assignments and engaging content to deliver that next level-online experience for online students.
Currently, I have been working on several online course development projects, where I interact with a handful of instructional designers across a few universities. One thing I have found as of late in my interaction with each of them is the experience between the course developer and instructional designer relationship when it comes to digital strategy for the online experience for students.
This type of collaboration, I am not sure, gets as much attention as it should in the world of online academics. There is a definite need for both sides, such as instructional design and subject matter experts, to deliver the content.
However, when I think of my motto of digital strategy, it truly builds a strategic experience for a class and an overall online program to compete in the online education space. It is very strategic to bring an online classroom to life. beyond just posting general directions and discussions. I have witnessed some influential instructional designers where they bring my content ideas to life via infographics, video content, HTML written code, interactive media learning, and other design elements that truly are in the vein of digital strategy. Similar to a digital marketer and graphic designer relationship brining a digital campaign to life. But this is even perhaps a bit more rewarding at times when it comes to educating students!
My thought is that further momentum can be made on thinking through how this type of business and academic relationship between instructional designer and course developer can come to play as a strategy of accelerating the online learning experience to be competitive from a university perspective.
Now, these universities have high standards of quality and instructional design. Every single course developer, and subject matter expert embraces their instructional designer relationship from a strategic partnership perspective.
Perhaps more of that thought process can be cascaded that this type of work and projects under the umbrella of digital strategy?
I think if anyone of us who are subject matter experts can approach our relationships with instructional designers the same way a digital marketer will work with our graphic designer to build digital campaigns, then the online learning experience can even be elevated.
Interaction truly is a digital strategy, and I think that the instructional design and online course curriculum development industry can continue to look at it in this manner as more than just building curriculum but true digital strategy.
Course Developers/SMEs and Instructional Designers ARE a STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP, not just tactical dependent workers.
I also dedicate this blog to the few instructional designers I have recently worked with who have been best-in-class and truly digital-savvy professionals.