Instructional Design Services

What is Instructional Design?

Simply speaking, instructional design is a systematic and continuous process, deeply rooted in learning principles and pedagogy and supported by educational technology, to develop the most effective and efficient learning experience for students. Instructional design processes and methodologies can be applied to any subject or discipline across any educational delivery mode, such as face-to-face, hybrid and purely online. The instructional design process is a team-oriented collaboration which includes faculty as subject-matter experts, Instructional Designers and multimedia specialists, as needed.

Our Services

We provide support for Canvas, our learning management system, training and workshops in a wide range of instructional technologies, as well as resources on course design, pedagogical strategies, faculty development, instructional design consultation and accessibility for instructional materials. Our goal is to assist and guide faculty on how to start the course design and development process and introduce best pedagogical practices and the effective use of technologies in teaching and learning. ITDS also serves as a foundational resource for online and hybrid course development and teaching practice at Montclair State University.

Our Instructional Designers

The IDs are responsible for advising faculty on the application of the Montclair State Instructional Design model during the course development process. They are also responsible for a variety of technical aspects of course development. The ITDS Team is comprised of Instructional Designers, Professional Technology Trainers, Instructional Technology Specialists and Instructional Technology Assistants.

Developing Your Course

As you develop a face to face, hybrid, or online course, consider the instructional design, training, and support available to you at Montclair State. Instructional designers are available to help you navigate the resources available that may enhance your course development and teaching. Furthermore, we offer workshops and one on one support in course design and the use of instructional technologies.

Working with Instructional Designers

The Instructional Design consultation is an opportunity for you to discuss your ideas and expectations for developing a face to face, hybrid, or online course. ID’s are responsible for advising faculty on the application of the Montclair State Instructional Design model and process during course development. We are also responsible for a variety of procedural aspects of the course development process.

Some of this process includes:

Guiding you through the steps of course development
Assisting you to identify learning objectives
Advising on how to match instructional strategies to learning objectives
Helping you develop assignments for different content areas
Providing consistent, detailed responses to your content development needs
Designing and uploading the course components to Canvas
Providing technical expertise on the presentation of course content and activities
Building your courses using the Montclair template
Recommending appropriate technologies to enhance instruction and learning activities
Ensuring that the overall design requirements are carried through to the entire course website

When and How to Get Instructional Design Support

The course development process is flexible. It allows the subject-matter expert to focus exclusively on the content. In addition to instructional and technical expertise, the members of the Instructional Design team ensure that course design follows the most recent research for effective learning, and adheres to the development timeline so that the course can be ready when the term begins. Through this model, we hope to facilitate the process and enhance our students’ learning experience.

If you are planning to teach or assigned a face to face, hybrid or online course(s) in a coming semester and would like instructional design assistance, you can set up a one-on-one appointment with one of our Instructional Designers using the ITDS Appointment Scheduler. We recommend that you contact us at least the semester before the start date of your course. Due to the ratio between the instructional design support staff and faculty, planning ahead will allow us to assist you more efficiently.