University Hall seen through spring flowers

Instructional Design Services

ITDS provides instructional design services for faculty teaching across all educational delivery modalities at Montclair State University. Instructional designers support faculty with pedagogical and technological considerations which arise throughout the course design process, from initial course mapping and curriculum design to course management throughout the semester.

The instructional design process is a team-oriented collaboration that includes faculty as subject-matter experts, instructional designers, and multimedia specialists as needed. Our services enhance the teaching and learning experience at Montclair State for faculty and students alike.

The field of instructional design is rooted in learning principles and pedagogy, supported by educational technology to develop the most effective and efficient learning experience for students. We are committed to learning from recent trends in learning science while leveraging the latest instructional technologies to support student learning and engagement.

Learn more about how we can support you below and get started by booking an instructional design consultation.

Faculty members consulting with instructional designers

How We Help

Instructional designers support faculty with the following:

Course Design & Pedagogical Best Practices

  • Course Design and Development – We collaborate with faculty to provide guidance on how to redesign existing courses or develop new ones.
  • Syllabus Design – We provide feedback and guidance on creating or refining your syllabus.
  • Course Mapping and Alignment – We assist with mapping your course goals and learning objectives to ensure a pedagogical alignment between instructional strategies, course materials, activities, and assessments to serve the desired outcomes
  • Online Asynchronous, Synchronous, and Hybrid Course Design – We assist with redesigning courses taught in person to be taught in other modalities such as asynchronous online, synchronous online, and hybrid.
  • Accelerated Formats – We assist with transforming existing courses into accelerated formats going from 15 to 8 or 4 weeks.

Content Development & Delivery

  • Course Content Presentation – We share technologies and techniques to improve the way you present content in your courses.
  • Visual Design and Usability – We help you modify course templates to enhance the visual design and usability of your courses.
  • Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning – We provide recommendations to ensure your course is designed to be accessible to all learners.
  • Multimedia Production – We provide guidance on how to produce DIY videos and assist faculty in the creation of high-quality videos in our professional studio and editing facilities.

Teaching & Assessment Strategies

  • Student Engagement and Active Learning – We share both pedagogical and technological ideas to improve student engagement in your courses and promote active learning.
  • Assessment Strategies – We assist with providing suggestions on how to assess student learning to promote academic honesty, use authentic assessment methods, and effectively use design tests/quizzes.

Instructional Technologies

  • Selecting and Implementing Technologies – We share suggestions on the effective use of instructional technologies to support your teaching and learning goals.
  • Technology Support – We assist with any support questions that arise while utilizing instructional technologies in your courses.

Getting Started

Book a one-on-one consultation with an instructional designer to get started. Same-day appointments are usually available during normal business hours.

In collaboration with an instructional designer, you’ll determine which of your course design goals are most feasibly completable in the short term for the same semester, versus those developed over time for implementation in the future.

Whether you’re implementing a quick fix or developing long-term changes, instructional designers offer valuable support rooted in pedagogical best practices and experience.