Written by: Tiffany Westry
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As innovations in education and training in a variety of fields continue to evolve, the need for instructional designers is growing. To help meet the demand of a growing field, the UAB School of Education is launching a new Master of Science in Instructional Design and Development degree program. The five-semester, 30-hour program will be fully online, and classes are set to begin this fall.
The UAB Instructional Design and Development program will train qualified instructional designers to effectively analyze, design, develop, evaluate and implement quality online, blended and on-ground instruction. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates job growth for instructional designers to increase by 13 percent within the next 10 years.
“The local job market has been asking for this for some time,” said Jenelle Hodges, Ph.D., program manager. “Instructional designers have the know-how to evaluate the learning needs of a particular audience and to create the training manuals, curricula, software and e-learning experiences the audience wants.”
As innovations in education and training in a variety of fields continue to evolve, the need for instructional designers is growing. Instructional designers redesign courses, develop curriculums and create training materials, such as teaching manuals and students guides. Those who obtain a degree in instructional design often go on to work in hospitals, corporations, universities and school districts.
“This new program will offer cutting-edge courses in instructional design principles, learning theory, and universal design and usability principles,” Hodges said. “Our goal is to make sure our students are the best and most sought-after instructional design graduates entering the job market.”
For information about the Master of Science in Instructional Design and Development program, visit the program website.