Anita Damjanovic, Ph.D.

📚 10 Essential Books for Aspiring Instructional Designers and eLearning Developers Hey everyone! If you're stepping into the world of instructional design or eLearning development, I've put together a list of must-read books to guide you on your journey. These titles offer a blend of theory and hands-on advice – they’re great for building your skills and deepening your understanding. Swipe through to see my top picks! 👇 1. Design for How People Learn – Julie Dirksen   📖 A foundational guide to understanding how people learn. Dirksen’s clear style breaks down complex concepts and offers practical strategies for creating engaging learning experiences. 2. The Accidental Instructional Designer** – Cammy Bean   📖 Bean’s personal journey and practical tips make this a perfect starting point for anyone new to the field. 3. e-Learning and the Science of Instruction – Ruth C. Clark & Richard E. Mayer   📖 Combines research-based principles with practical guidelines. It’s a great go-to for evidence-backed strategies that work. 4. Map It: The Hands-On Guide to Strategic Training Design – Cathy Moore   📖 *Focused on action mapping, this book helps you design training that meets business goals and learner needs.* 5. e-Learning by Design – William Horton   📖 A thorough resource that covers everything from content types to interactivity for designing effective eLearning. 6. Michael Allen's Guide to e-Learning – Michael W. Allen   📖 *Pioneering insights on creating fun, motivational eLearning experiences.* 7. The eLearning Designer’s Handbook – Tim Slade   📖 A step-by-step manual covering the entire eLearning development process – perfect for beginners. 8. Visual Design Solutions – Connie Malamed   📖 Master the art of creating visually engaging learning materials. Great for adding a visual spark to your projects! 9. The Essentials of Instructional Design – Abbie H. Brown & Timothy D. Green   📖 Core concepts of instructional design paired with practical applications. 10. Leaving ADDIE for SAM – Michael Allen & Richard Sites   📖 An agile approach to instructional design for those ready to try a flexible, iterative model. Which book are you most excited to read first? Drop a comment and let me know! 👇📖

Unlock the secrets to creating engaging eLearning courses! Join me as I delve into the power of graphic design, user experience, and the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia in my latest blog post and course demo. Don't miss out—discover how to elevate your online adult learning game today! #eLearning #InstructionalDesign #GraphicDesign #UserExperience

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Hey hey, instructional designers and eLearning devs! Would you like to join me for an advanced Storyline development workshop? It’s completely free and should be a lot of fun. Tomorrow at 10 AM PT, we’re going live to build an AI Haunted House in Storyline! This will be a great session for anyone looking to build their Storyline skills, learn more about JavaScript, or explore how to incorporate OpenAI models into Storyline 360. My vision for the session is to create an AI-powered ghost that we need to empathize with in order to escape the haunted house. If you want to take it in a different direction, though, then show up on time and we’ll decide on the details together. Finally, this will be my first Storyline development workshop in a while, so I may be a bit rusty. I’m setting the event for 2 hours to give us some time to develop this thing and probably leave some time left over for networking, but feel free to come for as long as you’d like! We go live on Thursday, October 31st from 10 AM - 12 PM PT. You can register for the session with the link in the comments! See you there 😄 #LinkedInWithDevlin #InstructionalDesign #eLearning #Learning #ArtificialIntelligence

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Something which was always in the background is now apparent. We need to evolve and adapt.

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As an instructional designer, the majority of my thoughts are filled with... "How can I best solve this problem?" Sometimes, a lot of time is spent determining what the problem is, but typically it is easy to spot. What's not so easy is how to solve the problem, especially when a lot of minds are involved. However, it is this collaboration with other instructional designers and SMEs that leads us to the best solution. Instructional design is a great career to get into. It is filled with challenges, breakthroughs, autonomy, collaboration, creativity, investigation, and research. What it's not filled with are unruly student behavior, unruly parent behavior, and toxic positivity. #instructionaldesign #oneononecoaching #transitioningteachers

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Does the field of instructional design seem a little…overhyped? "Will I be really able to find purpose in what I do?" "Is the work-life balance really that much better?" "Can I really get my health and happiness back on track?" We hear these questions all the time! Which is why this week, Sabrina Gonzales interviews Tanya Stillman, Celina Bertoncini and Sean Anderson to hear it from them: does a career in instructional design really lead to better work-life balance? These designers give us an insider's perspective on if it's possible to prioritize your mental health, if you can make an impact in a corporate space, and whether or not they feel they can still be their authentic selves in their current ID role. Plus, we hear about how life has changed since they transitioned to ID and what challenges they've overcome through the process. And some of their answers may surprise you... Take a listen to what these successful IDs have to say by watching the video in the comments. Then share your experience! What has been the biggest change you've seen since entering the world of ID? #LinkedInWithDevlin #InstructionalDesign #Learning #LearningAndDevelopment #eLearning

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I understand the importance of staying updated on instructional design trends. What do you think are the most crucial ones?

"Most instructional designers collaborate with SMEs only 38% of the time." At first, this statistic from Synthesia's "The Future of Instructional Design: 2024 Survey Insights" surprised me. As instructional designers, our role is to blend together subject matter expertise with effective learning design. How do we do that if we're so limited in our collaboration with them? But then I saw the main reasons for limited SME input: ⏳SME availability (i.e. time constraints) 🏢Organizational structure (i.e. organizational silos) And that's when I realized yeah, I've been there too. It rarely ends well. Without SME input, you're likely to end up with poor needs analysis and shallow content. So what can you do when SME access is limited? Here's what I've found helpful: 📚 Review existing resources, like internal documentation, recorded webinars, or past training materials. 👨‍💻 Use AI to fill in the gaps, clarify questions and generate ideas. 🎯 When you do get SME time, come prepared with focused, specific questions to make the most of it. What’s your strategy for handling limited SME collaboration? #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #Collaboration

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It could be that many IDs either don't know any better or their hands are tied. I have worked with many, many SMEs who believe ID only assemble what they are told..ie they dictate every aspect of the course. IDs are just "secretaries " for the SME. IDs are ordered to follow instructions if they want to stay employed . IDs may not know the particular content they are working with, but they are masters of presentation, they know how to keep learners engaged and they know how to assess learning has taken place. They know how to parse out material and allow different learning levels to excel. One of the biggest obstacles is getting SMEs to understand that we actually know more about presenting their material then they do. I call it "stay in your lane" As an SME you tell me the technical aspects of the material and I will tell you the best way to present it. You stay in your lane and I will stay in mine.

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If you are new to Articulate Storyline, you can benefit from learning to build a course from a template. While that sounds like a great idea, you may not have enough experience to do just that. In this case, Allison LaMotte has provided a great tutorial as well.

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Ultimate Guide to Instructional Design: Everything you need to know about creating engaging and effective learning experiences. Check out our comprehensive guide: Ultimate Guide to Instructional Design https://lnkd.in/dQu6pr3x #Learning #IDOLCourses

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AI and ID

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If you're new to instructional design and you hear the word "storyboard," you might think it’s all about writing a story, designing a narrative, or simply presenting visuals to show a story unfolding. But guess what? It's so much more than that! A storyboard is where we plan out how an entire course will be developed, combining text, visuals, interactions, and assessments to create a complete learning experience. Curious? Here are the key components of a storyboard—take a look! (Remember, these are some basic elements, you can add more as per the need of the course) #instructionaldesign #storyboard

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Practitioners of instructional design, design thinking, and UX design have a lot of common competencies, but also a lot to learn from one another. Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ecxhW68B

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Is instructional design (ID) the same as instructional systems design (ISD)? Well, it depends… and that may be a problem. Here are some key differences: 🇺🇸 ISD is documented so anyone can go back and see what was done and who was involved 🇺🇸 ISD is a systems approach process and started at work, not schools What other differences do you know? ISD is more than Articulate Rise courses. #LearningAndDevelopment #InstructionalDesign #HumanResources #EdTech #eLearning

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If you could represent the Instructional Design field in one small drawing on a post-it note, what would that drawing look like? #instructionaldesign #instructionaldesigners

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Storytelling is a powerful tool in instructional design, but how do you weave it into your process? I've found that stories create an emotional connection that leads to better retention and engagement. But what’s your strategy? Do you use storytelling to simplify complex concepts or motivate learners to apply what they've learned? I'd love to hear how you incorporate narratives into your designs and what results you've seen. 🌟 How do you use storytelling in instructional design? #InstructionalDesign #LearningExperience #StorytellingInLearning #IDOLcourses #LXD #Elearning

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