THE FUTURE FOR ISD GRADUATES
WALTER DICK
PROFESSOR OF INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS
On April 7, 2001 the students in the Instructional Technology Program at the University of Georgia at Athens held a conference to honor the retirement of Dr. Kent Gustafson who is a senior faculty member and former department head. I was asked to make the keynote address on the topic "The Future of Instructional Design". The presentation covered a variety of topics related to the future of both the instructional design process and the field of instructional technology.
A compressed version of the presentation will be made next spring in the Instructional Systems seminar. However, the ISUnion has asked that I summarize some of my comments, especially those addressed to graduate students.
During the presentation, I documented my relative incompetence in prognosticating in the field of instructional design. So, rather than predicting the future, I described "what should be" for IS graduates. The five "should be's" are listed below along with a few explanatory comments.
- You (IS graduates) will master a second, and even a third, language. Some of you are fortunate to have already fulfilled this "should be", while others will think it is too late. However, so many opportunities in our field depend upon being bi- or tri-lingual, that you will be missing out if you don't try to develop this competency. PhD students formerly were required to have reading mastery in at least two languages. I personally struggled with this requirement but wish it had been more stringent. No one can deny the fact that the profession is becoming more global in application. Be prepared to participate.
- You will never tie your professional identity to a technology. Technology, in the form of delivery systems and hardware, will come and go. How many have you already seen? Technical expertise with hardware is valuable as you pursue your degree, and even as a practitioner. But, you should never consider yourself, or allow others to consider you, as a "computer type" or a web person". You are an instructional designer or performance technologist with a variety of process skills.
- You will develop an area of expertise that is important to some client. An major point of my presentation was the importance of identifying our clients and establishing communication with them. Instructional design is a profession, not a discipline. We need skills and research information that is useful to society as represented by clients in business and industry, public education, etc. Decide what client you want to serve, and then develop expertise with which to do it.
- You will decide what you want to do, and find someone to pay you to do it. This is advice that I was sure I told my own children, but they now deny it. In any event, doing what you enjoy makes everything else in your life a joy. Not every minute of every day will be pure excitement; every job has its pick and shovel elements. Just decide what rock you want to attack, and go for it.
- You will be passionate, motivated and dedicated. Competence is not enough. Graduate programs have traditionally taught professional skills to graduates who obtain highly specialized positions. Our clients demand these technical skills. But, to be maximally effective, you should be able to go beyond technical skills and employ effective interpersonal skills in order to reflect your passion and belief in what you. Confidence in what you do, and the ability to persuade others of the effectiveness of your skills, will greatly enhance your effectiveness as you pursue your career goals.
These are five "should be's" that you can control. They won't necessarily make for a perfect future, but they should contribute to your enjoyment and success in the field of instructional technology.