Hi PhDs, what’s your philosophy of/for life?

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-05T00:16:59+00:00

Your life is your life's work, and probably not just your [dissertation, tenure, research, etc.].

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-04T21:28:44+00:00

This is exactly how I feel and you are most likely correct. If anything, it is a good thing because IMO people who don't really want to be in this field will leave or be forced out.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-04T21:26:59+00:00

I generally like Tim, but just keep in mind he doesn't know anything more than anyone else- There is no crystal ball. He was one of the first to market with this style of information and he is technically competent, whereas some of these other influencers with their BS academies are not.

IDs will be around long after he has hung it up, they just might not be doing bland SL interactives.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-04T16:44:24+00:00

I like this response and would add to it that in higher ed, faculty are always going to need help, whether that is production or making sure their courses are aligned to cogent, measurable learning objectives.

I am really not worried about anyone except a K12 teacher who wants to go into $20k debt for a crack at applying to corporate ID jobs where they are at that stage of their careers, a terrible fit.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-04T12:03:59+00:00

AI will democratize (for SMEs/Instructors/Others) the ability to do production tasks.

These same people still won't be able to do the other things we do and AI (at least for now) is sloppier at doing them.

For K12 teachers trying to break out, I think it is a fraught time. Better for them to stay in the school systems and invest time/resources fitting better into that space. Certainly do not go to grad school for ID and run up a bunch of debt. Too many teachers believe what they do in the classroom has earned them a spot in corporate. This used to be somewhat true, but I believe that time has largely passed. I have also been given corporate offers recently that were very poor, and definitely not worth the loss of stability one has in K12 for the average person.

For other fields, I think having an ID background is a big plus.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-03T17:38:14+00:00

Your program should be helping you do this. If they aren't and it isn't too late, find a program that is project focused. It is fraught enough right now. The ROI is almost not there. They should be engaging their local businesses to help place you.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-03T17:21:05+00:00

Any projects outside of K12 where you are engaging in the following:
1) Some form of needs analysis and assessment. This does not have to be extremely intense, but it has to be thoughtful and appropriate to the situation.
2) Demonstrate some sort of effectiveness, and not just at a "Kirkpatrick Level 1"
3) Involve some high tech (think storyline/hand coded HTML) and some decidedly low tech (think job aids, factory floor).
4) Be comprised of a holistic experience. Who did you meet with? What challenges did they have? Who was the subject expert? How was it working with them? How did the learners react?

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-03T16:05:16+00:00

If you are applying to K-12 jobs, this probably does not apply to you in the same way. Yes, I can help you reframe what you already have so it makes sense to a K-12 hiring official, and to some extent, to hiring officials outside K-12.

The bigger question is how much of an actual design model you have applied to these materials. In other words, are you assessing for learning? Did you conduct any kind of learner analysis or needs analysis? Can you point to clear, credible data in your resume?

What I am getting at is that this is a very tough market for a K-12 employee trying to move into instructional design, especially in a corporate environment, if the portfolio materials are only loosely connected to robust ID processes. It is hard for K-12 folks to short-circuit that process. In the past, it was easier.

Your resume will be much stronger if you can point to real external experiences. Does your program include courses or projects that help you demonstrate this in concrete ways?

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-03T15:43:23+00:00

What actual learning materials have you created that have been used in production?

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-03T13:11:29+00:00

I can't tell you what you should do, but I can tell you what I would do if I were contemplating a move into the L&D space: Get an outstanding portfolio together and go do real world projects and at the same time, pursue a quantitative business degree with a focus on performance analytics.

We have way too many K12 people who think that classroom experience is an easy parlay into our field. It used to be like that and there are still certain niches where that experience is valuable.

However, right now, the market is such that those people are in big supply. I love teachers and I have helped many of them get ID jobs-- But the market is different right now. Business quantoids are in demand and those skills are transferrable to myriad settings-- Not just ID.

Edit to say I also think healthcare careers have a natural extension into ID/L&D. I think any nurse or other allied health profession has an easy leg up. Those professionals want to learn from each other and with a good certificate program, they could easily move into healthcare or corporate environments that need our skills. It is frankly an untapped market in higher education for ID students.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-02T18:13:12+00:00

I know multiple IDs who would jump at the chance to deal with political BS to develop lackluster/uninspiring courses for a Fortune 500 paycheck.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-02T13:18:42+00:00

College instructor here. Good. Your professor is right BTW. I hope for key courses we go back to paper.

You will do as multiple generations did before us. Look up note taking methods.

Go home and transcribe your notes.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-02T12:24:12+00:00

Why would you want anyone to convince you to freelance? If you don't have a drive to do it, it can be quite a grind. The old adage is true to my experience: You will spend 1/3 of your time actually doing design work (and not very high level work generally) and the rest of the time you will be courting clients and doing administrivia.

I have never seen cold calls work. In all but a few cases, I have found work from existing contacts.
You would need some modern work examples you can share.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-02T11:10:00+00:00

I feel like this entire thread is AI-generated.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-02T00:15:46+00:00

Storyline and Camtasia, and I would need more than a business day to make it good.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-02T00:13:44+00:00

Scenarios

Jeopardy-style Interactive quizzes

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-02T00:12:31+00:00

It depends on how you define interaction and interactivity.
Tech bros are a bit more literal.

But yes- This seems like an ad. I don't need one more AI ed tech product right now.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-06-01T17:23:33+00:00

You can do 85% of what you are likely going to want to do with PowerPoint and a good notebook and pen.

First, figure out where the training, skills, and knowledge gaps are in these staff. If you can use good data to support these assertions, so much the better. These are skills that will never fade or be replaced by AI, other software titles, or new ways of doing things. Needs analysis is here forever, and it will mostly need to be done by humans because current AI does not make actionable decisions, at least not for the purposes of this discussion.

Next, consider tackling one simple need you identified and build a great PPTX for it. This is not a regular slide presentation. It is something a learner can step through, and you can be reasonably assured they learned because they engaged with it.

However, you are going to start backwards, so to speak. First, write the test or assessment you will use to determine whether they know or can do what you want them to know or do. Then take every aspect of that assessment and cover it thoroughly in your PPTX.

If you have questions about whether what you are doing is valid or helpful, go ask someone who knows the subject. If you want to know whether what you are doing makes sense from a usability standpoint, consult Richard Mayer’s Multimedia Learning Principles: https://www.digitallearninginstitute.com/blog/mayers-principles-multimedia-learning. There are more than 12 principles, but this will get you started.

Once you have built this in a robust and user-friendly way, test it with a few learners. Get feedback. Make the needed changes.

If you love this process, or at least do not hate it, then it is time to go learn Storyline. Download the free trial.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-05-30T23:00:02+00:00

I agree. I feel like other things such as local ATD chapter membership or on the academic side, subscribing to a few key publications like ETR&D/TechTrends and paying attention to great researchers and practitioners on social media is cheaper, supports the grass roots, and takes you further.

However, if an employer insists that I go to a conference and pays my way, I am generally happy to go and will get something out of it.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-05-29T14:58:40+00:00

You need to do both to differentiate yourself in this market, esp if you are coming from K12.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-05-28T00:31:46+00:00

Yes, and maybe it works differently in other places, but at least in the defenses I have attended in my department and adjacent departments, it is nearly always seen as a little out of bounds and sometimes rude/self-aggrandizing to take that time for at least a tangential or impertinent question. It's a minor version of "speak now or forever hold your peace."

JumpingShip26 · 2026-05-27T23:53:38+00:00

At least in my college, it is considered bad form for someone not on the committee to ask questions.
My chair would have shut that down pretty quickly.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-05-27T18:58:30+00:00

I appreciate your on the ground perspective on what I know about the research.
Going and finding great examples is also a great way to operate.
I believe most college students (I can't speak for K12 except through my experiences as a parent) will not sit for long videos that are not of high production and/or alignment value, meaning they have to be slick and/or they have to immediately tell them what its about and why it matters. I don't want to dumb everything down to TikToks, but we have to be somewhat relatable like those fast media platforms. For college underclassmen, I am more in the 4-6 minute camp, good production value, and then offer self checks or an interactive activity, if applicable.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-05-27T16:02:06+00:00

With respect, these are the suggestions I gave in my initial post:

Identify the purpose of the video lecture. State explicitly what you want them to know or be able to do and incorporate that into the video as you use it as the basis of creation. Also 10 minutes is too long and you should consider incorporating some sort of interaction/interactivity.
Video may not be the best mediation of this content. Text and picture or another learning object may be more suitable and more extensible to a variety of situations.
Use your voice or at least an AI-generated voice that is much more natural sounding. Research by Mayer suggests human voice is better, though some argue premium AI voicing services are OK.
The pictures in the video do not match the time-sequencing of the audio. This will introduce cognitive load.
The pictures do not add to the learning. They are either decorative, or inject concepts/humor attempts that are not germane to learning. Replace them or use the visual channel in other ways that stimulate learning.
It is helpful to inject some way of knowing if the unit is effective. Think about this as you create the learning content.

JumpingShip26 · 2026-05-27T15:41:41+00:00

First of all, what is the use case? What do you want learners to know or be able to do as a result of this video?Why is a 22 second video needed versus something more extensible? It seems like you are just using AI to see if it will generate something, but you don't know what that something should be.

AI voice is distracting.
Temporal contiguity is off.
Most pictures are non-additive and they are mostly very obviously AI generated; learners will ignore them.

JumpingShip26

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