Online Instructional Design Courses

Online instructional design courses vary depending on various factors such as the particular university and the focus of study (i.e. concentration).

Most institutions prepare students for graduate level programs in instructional design and technology only. I.e. instructional design masters and instructional design PhD degree programs. These disciplines are Master of Science (MSc.) Master of Arts (MA), Master of Education (M.Ed), Educational specialist (Ed.S) Doctor of Education (Ed .D), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Only a few programs have undergraduate or bachelors degrees but some programs have a Graduate Certificate in Educational Technology Online. Below is a sample of typical instructional design classes and courses that you can expect from various programs. Names or titles of the instructional design course will vary by program.

Selected Instructional Technology Degree Programs

University of Phoenix

• Master of Arts in Education/Adult Education and Training
• Master of Arts in Education/Curriculum and Instruction-Computer Education
• Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership with a Specialization in Educational Technology

Walden University

• B. S. in Instructional Design and Technology - - General Program
  • Instructional Design and Technology - Business and Organizational Change
  • Instructional Design and Technology - Human Factors and Interface Design
• M. S. in Instructional Design and Technology - General
• M. S. in Instructional Design and Technology - Training and Performance Improvement
• M. S. in Instructional Design and Technology - Online Learning
• Instructional Design Certificate
• Master of Science in Education - Adolescent Literacy and Technology
• Master of Science in Education - Integrating Technology in the Classroom: Grades K-12
• Online Teaching (Post-Doc. Certificate)
• Education Specialist - Educational Technology
• Ph.D. in Education - Educational Technology

Capella University - Online

• MS - Instructional Design for Online Learning
• PhD - Information Technology Education
• PhD - Instructional Design for Online Learning

Kaplan University

• MS in Education - Instructional Technology (K-12)
• MS in Education in Instructional Technology - Adult Learning - Higher Education
• MS in Education in Instructional Technology - Adult Learning - Organizations
• Graduate Certificate in Teaching with Technology

Northcentral University - Graduate

• Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Education - Education Technology and E-Learning
• Master of Education (MEd) - Education Technology and E-Learning
• Doctor of Education (EdD) - Education Technology and E-Learning
• Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD) - Education Technology and E-Learning

Post University

• Master of Education (M.Ed.) - Instructional Design & Technology

Jones International University

• M. Ed. in K - 12 Instructional Technology
• M. Ed. in K - 12 Instructional Technology

• M. Ed. - Learning and Technology

Strayer University

• M.ED.: Instructional Technology

American InterContinental University

• Master's of Education (M. Ed.) in Instructional Technology

Devry University

• Master's - Educational Technology (Online Only)
• Graduate Certificate in Educational Management

Nova Southeastern University

• Doctor of Philosophy in Computing Technology in Education
• Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning (M.A.T.L.) - K-12 Technology Integration
• Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

Boise State University

• Master of Science (M.S.) in Educational Technology
• Master of Educational Technology (M.ET.)

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Locate Online Instructional design and Technology Programs in your area

Educational Technology Training and Education

Online instructional design courses are based on learning theories and instructional design models such as ADDIE. Coursework varies depending on the actual degree programs� focus. For example, some programs may have more of a teacher education focus, while others may cater to corporate instructional design, a Human Performance Technology (HPT) or training. Additionally some of the online instructional design courses will be required or mandatory but students would have some electives to choose from. Again, this will vary from school to school and program to program, and whether the course are masters or doctoral level. In some cases some of the colleges offer instructional design certification. The important thing to ensure is that the college or university is accredited.

Typical Online Instructional Design Classes

These courses listed below are generic names of courses but typically they form the core, foundational, or cognate area courses. Actual names of the courses vary by the degree program offerings.

• Trends and Issues/Survey of Instructional Design
• Foundations of Instructional Design and Technology
• Technology-Based Instruction
• Computer-based Instruction
• Needs assessment/Needs Analysis
• Media production and development
• Instructional simulations and gaming
• Instructional Theories and Models
• Design of Performance and Instructional Systems
• Instructional Design Consulting
• Human Performance Technology
• Training Intervention
• Managing Instructional Projects (Project Management)
• Analysis of Instructional Systems
• Authoring Technologies
• Evaluation of Instructional Systems
• Educational psychology
• Research Methods
  

The following online instructional design courses vary depending on the individual program. Typically, students select a few courses and some of these may be repeatable.

• Special Topics in Instructional Design and Technology
• Readings in Instructional Design and Technology
• Research in Instructional Design and Technology
• Directed Studies in Instructional Design and Technology
• Scholarly Project or Research Project
• Independent Study
• Internship
• Educational psychology
• Research methods
• Thesis

Instructional Design Careers

Instructional technologists help to enhance their own teaching, in addition to helping other educators and trainers learn about current technology trends. Many professionals who become experts in instructional technology are already involved in the area of training and education, and they then go on to gain educational technology expertise. Some educational technologists who gain expertise in instructional technology work in library and media resources as well technology administrators and corporate trainers, and e-learning experts. Instructional design careers include working as a technical writer, senior instructional designer, project manager, multimedia specialist, and elearning specialist, to mention a few.

Expected Salary and Projected Career Growth

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov), professional who complete a masters in education and take the necessary instructional design courses can earn between between $52,000 and $70,000, depending on the employment sector. Indeed.com reports an annual salary of $68,000 as of 2011.

Online instructional design courses in technology education programs