AECT and our Discipline: Dreaming of what we can be!!!

Full Session: Presidential Session

Short Description

As a field, we are still young and according to some, struggling to find our bearings. Where we hope to be and where we can create a disproportionate view of those who are actively participating in the field. Understanding what others are doing, researching, and achieving can sometimes be myopic as we ignore the boundaries of operation, thinking that importance only matters to those we know intimately. For the field to prosper, we must acknowledge differences when we share, collaborate and debate in that what we understand is not the same for another elsewhere.

The pandemic put a spotlight on instructional design as virtual learning and training became of utmost importance. As a result of this renewed interest, learning design and technology programs at colleges and universities should be bursting at the seams, but that is not the case. While the number of digital creators/educators is growing, many of these individuals are designing, developing, and delivering online instruction without formal education and training in instructional design, suggesting that anyone can be a designer. How do we communicate the importance of understanding the foundations of instructional design when many of these digital entrepreneurs are succeeding without that knowledge? How might we engage, educate, and partner with digital creators/educators? What language should we be using to describe what designers do and to promote ID programs?

This panel seeks to unpack what it would look like if we were to dream of a field that is thriving, fully established, and sought after by those desiring related jobs in the industry. To this end, we will answer the following questions:
What must be considered for our field to be globally recognized?
What does it look like from different parts of the globe?
What does instructional practices look like in industry (HE included), in classrooms, etc.?
Does it matter that there are differences?
How do attract digital entrepreneurs to AECT?
What should our organization offer to provide readiness for this target audience?

Sub Unit

• Presidential Sessions

Chair

• Joi Moore, University of Missouri

Facilitator

• Mohammad Shams Ud Duha, Purdue University

Presenters

• Camille Dickson-Deane, University of Technology, Sydney

• Tracy Boyce, Wayne State University

• Isa Jahnke, University of Technology Nuremberg