Instructional Design Team to the Rescue!

Have you noticed the dark cloud in the corner of your office? That agent of doom that keeps saying: “blended instruction is just a phase,” “you don’t have time and resources to get started with blended,” or “what’s the big deal about blended anyway?”

You are a professor—not an agent of doom.

You care about your students and want the very best learning experiences for them. Why then do you listen to that dark cloud’s pessimism and remain immovable?

Shannon Tipton, in her article, “Go Make Something Happen,” explains that we don’t get started on something new (like blended instruction) because “…we are scaredy cats.” She insists we hold back for these reasons:

• We are scared of failure. Scared of looking bad. Scared of losing credibility.
• We don’t know where to start.
• We are overwhelmed.
• We don’t like the topic.

Do you see yourself in that picture? If so, you can move out of the dark cloud and get started with an instructional design team—a rescue squad equipped to take the scary out of the project.

Reach out to your instructional design team.

Join with other minds to brainstorm, identify problems that need solutions, and share perspectives from a variety of angles. Working with a team does not mean that you are placing the learning of your students into someone else’s hands. It truly takes a team to create a successful blended course.

Say goodbye to the dark cloud in the corner and start increasing learning value for your students. Stop letting fear keep you back from providing blended instruction, and start a conversation with us!

• Don’t be scared. We will help you look good.
• Together, we’ll determine the best place to start.
• Let us do some of the heavy lifting.
• We focus on learning. We don’t want you to lose those game-winning home runs.

Together, we will find a way through the blended maze. 

References

Tipton, S. (January, 2016). Go make something happen. https://learningrebels.com/2016/01/31/go-make-something-happen/

Image credits: adapted from images used with permission (creative commons; public domain.

Author: Gary Tucker, Executive Director of eLearning

An early adopter in online education, Gary helped develop and deliver one of the first fully online Masters degrees in Educational Technology. Still an early adopter, he now depends on the expertise of his dynamic eLearning team. When off-the-clock, he reads and rides his bicycle. View all posts by Gary Tucker, Executive Director of eLearning