Instructional Design

Tiffin University’s Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Instructional Design is specifically tailored to develop graduates who go on to design and build learning experiences that deliver the greatest amount of value to the broadest populations at our institutions and workplaces. Whether you are interested in a career in K-12, higher education, or a corporate training setting, this program will equip you with skills, knowledge, and hands-on experience needed to enter your field of choice and make a difference.

Throughout the program’s coursework, you’ll explore crucial concepts in Universal Design for Learning, Accessibility, Critical Design, Design Justice, as well as other emerging pedagogies and ethical decision-making frameworks. These will prepare you to design, develop and support educational materials and user experiences for maximum benefit by all learners, regardless of economic, social or cultural situation.

You will also benefit from the completion of hands-on projects throughout the program, working side-by-side with Instructional Designers from TU’s Center for Online and Extended Learning. Equipped with these real-world experiences, you will find yourself at a competitive advantage in the job market over competitors from more traditional programs.

professional instructional design training

• All faculty within the program hold a Ph.D. in the field.
• Class sizes are small, allowing professors to provide timely, productive feedback and interactions with students.
• A graduate advisor is specific to the program and will work one-on-one with you to determine your individualized pathway to graduation.
• The program prepares you to work in a K-12 or higher education field, able to develop online curricula for all learners.
• 100% online, 7-week courses
• Students have options to begin their program at six different times throughout the year (January, March, May, July, August and October).
• As a full-time student, you can complete your program in one year.

Each instructor within the M.Ed. program brings experience in higher education and/or curriculum development. They bring this real-world knowledge to their teaching, to the building of our curriculum as subject matter experts, and to their interactions with students on a daily basis.

As part of our professional program, you’ll learn career-ready skills that will prepare you for a job within the field of instructional design. Program courses focus on accessibility and universal design principles, which will prepare you to design, develop and support educational materials and user experiences for maximum benefit by all students, regardless of economic, social, physical, cognitive or emotional challenges.

You’ll also benefit from the completion of hands-on projects throughout the program, working side-by-side with instructional designers from Tiffin University’s Center for Online and Extended Learning. Equipped with these real-world experiences, you’ll find yourself at a competitive advantage in the job market over competitors from more traditional programs.

a practical, professional education

Due to the direction of digital education from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is an increasing need for instructional designers to structure curriculum. Students who complete this degree program will be able to:

• Apply current and emerging instructional design theories and practices to create effective instruction
• Employ universal and critical design principles to develop and integrate accessible educational materials to benefit all students
• Communicate and collaborate intentionally and effectively with stakeholders
• Engage in ongoing evaluation of educational processes and materials for continuous improvement in quality and accessibility
• Identify legal issues and create recommendations to resolve the issues
• Assess student profiles and make appropriate determinations to create optimal learning environments

Within the instructional design concentration, you’ll gain valuable experience by working in our Moodle courses to build and develop curriculum alongside a practicing instructional designer. You’ll collaborate with instructors and current designers in the field working within Tiffin’s Center for Online and Extended Learning. You’ll also gain valuable experience, as well as a broader perspective, working with professionals who live in different states, and who bring varying experiences, teaching approaches and pedagogical philosophies.

Within the program, you’ll continuously work on your communication and problem-solving skills within the weekly discussions and assignments, which are focused on case studies or real-world examples. These assignments will require you to critically think through problems by applying your newly gained or prior knowledge in order to reach solutions.

You’ll participate in a capstone course that summarizes the content in your courses and allows for reflection on what you’ve learned through the program and how you might apply this knowledge in your career as an instructional designer.

And, you’ll conduct interviews of individuals within the instructional design field to learn more about the job requirements, challenges and strategies for success.

FORMAT

Online – Offered in two terms per semester starting in January, March, May, July, August and October

SAMPLE COURSES

Instructional Design, Development & Evaluation (EDU501) – Learn about the process of instruction through the analysis of learning needs and systematic development of learning materials. The course covers how technology and multimedia can be used as tools to enhance instruction and the assessment of the learning process.

Universal Design for Learning (EDU502) – This course prepares students to design educational materials and user experiences for maximum benefit by all students, regardless of physical, cognitive, or emotional challenges. As a foundation, students first learn about accessibility standards and techniques to ensure equal and comparable access to course materials. Extending past a compliance approach to accommodating learners with special needs, students then learn to apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and User Experience (UX) principles to create engaging course content, navigation, and interfaces for ALL students.

Download Requirements

All M.Ed. concentrations offered:

• Higher Education Administration
• Instructional Design

As more organizations adopt a learner-centric model of teaching, demand for instructional designers who create effective programs will continue to increase. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment outlook for instructional designers is strong, with a 10 percent growth rate expected from 2020 to 2030 – higher than the average for all other career fields.

Inside HigherEd considers instructional design to be the “hottest job” in education.

careers

• Contract instructional designer
• Corporate online trainer
• Educational technology specialist
• E-learning consultant
• E-learning manager
• E-learning instructor
• Higher education centers for online learning
• K-12 online learning companies
• K-12 schools
• Online learning content developer

what is instructional design?

Instructional design is the practice of creating efficient and effective learning experiences. An instructional designer invents, conceptualizes or creates pedagogically sound educational products or materials.

what is a master’s in instructional design?

A master’s in instructional design explores crucial concepts in Universal Design for Learning, Accessibility, Critical Design, Design Justice, as well as other emerging pedagogies and ethical decision-making frameworks. An M.Ed. in instructional design prepares students to design, develop and support educational materials and user experiences for maximum benefit by all learners.

what can i do with a master’s in instructional design?

With a degree in instructional design, you will be qualified for a variety of instructional designer career opportunities, including  contract instructional designer, corporate online trainer, educational technology specialist, E-learning consultant, E-learning manager, E-learning instructor, higher education centers for online learning, K-12 online learning companies, K-12 schools, online learning content developer and more.