ID Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes

How does the artifact support the competency?

Content development is one of the primary skills that instructional designers have to master, as it is a fundamental requirement for creating an e-learning module. Content in this context includes both written content (such as text-based slides) and multi-media content (such as video or interactive slides). Writing a blog for earning this badge required understanding how to write textual content, include videos that supported the core text, and add links to external sources that were relevant to the subject. My chosen topic for this blog post submission was ‘Dance and My Career’ where I identified some direct parallels between the concepts of Indian classical dance and my work in content marketing. This helped me understand how I could break down complex ideas from Indian philosophy into understandable chunks of information for my readers, with the support of relatable examples and videos. I believe that this skill of chunking information properly, in a logical format, and using appropriate examples to support my core topic will be very helpful in my work as an instructional designer.

The second challenge for earning this badge was exploring screencasting tools and using one to develop a 2-3 min screencast. This was by far the hardest, yet most rewarding challenge for me, as I learned three skills while creating this submission.

A. How content should be structured in a presentation when it is supported by a screencast video versus how content should be structured in a standalone presentation. I believe this difference has a substantial impact on how a topic can be designed while creating e-learning modules, as having a live walkthrough alongside the presentation can be much more beneficial for learners, especially if it is a topic that requires hands-on instruction.

B. How a screencast video should be designed based on the learners’ level of expertise, so it does not seem over or underwhelming. My chosen topic for the screencast was how to set up a basic blogging website using WordPress.com. Before starting the presentation for the screencast, I had to decide who would be the target viewers of the video, and what would be must-know versus good-to-know elements for them in the context of this particular video. Accordingly, I had to design my presentation, write my script, and limit my scope to avoid making the content too sparse or too dense. As an instructional designer, I can see that this has a direct application on how I design my curriculum, comparing where my learners are now versus where I want them to be, and planning the course progression accordingly.

C. Deciding whether a topic requires a screencast video or not. Too often, instructional designers can fall into the trap of making every module a screencast or multi-media video. However, making these videos is time-consuming and they tend to become dated quickly as the demonstrated software or application get updated. So, it is essential to think about which method of instruction would be better suited to each topic to balance maximum usability with learner engagement.

The third challenge for the badge was to design a structured organizational system within cloud-sharing platforms to understand how files should be stored, maintained, and shared properly. I used Google Drive as my storage option and demonstrated how I create folders and sub-folders for work and study. While cloud storage is not a new concept for many working professionals, I understand the goal of this exercise from a learning and development perspective. Instructional designers work on multiple projects with numerous courses, topics, sub-topics, storyboards, media elements, and document versions, which need to be organized very systematically to ensure that file retrieval is fast and easy. E-learning projects also involve multiple stakeholders, so knowing what to share, and with whom, is a must for every L&D professional.

Competency alignment with prior knowledge and experience

I have spent more than ten years in content marketing, writing for B2B SaaS and technology brands. Much of that work prepared me for the thinking this competency asks for. For the blog, my experience writing corporate content meant that structuring the post, adding supporting media, and linking to external sources came easily. The difference was the goal. Marketing content is usually written to persuade and convert, but the blog for this badge’s submission required me to think of how blogs should be structured from an instructional perspective and designed to make the content informative yet engaging for learners.

The second challenge of learning how to use screencasting tools was genuinely new to me. I used ScreenPal and learned it mostly through trial and error, supported by a couple of tutorial videos my instructor recommended, and it took several attempts to get the audio-visual balance right. My background helped here in a less obvious way. I chose WordPress.com as my topic because I have worked extensively with WordPress-related content, which let me focus my effort on learning the tool and designing for the viewer rather than on the subject matter itself.

For the cloud storage task, although my work with marketing teams has given me years of experience managing drafts, feedback rounds, and shared folders across multiple stakeholders, this particular challenge helped me strengthen my organizational process and got me researching more deeply about what systematic file storage can look like for designers. Taken together, completing the badge challenges showed me that while many of my content marketing skills can transfer to instructional design, I need to change my approach from converting a reader to building their understanding.

Reflection on experiences

For all the above reasons, I believe that the skills I have developed as part of earning the Basic Tools Technology badge support the goal of this competency, which is to acquire and apply new skills that will aid instructional design practice. During the course of completing these tasks, I learned how I can apply instructional design perspectives to my experiences in content writing and adapt my existing skills to instructional design applications. In terms of what I would do differently if I were to work on the challenges again, I think I would focus on creating artifacts that are more rooted in instructional design theory, such as a blog comparing and contrasting ID theories, or a screencast walking learners through the process of creating an e-learning module using Articulate Rise, etc. I think that would be a stronger example of learning new skills related to instructional design. Considering this, I would like to create these resources as additional tasks for the badge challenges and strengthen my understanding of ID tools and software.

I have not yet had the opportunity to apply these skills in a professional L&D context, so my understanding of how they work in practice remains incomplete. Nevertheless, I see them as a foundation for future instructional design work, and I will look for opportunities to test and refine them, within my coursework and eventually in professional projects.