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David@La Crosse


 * 1) Excellent verbal and written communication skills
 * 2) Ability to work collaboratively with a team
 * 3) Presentation Skills
 * 4) Attention to detail
 * 5) Design instruction that reflects an understanding of the diversity of learners and groups of learners
 * 6) Understands and uses multimedia instructional technologies
 * 7) Possesses a strong understanding of adult learning theory, instructional methodologies, and learning methods

After some thought, I was able to whittle down this list somewhat. These are areas I consider absoutely essential to the adult learning process. One I felt bad about removing is "Empathy for the The Adult Learner." One hopes that all instructors are empathetic toward their students, but from personal experience as a student, that has not always been the case. Fortunately, most of my instruction/instructors was/were very good. I actually was able to take away some good lessons from those bad experiences. From the bad times, I learned exactly WHAT NOT to do as an instructor. I learned that technique from a bad boss I was once had. Whatever actions I considered displeasing from that supervisor, I used to be a better leader/mentor.

Prioritize the ID competencies here (discuss why you think the order should be the way you have suggested).

Karen @ Orange County, CA 1. Ability to manage a diverse group of individuals in a collaborate working environment 2. Excellent verbal and written communication skills 3. Strong project management and organizational skills 4. Comprehensive knowledge of learning and instructional design theories and applications 5. Ability to research and implement new learning technologies I agree with many of our peers in that interpersonal skills should be placed in a higher priority than the learned skills. Although it is imperative that a successful instructional designer have the tools need to create and implement effective training, they are just that, tools. Most people can use a paint brush to make strokes, but without artistic talent, they are just brush strokes.

Judy@Cherry Valley, IL - 8:40p.m.

The following was my posting from last week:  1. Interpersonal skills to include good written and verbal communication skills.

 2. Prioritization and time management

 3. Knowledge of and the ability to adapt learning methods/theories to the variable learning needs of a diverse target audience and the ability to step outside the box as needed.

 4. Ability to do a root cause analysis in identifying the problem and developing the plan for an effective and efficient solution.

 5. Technological proficiency in the applications used for instruction.

1. Extensive knowledge of learning theories and application (sorry David, I hope you don't mind I borrowed your wording in "extensive knowledge", but that is the wording I have been seeking). 2. Prioritization and time management. 3. Emotional Intelligence to include good communication skills. 4. Analytical skills required for a root cause analysis and developing a plan that will result in an effective solution. 5. Technological proficiency in the applications used for instruction.
 * My changes for this week:

I changed a couple of things, which I hate to do, but I felt was necessary. I really loved reading about the various theories in learning and teaching and find the ways in which a people's learning styles can differ. It made me appreciate even more, that individual who is able to develop a lesson plan for anyone because they have the knowledge to do so, as someone who works solely off of intuition, may only have ability to benefit others like them. So, that is why I moved the learning theories to #1. I placed prioritization and time management as number two because if a job is not done by the deadline, in some situations, depending how close implementation is to the project deadline, you did not complete your job. Plus, if a good pace has not been established throughout the process, it increases the likelihood of rushing, making errors and overlooking important details, not to mention, the person you are reporting to, may not value your work as an ID or you, with as much regard. As far as emotional intelligence versus interpersonal skills, I have always found emotional intelligence an interesting topic and since it was mentioned in the readings, I thought I would include it and combine it with communication skills. I did not change number 4 or 5.**

David@La Crosse
 * 1) Extensive Knowledge of learning theories
 * 2) Excellent verbal and written communication skills
 * 3) Ability to work collaboratively with a team
 * 4) Problem-solving skills
 * 5) Presentation Skills
 * 6) Time management skills
 * 7) Attention to detail
 * 8) Design instruction that reflects an understanding of the diversity of learners and groups of learners
 * 9) Collaborates with subject matter experts
 * 10) Understands and uses multimedia instructional technologies
 * 11) Possesses a strong understanding of adult learning theory, instructional methodologies, and learning methods
 * 12) Empathy for adult students
 * 13) Conducts performance assessment to evaluate outcomes
 * 14) Ability to train others

I do not wish to change my ID competencies, not because I am lazy, but these are competencies I feel strongly about. Last week I used what I consider the best (for me) competencies from others, and myself, to create this list. I am very happy with this list.

//1. Proficient knowledge of instructional design and adult learning theories
 * Dawn in Minneapolis**

2. Excellent written communication and interpersonal skills

3. Strong organization and management skills to manage and prioritize the course development activities for multiple courses

4. Ability to establish effective, professional relationships in a collaborative working environment

5. Experience designing or developing interactive instruction I am happy with this list as well and don't see any reason to modify at this time.

Lynn@Chicago 6/6/10 It's fascinating how the group seems to have clear camps either identifying interpersonal skills and I.D. competency as first for the list. In order to extract the most appropriate information from the subject matter experts, superior communication skills/interpersonal skills will be needed. This will then be merged with ID expertise to create an effective ID program. After that, organizing and negotiating with client and writing an effective and appropriate ID program will occur.

1. Interpersonal skills/conflict resolution skills/communication 2. Instructional Design expertise 3. Organizational skills 4. Written skills 5. Understanding target audience. If there is repeat training with different individuals on the same subject matter, each class is unique. Recognizing and addressing their unique needs must be done for an effective program to be implemented. 6. Technology skills After reading Kurt's rankings, I'm wavering on the rankings of 2 and 3. TBD.//

A thought continues to bother me. I think that collaborative skills are essential, especially strong interpersonal skills and some experience with conflict resolution. Personalities and personal relationships drive so much of business. Just a thought. 5/30 Lynn@Chicago **1. Ability to work collaboratively with a team, 2. Project management skills, 3. Understand various learning theories and instructional methodologies and apply them appropriately, (I added learning theories here, as I think methodologies on their own aren't as valuable if they aren't connected to the learning context with a learning theory ) 4. Experience in developing learning objectives and tying them to lessons and assessments, 5. Knowledge of Learning Management Systems and tools** I made an attempt to mesh a few that were similar from our other page. There are a few basic principles I saw repeated across industries: collaboration, project management, instructional methods, technology, and assessment. I put collaboration first because I can't imagine doing this job in a vacuum, even if your other skills were in place. You can lean on others to help with your weaknesses if you can effectively collaborate. (Kim in Spring Green, WI)
 * ** 1) Creativity: c reate initial conceptual designs, develop instruction materials and possess overall vision, (2) Expertise: knowledge of ID and related computer skills, (3) Communication and Personal skills: working as both boss and team player; coordinating SMEs, client, staff, (4) Sensitivity/Awareness of cultural issues, translation needs. 5/23 . Lynn@Chicago**

//**After reading what you all have had to say and relooking at our list and the job postings I have come up with this list. I think having the knowledge and experience is a must. I think having the right combination of anaylitical skills and creativity is also important. If you are not able to motivate others and embrace the ever-changing work environment you will not be an asset to any company.**// 6/2 As I look over my list, I do not think I want to change anything based on my readings for this Module. 2. Possess strong interpersonal and collaborative skills 3. Skilled in task analysis while able to focus creativity into product development 4. Possess ability to work with existing and emerging technologies 5. Possess ability to motivate others 6. Possess willingness to embrace change and learn new things//** __**Josie in Wausau**__
 * //1. Extensive knowledge and Experience related to learning theory and instructional design

//(Kurt) interesting and impressive how you formed your list based on a logical expression of the consensus of the group, as opposed to some others (like me) who seem to list the competencies according to what is most important to them. I learned a lot from seeing the way you looked at this assignment...thanks! .-Jeff in Arvada//
 * Kurt in Lancaster:**  I distilled our list into groups and found that most of them seemed to fall into four categories: Interpersonal skills, time management, technology and learning theory. I ranked them below and added a 5th about instructional design theory. I ranked our ID competencies this way based almost exclusively on the number of postings we listed as a group (i.e., 15 people posted something about "Interpersonal" as opposed to only 9 postings about time management).
 * 1. Interpersonal Skills:** Possesses the necessary written, verbal, presentation and interpersonal skills to work with clients and subject matter experts in a variety of collaborative environments.
 * 2. Time Management/Organization Skills:** Possesses excellent organizational, time management and project management skills; ability to flex between big-picture and detailed perspectives of a project.
 * 3. Learning Theories:**** Understands and uses a variety of adult learning theories; able to discern appropriate theories for the target audience. **
 * 4. Technology**** Able to use a variety of new technologies for research, analysis, data collection and content development; stays abreast of and quickly learns new technologies; uses technology that is appropriate for the audience and task. **
 * 5. Instructional Design Theory****: Selects the correct instructional design theory for each project/audience. **

Kurt - your work is beautiful and I'm fascinated by the rankings. Not being organized or managing time is an absolute killer for many projects and truly damages client relations. Thanks! Lynn@Chicago I agree with Lynn, Kurt. I think that you hit on the nail of what it makes the difference for what it takes to be a successul ID. Interpersonal skills are also a characteristics of emotional intelligence when dealing with others and handling yourself on any environment. Along to that, organizational skills are what differentiate a big dreamer from a big doer. Great list. __Fiorella in Miami__ Carol Robarge - Eau Claire WI: With only two postings, I can see some common threads. I like the way that Kurt put the competencies into catagories. This make it easier to prioritize. Based on what I have read so far, this is how I would prioritize: 1. Ability to work collaboratively with a team. (A Instructional designer has to have the ability to work with people for different content areas and different level whether they are designing for business projects or for educational projects. I would include inter-personal skills as well) 2. Time Management/project management skills: (It could be very easy to drop the ball at different phases of a design project. The instructional designer not only has to stay on track, but they need to keep others on track as well.) 3. Problem-solving skills: (What is the best solution to the design problem needs to be answered.) 4. Strong communication skills: (I will include interviewing, questioning skills, and presentation skills in this area. It seems that an instructional designer will have to rely on information that is often gathered from content experts and others who are involved in the project.) 5. Research skills: (The instructional designer might need to do research to find our about the target audience, the design problem, design strategies, instructional strategies, and content and processes. It seems that research could be involved in almost every step of the process.) 6. Instructional design Theory: (I would assume that the designer understands the instructional design model and process.)

1. Understanding of learning Theories (this could actually be included with the insruction design theory) 2. Ability follow-through (it seems that many project could be very time consuming and last over an extented period depending on the size of the project) 3. Technical writing skills (the instructional designer will be writing many reports that will need to be shared with individuals from different areas/levels of the company) 4. Knowledge of teaching methods (using a variety of teaching methods will important to meeting the needs of a variety of learning styles and it will also make lessons or training more interesting and engaging) Prioritized list with new competencies: 1. Ability to work collaboratively with a team. (A Instructional designer has to have the ability to work with people for different content areas and different level whether they are designing for business projects or for educational projects. I would include inter-personal skills as well) 2. Time Management/project management skills: (It could be very easy to drop the ball at different phases of a design project. The instructional designer not only has to stay on track, but they need to keep others on track as well.) 3. Ability follow-through (it seems that many project could be very time consuming and last over an extented period depending on the size of the project) 4. Problem-solving skills: (What is the best solution to the design problem needs to be answered.) 5. Strong communication skills: (I will include interviewing, questioning skills, and presentation skills in this area. It seems that an instructional designer will have to rely on information that is often gathered from content experts and others who are involved in the project.) 6. Technical writing skills (the instructional designer will be writing many reports that will need to be shared with individuals from different areas/levels of the company) 7. Research skills: (The instructional designer might need to do research to find our about the target audience, the design problem, design strategies, instructional strategies, and content and processes. It seems that research could be involved in almost every step of the process.) 8. Instructional design Theory: (I would assume that the designer understands the instructional design model and process.) 9. Understanding of learning Theories (this could actually be included with the insruction design theory) 10. Knowledge of teaching methods (using a variety of teaching methods will important to meeting the needs of a variety of learning styles and it will also make lessons or training more interesting and engaging)
 * New 6/3: Carol Robarge, I am adding new based on recent readings and will repriortize my list from last week:**

The added competencies are in black in my new list. It seems that I value what we would call the soft skills, but this does not mean that the technical skills and knowledge are not important. In marketing we focus a great deal on the soft skills because we know that are graduates will not be successful without this first demonstrating that they can apply the soft sklls in an employment setting. Research also shows that 85% of the people that lose their jobs do so because they lack the ability to work with others. Thanks, Carol Robarge, Eau Claire, WI

Ellen Riggs Which competencies are most important to employers? I think the prioritization would depend on the organization, some seem to emphasize a different competency depending on their organization's needs. I put communication at the top of the list because that is the basis of exchanging ideas. Without communication there is no feedback and no adjustment of the method to ensure that the goals are being met. Whether it's ethical behavior, listening, oral or written, it all is based on communication skills. 1. Communication skills 2. Experience in field 3. Knowledge of appropriate methodology 4.Understanding of adult learning theories 5.Decision making skills 6. Research and analyzing skills 7. Technology skills

Diane Vertin I agree with Carol, I too like the way Kurt blended the competencies into major themes. Here is how I would prioritize each of the themes: 1. Instructional design and theory 2. Understanding of adult learning theories 3. Communication skills/interpersonal skills 4. Work collaboratively 5. Technology skills

Karen B. Cashmere 6-6-10

New: I believe the purpose of this activity is to come together as a group in what we agree is the best list of ID Competencies. I would like to see the list by Fiorella as the most parsimonious - it gets my full support.

Old 1. (Be able to) Analyze the need (Reema, Fayetteville, NC) 2. Create learning programs that use a systematic design approach. (Karen B. Cashmere) 3. Knowledge of learning theory and able to mix methodologies as needed to accomplish training goals. (Deborah, Mt. Horeb, WI) 4. Skill in task and job analysis, in design of instructional material, performance support products, and On-the-Job training programs, and in rollout and implementation. (Amanda in DC) 5. Conducts performance assessment to evaluate outcomes (Kurt in Lancaster, PA) 6. Project management skills (Kurt in Lancaster, PA) and the ability to work collaboratively with a team-Josie-Wausau I think all the competencies we compiled have value however I wanted to think about them from the perspective of a client or employer. The client may be looking for a change in performance, adjusting to a new environment or dealing with rapid expansion. I arranged the competencies in an order I thought would be a logical progression although my #6 could be placed first because it is overarching.

Amanda Mackey in DC

I also grouped like postings for our competency list. I have recently searched and applied for numerous position which fall under the instructional design umbrella. My prioritized list is based on the competencies I found most often.

1. Instructional Design Experience- ability to design, develop and implement training programs 2. Ability to conduct task and job analysis 3. Understanding of adult learning theories 4. Ability to communicate and collaborate 5. Technology- ability to utilize various forms of technology as learning tools

UPDATE: I noticed a lot of people listing interpersonal skills over ID experience. While I agree that the ability to work with others is important, I find it unlikely that an employer would rank that above ID experience when looking for a candidate to fill a position. Also, I'm tempted to add subject matter experience to my list. I am currently looking for a new job, nearly every posting (government and corporate) I have looked at requires the instructional designer to have experience in the field of work. After much thought, I like my list as originally posted. Amanda

Reema @ Fayetteville NC

Well looking at the long list it seems WOW.. do we really need to be master of so many skills to do the job of Instructional Design? After skimming through the list I will go with these as my top 5:

1. ** Ability to transcribe theory to practice ** - By this I mean it is not only important to know the theory but more so to be able to put the theory in action.

2. **Perform need analysis before jumping onto creating the course** - lets face it - you are not creating a course to showcase your skills and knowledge but rather to something that will fulfill the needs of the learner. so create course that is relevant to the learners, otherwise the course will end up to be a boring irrelevant content for the leaner. Knowledge of learning theories and and adult learner styles are a plus.

3. **Have technology skills but use it wisely** - The thin line of separation is not there when it comes to real life course design and technology skills are highly required when we are working in the field of Instructional Design. But as Tom says in his blog " The key to interactive courses is not multimedia, rollovers, or drag-and-drop interactions. Instead, it’s how the learner will interact with the content. Create courses where the learner doesn’t just passively receive information. Instead give them opportunities to reflect on and use the information to make decisions and get feedback."

4. ** Great Communication and writing skills ** - This may seem like 2 skills I have put together under one umbrella. May be that's true but without these two no one can be successful irrespective of the job role.

5. **Collaboration and decision making** - An instructional designer can not do the job all alone unless accompanied by a team. So the design process needs many people involved and thus collaboration, project management and decision making skills are very important competencies to have.

// Well, here are my favorites, but my impression is that, depending on the situation, these have to be interchangeable as well as replaceable, depending on what and who you're dealing with. I tried to choose competencies from our mega-list based on those that one could specifically apply to instructional design, and I kept landing on those which I believe contain the most built-in flexibility. -Jeff@Arvada // ***addendum: I purposefully didn't read what others were doing here, until after I posted my own. All of you are ROCK STARS in my book....so many fantastic perspectives, and I just wanted to say what a privilege it is to be a part of this crew!**

I think this one is the most important. If you’re good enough to be able to juggle ID models and methods to suit your needs, then the operational skills contained in the competencies listed below ought to already be there, for the most part. 2. Ability to document and organize information collected though research, observation, or interviews (Carol Robarge, Eau Claire, WI) I put this one at #2 just for me. Organization is my nemesis, and I constantly have to remind myself that as important as I think good organization is in instructional design, it’s even more important than that. 3. Skill in task and job analysis, in design of instructional material, performance support products, and On-the Job training programs, and in rollout and implementation. (Amanda in DC) Kind of a sub-set of #1, but these nuts and bolts are vital, no matter what ID model (or models) you are using. 4. Analyze the characteristics of existing and emerging technologies and their use in an instructional environment. (David@La Crosse) It often refers to life, but especially technology- ‘he (or she) who hesitates is lost’. You’ve got to keep up with the trends. Not that you necessarily have to always use the latest and greatest, but I would think that if your client (i.e. the one who's writing the checks) wants you to consider a new technology or LMS they recently heard about, you’d better have an answer for why (or why not) to use it. 5. Ability to find the right mix of challenge and support for learners as they progress through a learning activity (Kurt in Lancaster, PA) I think this is important, because it will greatly improve your chances for success, as well as foster respect from instructor to student, and vice-versa. 6. Know your client, as well as the corporate culture in which you are working (Jeff in Arvada) The reason I came up with this one in the first place was that I think it’s important for an instructional design professional to be able to ‘roll with the punches’. The more you know about the people and company that you are about to marinate yourself in, the better off you will be when they start throwing you curve balls. ** 7. The ability to motivate, respect, and otherwise work with your ID team members. Jeff in Arvada** (Tomoko in DC) I blended some of the competencies in our original list and ordered them by most frequently-cited in job postings I reviewed. Under each of the selected competencies, I've taken a stab at the reasons for the employer preference. -- relevant education is helpful! learning authoring software such as Articulate, Captivate, or Lectora)** -- Flashy technology has always been exciting... it's like street cred. Just like the (non-party-line) telephone, the color TV, the fax machine, and various other formerly new technologies, software that creates visually-stimulating images on a computer screen is exciting. For a designer, the ability to work with different mediums also increases one's repertoire. ***After this week’s readings on Learning Theory, I didn’t change my competencies order much. However, as I looked at how to add relevant tasks, practice, reinforcement, repetition and problem solving to online learning, I felt that creativity was needed. I’ve added another competency to my list (two actually but I kind of combined them). Changes in blue.** **Note: hate the Wiki! Collaborate in GoogleDocs instead - much less frustrating!**
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">1. Knowledgeable of learning theory and able to mix methodologies as needed to accomplish training goals. (Deborah, Mt. Horeb, WI)
 * June 6th update: After reading and learning a lot more about various learning theories, I think that this is even more important than what I had thought. Whatever learning theories(s) I may end up using in a given situation, I think that entire process will __//force//__** **me to take a harder look at the individual learner that I might have done otherwise, and at the very least prevent me from prematurely categorizing a target audience into one particular group, and perhaps end up short-changing the individual learner in the process.
 * I pretty much stand by my original list and rankings, but I'm going to pull a 'Gardner' and make one addition.
 * 1. BA/BS/Master's degree in Instructional Design or related field**
 * 2. Multimedia proficiency (LMS such as Blackboard or Moodle; e-
 * 3. Understanding of adult learning theory**-- a lack of knowledge would lead to a situation in which the employee would have to reinvent the wheel every time. Not knowing the dominant theories of the day would set you back several decades or centuries of expert research into a topic.
 * 4. Project management skills**- Since ID has an established multi-step process, having the capacity to manage projects (also multi-step processes) would be a transferable and highly relevant skill.
 * 5. Ability to work collaboratively in a team and with SMEs**-- Since you can't be an expert in every subject matter, you'd have to be able to keep an open mind and let others teach you things while you teach them. Someone who is unable to work collaboratively with colleagues and SMEs would not be able to secure enough information... and creating a project on limited information is almost a guaranteed way to botch the project
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I ordered my list according to what I feel are the most important based on my experience. This isn't necessarily what every ID position needs but in the positions that I've had, I feel these are the most pertinent. I've found everyone else's ordering and logic very interesting though and enjoyed reading through the lists! **
 * 1) **Project management skills (Kurt in Lancaster, PA) Skilled in task and job analysis, in design of instructional material, performance support products, and On-the Job training programs, and in rollout and implementation. (Amanda in DC)** **I looked at both of these as directing the project more than doing the actual design itself (probably because I frequently review and edit and don’t always personally write the training.) I may be unduly influenced by my really bad week at work but, you can have the best training in the world but if it’s not on time, on budget, well supported and well rolled out, it doesn’t matter.**
 * 2) **Knowledgeable of learning theory and able to mix methodologies as needed to accomplish training goals. (Deborah, Mt. Horeb, WI)** **It would be great if you could pick one great theory and run with it but so many different constraints can impact your plans, you have to roll with the punches and do the best that you can, sometimes taking a little from here and a little from there to create the best product you can.**
 * 3) <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"><span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12px; line-height: 36px;">**Ability to find the right mix of challenge and support for learners as they progress through a learning activity (Kurt in Lancaster, PA) Creativity (Tomoko in DC) As I looked at the new lear** **ning theories and thought about how I would try to add some of the problem solving, task related, practice related principles into the training, I decided that an Instructional Designer also needed to add creativity and the ability to create challenge and reinforcement in courseware as a required skill.**
 * 4) **Promote collaboration, partnerships and relationships among the participants in a design project. (David@La Crosse)** **Team work within your own training and education group is critical, but getting SMEs and Senior Leadership and everyone involved on the same page is truly vital to projecting the right message with your project!**
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**Ability to document and organize information collected though research, observation, or interviews (Carol Robarge, Eau Claire, WI).** **When creating the training, the ability to do this, and do it efficiently is critical.**
 * 6) **Pays attention to details (Dawn in Minneapolis).** **Online training is all about the details. A word out of place makes a study question wrong. An incorrectly marked answer can have catastrophic results in your mastery test. A rushed QC can miss critical errors. Missing things in review can result in changes to audio, graphics and text after the fact – when it costs more!**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">*Deborah @ Mt. Horeb, WI * **

I decided on 5 general ca​tegores and placed them in the order of importance although they could be interchangeable depending on the nature of the position and project. ​ //Linda, I like how you formed your list with sub-titles and bullet points under. This allows grouping of similar competencies under one heading. Josie in Wausau I didn't add any new ones, just an additional detail to use of Learning theories. Linda 6/5/10//** <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">I **. __Technology/Education__ · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Understands and uses multimedia instructional technologies · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Knowledge of learning · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Analyze the characteristics of existing and emerging technologies and their use in an instructional environment <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">. <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">__II. Communication__ ** · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Understand the need, embrace it, and have a passion for communicating it to your audience · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Possess excellent verbal communication skills, Presentation Skills SME · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Strong Interpersonal skills · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Clearly identify instructional objectives · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Knowledge of learning theories ​- The additional use of built in error for the learner to self correct. 6/5/10 · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Research skills · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Time management skills · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Create and manage project timelines within resource constraints · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Have an adequate working knowledge of Statistics and research skills <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">. · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Conducts performance assessment to evaluate outcomes · <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Ability to work collaboratively with a team
 * Linda Gates in AZ
 * <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">__II. Problem Solving__ **
 * <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">__IV. Organizational Skills__ **
 * <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">__V. Teamwork__

· <span style="color: #a6a6a6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Collaborate effectively with the many cultural dimensions within all levels of peers and learners **

I found the information on learning and teaching theory interesting, however, I have to admit, it didn’t change how I felt about the prioritization of the list. Everyone’s posts were impressive – I hope I can live up to my peers! I admire Tomoko from D.C. and Kurt from Lancaster for being objective enough to use what was derived from the actual job descriptions. Also, Reema’s and Jeff’s step-by-step explanations were cleverly formatted and I appreciate your insight! <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Who are you? I have to know where to send the check! ; ) Jeff in Arvada I formulated the following list with the idea of a college classroom in mind. This will be the setting for my final project and I also found quite a few jobs from this particular setting. That aside, I know the degree was an important prerequisite for those positions, however I wanted to focus on more of the content and actual competencies we have been learning about. 1. Interpersonal skills to include good written and verbal communication skills. 2. Prioritization and time management 3. Knowledge of and the ability to adapt learning methods/theories to the variable learning needs of a diverse target audience and the ability to step outside the box as needed. 4. Ability to do a root cause analysis in identifying the problem and developing the plan for an effective and efficient solution. 5. Technological proficiency in the applications used for instruction.
 * I wrote this after writing my post:

Despite the learning and teaching theory focused reading we just went through, I found interpersonal and communication skills to remain at the top of my list because this is how information is delivered between designer and team and it is so important that communication is clear in order to come out with a high quality project. Prioritization and time management are important in any project where there is a problem requiring a solution, which also involves a deadline that needs to be met. A good foundation in theoretical knowledge remains an important component as this will determine the appropriateness of what is delivered to and expected of the target audience. The ability to analyze and develop a plan is going to be important for the paper trail needed to show train of thought and where various ideas were formulated in developing the solution. Finally, having the exposure and expertise in applications needed for the project, are extremely important because of the need to be able to match the appropriate technological level with the skill level of your target audience.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 121%;"><span style="color: #800080; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">__Fiorella in Miami, FL__ I ranked the 5 most important items on my list really as a group of desirable traits and skills because I believe that they all tie in together rather than single categories. You will notice that I listed personal attributes higher than knowledge of ID theories and managment skills. The reason for that on my opinion is that skills can be learnt while attitude and cognitive abilities are harder to be taught/learnt. Not impossible but just harder. My 5 cents.

Fiorella - Isn't it interesting about personal skills? One could be a brilliant ID expert but without people skills, the audience and client will tune him/her out. Lynn@Chicago <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #800000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">I'm positive about that Lynn. Not only that, sometimes brilliant minds can't even get along with people or be sociable. I believe that it is part of having emotional intelligence. Not everybody has to like you, but in the other hand, they may agree that you're a competent professional if you gain their respect in the correct manner. Fiorella //<span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fiorella Velarde in Miami 6/10/2010 // //<span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">My final list is very similar to the original one, although my top item has changed to critical and analytical skills. I got to the conclusion after all what it has been said (and read) that these skills are the most difficult to nurture and... to find on any professional out there. On a different note, someone suggested Google notes, I agree. Wiki keeps running scripts and changing my font size. // <span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #5f497a; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">1-//Outstanding critical and analytical skills.// I'm changing my ranking on this one, because the ID needs to be able to engage in higher levels of learning himself or herself. Not everybody can or like to do it, it can be pretty abstract sometimes, so you may have all the Project Managment skills in the country and/or be the most cheerful ID and still be prey of faulty reasoning or simply be uncapable of this. 2-Interpersonal skills, adequate demeanor. Communication skills that includes oral, written skills. Capable of team work (really), conflict resolution approach. 3-Great knowledge of theories and working experience. This one may come number one on most job listings but it is a deficiency that it is only solved with time, dedication and patience. If you are beginning in the field like me, you may want to take the approach of a salesperson when you go to a job interview and make a case like you were trying to sell your best product: you. 4- Project managment skills including but not limited to budgets, event planning, decision making and group dynamics. You also need to sometimes apply your theories of "motivation" within your own team. 5- Keep informed about trends and technology. Do not settle for Powerpoint 101 ( good tip from a good blog)


 * These were my previous postings, sans a little piece that got lost in the wiki-editing gone wild universe:**

<span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: olive; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">I'm adding motivation in this category, because a good ID must be able to motivate and engage learner's curiosity about the subject at hand. Yet competition and cooperation must be stimulated in the target audience and one of the best ways to achieve is perhaps by setting a good example of these behaviors. <span style="color: green; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">2- Outstanding critical and analytical skills ( research and Statistics) along with probPlem solving, so needs and goals are identified correctly. These critical skills would in turn facilitate project management and prioritization of tasks under a logical rationale. 3- Extensive knowledge of learning theories and adult learning (Deborah, Mt Horeb). Prior experience in applying theory to diverse settings is also desirable (Ellen, Riggs). 4- Interest for technology and keeping current with new software and new trends in the field. (David @La Crosse); multimedia proficiency, Tomoko, DC). <span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">5- Project and time managment skills that include budget, event planning and the actual implementation and delivery of the content. In a way, I believe that although the ID is thinker, it must be also an effective multitask implementer to bring a project to its successful complexion. Kurt ( Lancaster ) correctly mentions that an efficient ID must not lose the //big picture// out of sight while pursuing every detail of the project closely. **

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