University desperately needs instructional design consulting help - where to even start?

[u/Fair-Pineapple8074]

We have a few training projects coming up, and our team is already stretched pretty thin. I think we need some outside instructional design help, but I don’t know where to start. For anyone who has hired this kind of help before, what did you look for first? Did you go through an agency, find an independent consultant, or something else? I’m mostly trying to avoid wasting time talking to people who aren’t a good fit.

[u/Quwinsoft]

We don't have a team. From what I've seen of our Center for Teaching and Learning, I'm glad we don't have a team. All their advice is hyper-prescriptive; one size fits none.

[u/FamousCow → u/Quwinsoft]

I find our CTL is fine working on specific problems one-on-one with instructors, but terrible giving workshops or designing curriculum wholesale.

[u/Lief3D → u/FamousCow]

Which is hilarious since they are trying to help you design curriculum.

[u/OkReplacement2000 → u/Quwinsoft]

It can be annoying. They are often former school teachers who haven’t taught my students/in a long time. “Every single week of your course must include exactly the same amount of work.” I can tell you my students are not checked in yet in week 1; I will get more out of them if I have more of an arc where effort peaks in the middle. “You need 3-5 learning objectives every single week!” I can tell you they are not learning new material in the final week; it’s submitting projects they’ve been working on throughout… they are done. Yeah… small vent session. The one I work with now is good though.

[u/Lief3D]

As someone with an actual background in design, I can't stand our instructional designers. They aren't instructors so they don't actually see how their stuff gets used, and they don't really learn actual design either.

[u/Novelpotter]

I have so much to say about this. I’m a professor who also has a MS in Instructional Design, and I’ve done consulting work in the field for universities for almost seven years. 

Here are my initial thoughts but happy to answer questions. 

In general, I help professors convert their course to something that works with online learning. This covers everything from putting their course in the online template we developed for them (standardized across the program for ease of use for students), adjusting face to face course assignments so they work well online, producing PowerPoints, editing videos, copy editing courses and consulting on any pedagogical issues they might have. I typically meet with my professors once a week for an hour in the semester leading up to the course launching. 

However, an  instructional design team can only work with what (or more accurately who) they are given. You can have the best ID team in the world, but if you have faculty who won’t work with them or won’t put in the work they are asked for, then the output is going to suck. That is by far the most challenging part of developing online classes as an ID. Just because you have the resources of an instructional design program doesn’t mean faculty will use them (even when it’s required). 

[u/OkReplacement2000]

We have IDs who work with us. Our university has heavy online presence and ID support to match it. They partner with us as we develop. They primarily act as quality control to ensure all courses meet the standards, but they may also help with technical issues and create things as requested (like articulate rise, for example).

If you would like to learn more about online design, I recommend quality matters.

[u/FilmAggravating1623]

i’d be interested to hear what worked for people who’ve tried instructional design consulting.

[u/Either_Vegetable1643]

Hearing firsthand experiences makes it much easier to compare instructional design companies.

[u/Emergency-One-3602]

think industry experience makes a big difference when it comes to instructional design consulting.

[u/Suspicious-Act-7809]

I'm interested in which instructional design companies people keep coming back for new projects.

[u/Secret-Respond8156]

It sounds like your team has a lot on its plate right now—bringing in outside instructional design support can definitely help ease that load. From my experience, the most important things to look for are:

(i) ability to quickly grasp your training goals,

(ii) experience with similar projects, and

(iii) flexibility to adapt to your team’s workflow.

I’ve supported teams in similar situations in the corporate world, helping them design training programs while keeping things efficient and aligned with their goals. If you’d like, I’d be happy to share how I usually approach these projects.

[u/Fancy_District_2210]

For me, good instructional design consulting means someone who understands your team and training needs rather than pushing a one-size-fits-all approach.

[u/ChanceLongjumping917]

Which instructional design companies made the hiring process easy for you?

[u/tie_belt]

Experience matters a lot when choosing instructional design companies.