Instructional designers’ roles in emergency remote teaching during COVID-19

ABSTRACT

During the spring of 2020, institutions of higher education (IHEs) closed their buildings but continued to offer instruction through emergency remote teaching procedures in the United States of America. Although students and teaching faculty received much attention for their mutual under preparedness for remote learning using online tools, instructional designers at IHEs were working to support both groups. Using grounded theory, the purpose of this research was to identify instructional designers’ perceptions of their abrupt shift in roles and responsibilities during this transition. We also gathered data to understand instructional designers’ expectations for supporting future course design and delivery as IHEs revise their distance education plans to prepare for re-opening in the fall of 2020 and beyond in the United States of America. Overall, their role shift focused on building relationships within the university community. Specific efforts included gathering, organizing, and distributing resources, designing faculty course development workshops, providing technology support, and advocating for students and for their profession.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• course design and delivery
• instructional designer roles
• emergency remote teaching
• online learning in higher education

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the instructional designers who participated in this study for their time and willingness to share their experience and perspectives with their busy schedule in the middle of COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Notes on contributors

Jingrong Xie

Jingrong Xie is an instructional designer at University of Missouri System. She provides quality course design and review and faculty consultation. Her research focuses on universal design for learning and mobile learning to develop cognitive and social skills for students with disabilities in postsecondary education, faculty professional development, and online learning.

Gulinna A

Gulinna A is an instructional designer in Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies at Fort Hays State University. She helps faculty with blended and online course design, as well as consultation for effective teaching and learning strategies. She also develops online professional leaning communities for faculty.

Mary F. Rice

Mary F. Rice is an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico. Her research considers how access to digital literacies enables and (dis)ables curriculum possibilities when teaching and learning online. She is an Online Learning Consortium Emerging Scholar and a Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute fellow.