The goal of many modern professional organizations is to promote their respective occupations by building a strong network of professionals whose similar backgrounds and interests facilitate the exchange of ideas, best practices, and innovations. The best professional organizations provide many social and educational opportunities and resources that help prepare their members for future industry shifts and communicate current industry standards. Joining a professional organization related to instructional/learning design, training, performance management, distance/online learning, program evaluation, and others promise multiple potential benefits.
Expand Your Professional Network
Doing anything all alone can be challenging. Therefore, cultivating a professional network helps you keep in touch with old colleagues as well as meet new ones. Personal finance expert/consumer advocate and radio personality Clark Howard says “People Hire People,” meaning once colleagues get to know you, observe your professionalism and congeniality, and establish trust, you are much more likely to be considered for a position, or referred to a hiring manager who will.
Additionally, membership in a professional organization can help connect you with the leaders and visionaries of our field. These connections can help you keep abreast of current and future trends and consider multiple perspectives from those who have found success.
Continuous Professional Development
In a recent NPR Interview, Michigan State University Professor of Economics Dr. Lisa Cook mentioned how unemployment can lead to “skills atrophy” and a loss of professional contacts. Even while currently employed, without intentional practice toward continuous self-improvement, it is easy to let your skills and knowledge go stale. In a fast-changing industry, this is a quick way to become irrelevant and replaceable.
Participation in a professional organization can help you strive to maintain current expertise in your discipline. Better yet, active membership can provide opportunities for contributing to the body of knowledge in the field. Webinars, conferences, skills development curricula, and other opportunities offered by these organizations inform its members of the current trends in instructional design/training and the possibility of expanding their skill sets.
Give Back to Your Professional Community
Simply being a member of a professional organization is not enough. You are joining a community of interested and passionate practitioners. Do not settle for passive membership! As a community member, join the discourse and participate in events, discussions, research. Even informal idea-sharing is a great benefit! You will strengthen your existing ties, gain new ones, and contribute to the marketplace of ideas that make up any professional community.
Additionally, many organizations hold volunteer activities to benefit charitable causes or even the organization itself. Once you have established yourself as an active member, be sure to look for opportunities to contribute.
Remain Motivated and Curious
Motivation and curiosity are the hallmarks of a progressive professional. Active participation in a professional organization can help you maintain your motivation and nurture your curiosity. Organizations regularly contact their members, and the best ones have rich media presences across multiple platforms, in addition to their own.
Spotlighted Organizations
- Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT)
“AECT is the premier organization for those actively involved in the design of instruction and a systematic approach to learning.” - Association for Talent Development (ATD)
ATD’s mission is to empower professionals to develop talent in the workplace. - The eLearning Guild
The Learning Guild is a community of practice for those supporting the design, development, strategy, and management of organizational learning. - Online Learning Consortium (OLC)
“Previously known as SLOAN-C, OLC is a collaborative community of higher education leaders and innovators, dedicated to advancing quality digital teaching and learning experiences designed to reach and engage the modern learner – anyone, anywhere, anytime.” - University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA)
“UPCEA is the leading association for professional, continuing, and online education.”
Other Associations Related to Instructional Design, Training, and Distance Education & eLearning
- American Evaluation Association
“Excellence in evaluation practice, utilization of evaluation findings, and inclusion and diversity in the evaluation community.” - EDUCAUSE
“EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education through the use of information technology.” - International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
“ISTE inspires the creation of solutions and connections that improve opportunities for all learners by delivering: practical guidance, evidence-based professional learning, virtual networks, thought-provoking events and the ISTE Standards.” - IEEE Technical Committee on Learning Technology (TCLT)
The purpose of this technical committee (TCLT) is to contribute to the field of Learning Technology and to serve the needs of professionals working in this field. - International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS)
“An interdisciplinary society dedicated to the research of learning in all of its forms.” - International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI)
“ISPI and its members use evidence-based performance improvement research and practices to effect sustainable, measurable results and add value to stakeholders in the private, public, and social sectors.” - Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)
AACE’s mission is to advance Information Technology in Education and E-Learning research, development, learning, and its practical application. - Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL)
“MACUL is dedicated to assisting the education community through support, promotion, and leadership in the effective use of educational technology.” - Instructional Technology Council (ITC)
“ITC’s mission is to provide exceptional leadership and professional development in higher education to its network of eLearning practitioners by advocating, collaborating, researching, and sharing exemplary, innovative practices and potential in educational technologies.” - WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET)
“WCET is the leader in the practice, policy, & advocacy of digital learning in higher education.” - Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)
AACE’s mission is to advance Information Technology in Education and E-Learning research, development, learning, and its practical application. - Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education (SITE)
“SITE is the only organization solely focused on integrating technology into teacher education.” - State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA)
“SETDA builds member capacity and engages partners to empower the education community in leveraging technology for learning, teaching, and school operations.” - The Quality Matters Instructional Designers Association (QM IDA)
“The QM Instructional Designers Association Mission is to promote and improve the quality of online education and student learning through instructional design practice.” - International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE)
“The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) is the leading, global membership organisation that works towards bringing accessible, quality education to all through online, open and distance learning.” - Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA)
“ODLAA is a professional association of educators, instructional designers, educational researchers, education consultants, and administrators from across Australia and overseas that is dedicated to advancement of research, practice, and support of education ‘across time and space’.” - European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN)
“The European Distance and E-Learning Network exists to share knowledge and improve understanding amongst professionals in distance and e-learning and to promote policy and practice across the whole of Europe and beyond.” - United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA)
USDLA supports the development and application of distance learning, and it focuses on all legislation impacting the distance learning community and its constituencies. - Training Magazine
Training Magazine offers instructional design and training professionals with resources and services that enable them to contribute to the field of learning and development. The resources include The Training Magazine, newsletters, blogs, and events and expos. - Life Sciences Trainers & Educators Network (LTen)
LTen is dedicated to supporting the professional goals of trainers in the life sciences.
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