Instructional Designers’ Relationship with Subject Matter Experts
Artificial Intelligence is poised to disrupt many professions, including instructional or learning design. As Instructional Designers (ID), we must be ready to face this disruption and quickly adapt to the impending changes already present.
In this post series, we will dissect and analyze AI’s impacts and disruptions on instructional or learning design.
The first disruption we will examine is the ID – Subject Matter Expert (SME) relationship. A successful ID-SME relationship is essential for creating compelling and engaging learning experiences. This process typically involves several stages with both professionals working together to ensure the instructional material is accurate, relevant, and pedagogically sound.
Enhance Collaboration
One of the first impacts on the ID-SME relationship is the AI’s ability to help facilitate enhanced collaboration. AI-powered tools can facilitate effective communication and cooperation among IDs and SMEs through AI-based platforms that offer a streamlined exchange of ideas, track changes on various documents, and manage project timelines more efficiently.
Improve Content Curation
AI can help improve content curation by quickly examining content from various sources, thus helping IDs and SMEs focus on essential information. This quick analysis of large datasets can identify trends and patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed, leading to more informed instructional materials.
Rapid Prototyping
Rapid prototyping with AI will allow IDs to quickly facilitate the ID process when generating drafts, examples, and assessments. This will enable IDs and SMEs to review and iterate on designs more quickly, resulting in a more efficient development process.
Shift in Traditional Roles
And finally, AI will allow for ashift in traditional roles, which will facilitate higher-order thinking and creativity between the IDs and SMEs. For example, IDs can become more consultants and use AI tools to create content and align learning objectives with the right instructional strategies. On the other hand, SMEs can find themselves working more closely with AI tools to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the content.
In conclusion, AI has the potential to significantly alter the relationship between IDs and SMEs by fostering enhanced collaboration, improving content curation, and enabling rapid prototyping. The roles of IDs and SMEs will likely shift, with a greater focus on strategic thinking and creativity.
Interested in learning more about the dynamic field of instructional design?
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