The Dr. Luke Hobson Podcast

On today's episode, I'm joined by Dr. Chris Hakala and Dr. Leslie Cramblet Alvarez as we discuss the folks who work at teaching and learning centers. They wrote a tremendous new book called, "Understanding Educational Developers: Tales from the Center." In this book and in our conversation, we explore the diverse pathways into educational development, the role of teaching and learning centers, and the skills necessary for success in this field. They share insights on the impact of AI, the importance of student engagement, and the future of educational development amidst challenges in higher education. 

What is the relationship like between faculty and instructional designers? In this episode, we'll hear from Ian August, Assistant Director of Online Learning and Adjunct Professor at St. John's University. Ian shares his research findings from speaking with both IDs and faculty about the course design and revision process. 

An off-chance conversation sent me down the rabbit hole of the psychomotor domain. Why is it that this domain doesn't get as much attention as the cognitive domain? So, I did some research and sifted through the origins of this domain. How did we get here? Who created it? Were there any signs that this domain was going to be looked down upon from the start? Well... I discovered some interesting takeaways that led to a few theories. This is the story of the psychomotor domain and why we don't talk about it.

What will Instructional Designers be called in the future? In this episode, I revisit a fun question from a recent webinar that got me thinking. Our field has gone by many names over the years, from training specialists and curriculum developers to multimedia designers and learning engineers. These shifts often reflect the trends, tools, and technologies of the time, from Gagné's Nine Events to the rise of LMSs and now AI. So, what's next? While job titles may continue to evolve, our core competencies remain steady. Join me for a lighthearted and slightly speculative look at the future of instructional design job titles. It's Friday, so grab your crystal ball and let's have some fun with this episode!

In this episode, I sit down with Anna Lebedinets, a researcher and instructional designer exploring how empathic listening and culturally nuanced communication can transform language learning. Her and her colleagues recent study examines how integrating psychological and sociocultural components within the 4C/ID model can bridge performance gaps and enhance students' preparedness for real-life cross-cultural interactions. We discuss why traditional language teaching often falls short in developing meaningful communication skills and how this innovative approach can help learners become more culturally adaptive.

What's it like working as an instructional designer in higher education? Let's talk about it all: the day-to-day, rewards, growth, compensation, politics, etc.

What happens when you upload 30 shorts in 30 days? Here's what I learned and what you can pickup from doing these kind of timed challenges. 

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Matt Kinservik, a literary expert and professor, and Rachel Lapp, a self-proclaimed Taylor Swift expert and instructional designer, as they share the behind-the-scenes journey of co-creating a one-of-a-kind college course focused on Taylor Swift. Together, they discuss how their distinct expertise combines to craft an innovative curriculum and how they not only marketed the course with social media, but how they let students use Gen AI. Swifties and educators alike—this one's for you!

In a recent poll, I asked educators (instructional designers, professors, teachers, developers, etc.) if they had a side hustle. 578 educators voted and 56% said yes. What opportunities are out there for educators though? In this episode, I'll share with you common side hustles for educators. 

As instructional designers, we have our go to models for designing learning experiences. What do you do though when you have to pivot? On today's episode, I'll share with you a crazy project I worked on where I had to heavily modify the backward design model.  Also, Happy Thanksgiving! 

Let's dive into immersive learning today and explore some real world examples!

What can Disney World teach us about instructional design? Well, quite a bit! Here are some insights from the most magical place on earth.

Don't you just love when you're working on a project, and suddenly your SME ghosts you? You have no idea why or what happened, but what you do know for sure is that your project is dead in the water until you hear from them again. So, how do you reengage? In today's blog and podcast, I'll share five tips to help you get things back on track.

Google's NotebookLM can generate a podcast about your material in a matter of minutes. What does this kind of technology mean for instructional design, online learning, and higher education? On today's episode, you'll hear a sample of what an AI generated podcast sounds like and we'll break down the pros, cons, and things to mindful of in the future. 

Let's say your beloved project has become a total dumpster fire. What do you do? How do you handle this situation? On today's show, we will talk about steps to help you and to put out that fire. 

What can you use a GPT for? Under the right circumstances, these can be fantastic to help you and your students. On today's episode, I'll share with you three real world cases for how I'm using custom GPTs.

Let's say you're an instructional designer and you're trying to get promoted. How do you achieve this goal? Well, there are a few ways you can go about this, and on today's podcast, I'll share with you 10 tips on how to get promoted as an instructional designer.

There are certain types of phrases that can trigger an instructional designer. Learning styles, using “understand” in learning objectives, cognitive overload, last minute stakeholder changes, and more are enough to drive the best instructional designer crazy. Over the years, I've had to channel these grievances into more productive ways with sharing best practices. But even now, there are still some things that pop up where I shake my head and pray for divine intervention. So come commiserate with me as we talk about my top three instructional design pet peeves.

Are you planning on going to a learning conference soon? I just came back from D2L's Fusion and it was amazing. There were a few changes I made compared to my normal conference routine and it made a huge difference. On today's episode, you'll hear my top 5 tips on how to get the most out of your next conference.

How do amazing concepts turn into disasters? Well, I can think of quite a few reasons. On today's show, you'll hear about some real-life examples and blunders about how ideas can quickly take a turn for the worse.

Joseph Diaz joins the show to shares his insights on networking on LinkedIn and how to do it effectively without feeling slimy. On this episode, you'll hear about:

In graphic design, web design, and user experience design, portfolios are essential, but what about instructional design? They were once considered a nice-to-have, but I think we are moving towards portfolios being required. Let's chat today about the ID landscape and why you should be thinking about a portfolio.

On today's episode, we are joined by Dr. Nicole L'Etoile! Nicole is a business owner, LMS specialist, and an instructional designer, who is passionate about accessibility. We just so happened to record this episode on Global Accessibility Awareness Day! In this episode, we discuss about what accessibility means, tools to help designers, strategies for working with stakeholders, success stories, where AI fits into accessibility, and more. If you are an instructional designer, teacher, or any kind of educator, this episode is for you.

Holly is back on the show! On today's episode, she talks about her journey from being a teacher to instructor to instructional designer at Amazon. We also take a deep dive into what a typical day looks like for her. If you have been thinking about wanting to work at an organization such as Amazon, this episode is for you.

Well, we did it! 100 podcast episodes in the books. Whether you just started listening or you've been with me since day one, I can't thank you enough. On today's episode, I'll share with you my biggest takeaway after 100 episodes.

Our society is stuck in a fast-paced go-go-go mode. Overworking is celebrated. Multitasking is expected. Do you know one thing you can't rush though? The learning process. Today, we are talking about the benefits of slowing down by utilziing reflections.

I need to take you behind the scenes for a moment to discuss a huge issue within the instructional design field.  There is a disconnect between instructional design degrees and real world expectations. It's been a trend I've been monitoring for years, and it only seems to be getting worse. Students are graduating with these degrees and don't know how to apply the lessons into the real world. They aren't ready and don't feel confident to take their next steps. When asked why, I hear that they spent two to four years learning about theories, models, and processes, but did not gain experience in practicing them. The topics of working with subject matter experts, managing projects, building a portfolio, and career guidance never even came up in some of these degrees, yet they advertise on their websites that they prepare students for a competitive job market. On today's podcast, I'm going to share with you what I've been hearing directly from instructional design students. The hope is that we can acknowledge their thoughts and make changes to fix this problem now before it gets any worse. You'll also hear about institutions who are doing everything right to prepare their students for the real world and I give a shout out to a few of them.  After you've read the transcript or listened to the show, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

What does the day in the life of a senior instructional designer look like? Let's talk about it!

Yikes! Let's talk about some of the worst advice out there on how to become an instructional designer.

Today's episode is all about learning environments! You'll learn about the four different spaces and how making small changes can lead to huge results.

Should we think of students as customers? On today's episode, I'll share with you 5 reasons why this shift in thinking can make a drastic impact.

On today's episode, I'm going to break down why cohort based learning is so effective for adults. I'll cover my best tips for creating cohorts for your learning experiences and share the pitfalls to avoid. 

Can you believe 2024 is just around the corner? Let's take some time to reflect back on 2023.

Another day, another academic saying that online learning is inferior to face-to-face classes. On today's episode, I'll share why this idea is a disaster for higher education.

What do instructional design projects look like in the real world? On today's episode, I'll share 3 topics that seem to take folks by surprise. Links and Transcript

Happy Thanksgiving learning nerds! I hope you enjoy this bonus episode. It's no secret that the instructional design market is highly competitive. How exactly did we get here and how can you stand out? Let's give you a competitive edge!  Find the links and watch the video on YouTube Transcript

Every instructional designer knows that accessibility and UDL are significant, but how can AI help with these principles? I'll share some new features with ChatGPT that I've been experimenting with to make learning experiences more accessible and UDL friendly. Links and transript for this episode can be found on drlukehobson.com.  

On today's episode, I'll share with you 5 habits that completely changed my life for the better. Hopefully, you can apply some of these tips into your own life! All the links for the show and blog can be found on the website.  

How do you design learning experiences for adults? In today's episode, I'll cover Andragogy, the method and practice of teaching adult learners. I'll share about my best tips around Andragogical principles and how to apply them into your learning experiences.  Transcripts for the episode Mentioned Links: The Adult Learner (Note: this is an affiliate link) Recommendations:

What's it like to be a first-time leader? In this episode, you'll hear from Russell Sweep, Content Development Manager at Goodwill and host of the L&D Hot Seat. Russell was recently thrown into the deep end with leadership and we break down what it's like to manage a team of designers. Mentioned Links: Video Interview and Transcript Connect with Russell Russell's Website GLDC Project Club GLDC Collections The L&D Hot Seat Podcast Developing Accessible Content Episode with Yvonne Urra Bazain Recommendations:

Is the L&D market too saturated? Is there too much competition? On today's episode, I unpack what I've been hearing and seeing about the job market. I also try to provide a few tips on how to stand out from the crowd. Mentioned Links: So, you want to become an instructional designer The Accidental Instructional Designer by Cammy Bean Recommendations:

In this conversation, I chat with Maj. Elvin Fortuna, Army Officer and Instructional Designer for the Army University. We discuss more about Elvin's latest project with modernizing the U.S. Army's Captains Career Course and what the day in the life is life for an Instructional Designer at Army University. We also talk about transitioning into government positions. Mentioned links: Video interview and transcript Elvin's LinkedIn Elvin's Email Modernizing the U.S. Army's Captains Career Course: Captain's Career Course Modernization  TPACK Blended Learning Approach Recommendations:

In this conversation, I chat with Stepanie Kratz about faculty burnout, learning about instructional design, and professional development. A few key topic areas we get into: Why faculty are interested in instructional design What's causing faculty to feel burned out What can be done to help them How faculty can learn about instructional design Professional development for faculty  Ungrading Mentioned Links: Stephanie's Website Stephanie's LinkedIn Unraveling Faculty Burnout Sarah Cannistra's Episode Dr. Robin Sargent's Episode Submit your feedback Apply for the next cohort of Instructional Design Institute Recommendations:

In this conversation, I talk with Luis Malbas about conferences, events, community building, and the awesomeness of TLDC. A few key topics we get into: The evolution of conferences How to get the most out of going to an event The idea for TLDC How to foster a welcoming community What's overlooked about community building Women of L&D The Accessible & Inclusive Design Conference How Luis manages TLDC all on his own Connect with Luis and TLDC! LinkedIn YouTube TLDC's Website Mentioned Links: Meeting up at DevLearn 2022 ‍The Accessible & Inclusive Design Conference 2023 Women of L&D Conference Submit your feedback Apply for the next cohort of Instructional Design Institute Recommendations:

In this conversation, Devlin and I explore the impact of AI on the instructional design industry. We talk about: Our introductions to AI How AI can support instructional designers Best use cases with ChatGPT, Google Bard, etc. Where AI misses the mark Advancements with ChatGPT Risks and limitations Where are we going with AI? Devlin's new AI sidekick tool Connect with Devlin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devlinpeck/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DevlinPeckYT Website: https://www.devlinpeck.com Mentioned Links: Jasper: https://www.jasper.ai DALL-E: https://openai.com/dall-e-2 Midjourney: https://www.midjourney.com/home/?callbackUrl=%2Fapp%2F ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com Google Bard: https://bard.google.com AI Agents: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/agents-artificial-intelligence/ How to use ChatGPT to learn any skill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnDudvCyWpc&t=215s Yes Theory - Letting ChatGPT control our lives: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kISB5sum51Y Getty Image Lawsuit: https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/17/23558516/ai-art-copyright-stable-diffusion-getty-images-lawsuit Devlin's AI sidekick: https://www.devlinpeck.com/devlin-ai Video Interview and transcripts Recommendations:

Amanda was a teacher for 15 years and then decided to become an instructional designer! We chat about her story, her best advice for teachers trying to transition, and what it was like being in the first cohort of Instructional Design Institute. Video Interview Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn Resources

Can masterminds actually help you achieve your goals? If they do, how do you find one? Let's talk about this! Blog and Transcript: Masterminds Resources

Ah, good ol' ADDIE. ADDIE is the original design process that many, many designers and organizations swear by. It's also created quite the commotion within the instructional design space with some folks having strong feelings questioning the fundamentals of ADDIE. So, let's talk about ADDIE and break things down. Mentioned Links: Blog and Transcript Affiliate link for the book: Instructional Design the ADDIE Approach Resources

Joining us today are the wonderful Dr. Heidi Kirby and William Cronje! Today's questions: What are the best ways to list learning objectives at the course and unit levels in a way that learners can effectively connect with them and understand what they will learn? Why hasn't AI been able to replicate human voice and mannerisms yet for the ed tech space?  What exactly is learning engineering, and how is it different from instructional design and learning experience design (LXD) Should instructional designers have web development skills like HTML, CSS and JavaScript?  Will instructional designers replace the traditional learning and development roles in corporate training that are mostly human resource roles today? Is there a trend towards more corporations promoting senior instructional designers to the role of Chief Learning Officer or will that continue to be a human resource role? YouTube Video and Transcript https://youtu.be/SuxpFrOqWbQ Mentioned Links: Shout out to Dr. Rex Holiday for some of these questions! Should we list learning objectives by Christy Tucker Will Thalheimer's Rethinking Instructional Objectives Creating Performance Based Learning Objectives Heidi's post on AI and robotic voice AI Recreates Slipknot's Snuff with Chester Bennington's Voice Netflix Contract with AI and Voice Dr. Aaron Kessler and Learning Engineering What is Learning Engineering Are You Doing Learning Engineering—Or Instructional Design? By Dr. Jim Goodell  The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online Learning  Instructional Design (ID) vs Learning Experience Design (LXD) by Dr. Ray Pastore Connect with Heidi Connect with William Resources

It is perfectly okay to just coast in your efforts for a period of time! We live in a world where everyone seems to be crushing it at all times with sharing their accomplishments, promotions, certificates, etc. It's like we need permission from someone to take a break for some reason. So hey, here's your sign to slow things down, regroup, and try again later on. Your time will come, but only if you take care of yourself. Mentioned Links: Original Post Video and Transcript Recommendations: