Technology

Trends in Instructional Design Technology

The 2025 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report records a significant shift towards AI-enhanced, personalized, and technology-rich instructional design, prioritizing student-centered learning.

Future directions emphasize increasingly digital ecosystems driven by learning analytics and data-informed personalization, alonside the rapid expansion of mobile learning that enables on-demand access from everywhere.

Additionally, technology-supported authentic environments, such as simulations, rich media, and performance support systems, are becoming central to both the workplace and higher education learning.

These developments create a natural pathway for AI to enhance automation, adaptive feedback, and intelligent tutoring, alongside broader movements towards Open Educational Resources (OER), alternative methods of learning documentation, accessibility, and inclusive digital design.

Certifications and Workshops:

AI Tools for Teaching and Learning - CSU AI Commons

Building a High-Quality Microcredential Program - EDUCAUSE

Designing Hybrid-Flexible (HyFlex) Courses to Support Multimodal Learning Environments - EDUCAUSE

In Progress: Gamification - Coursera (University of Pennsylvania)

AI and Prompt Engineering

AI and prompt engineering skills are increasingly essential in instructional design for creating personalized learning experiences, generating content efficiently, and automating routine design tasks. These competencies enable instructional designers to properly train and leverage AI tools for rapid prototyping, content creation, and learner assessment while maintaining pedagogical integrity.

My interest in AI, generative AI, LLMs, and Prompt Engineering was enhanced during my master's, where I had the opportunity to engage in discussions related to their application in instructional design, from course refinement and content generation to user interaction, with a particular focus on ethics and accessibility.
In Prompt Engineering for K-12 Educators, I had the opportunity to thoroughly reflect on and apply AI to instructional design, demonstrating to educators how to use AI effectively and responsibly. Additionally, while still in its design phase, I aim to enable content generation for practice exercises and authentic conversational scenarios for the Italian for Traveling course, ultimately creating intelligent tutoring systems within various LMS environments.

Certifications and Workshops:

AI Literacy and Prompt Engineering - José Antonio Bowen & CSU AI Commons

Prompt Engineering for Developers - DeepLearning.ai

Learning Management Systems

Mastery of various LMS platforms is fundamental to instructional design, as these systems serve as the primary delivery mechanism for digital learning experiences. Understanding the technical capabilities and limitations of different LMS platforms allows designers to create more effective, scalable learning solutions tailored to specific organizational needs.

This expertise is demonstrated in the Moodle Customization CSS project, where, with my team, I developed modules to help users customize Moodle Cloud through Boost Presets, and the SOE Credential Office Optimization project, where I designed four Canvas courses to streamline credential program management, improve student communication, and enhance documentation processes for CTC accreditation.

HTML, CSS, and Javascript

Web development skills in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are crucial for creating custom learning interfaces, enhancing user experience, and extending LMS functionality beyond default templates. These technical competencies enable instructional designers to build responsive, accessible, and visually engaging learning environments that support diverse learning needs and organizational branding requirements.

Acquiring the HTML and CSS skill set necessary to complete the Moodle Customization CSS, where we developed comprehensive modules teaching CSS implementation within Moodle's Boost Preset framework, and in the SOE Credential Office Optimization where HTML and CSS were implemented in Canvas primarily for interactivity and visual purposes, I can testify the importance of technical web development knowledge to enhance LMS customization and user experience.

Certifications and Workshops:

In Progress: HTML, CSS, and Javascript for Web Developers - Coursera (John Hopkins University)

Workshops and tutorials on W3Schools

Canva, Illustrator, InDesign

Visual design skills using tools like Canva, Illustrator, and InDesign are essential for creating engaging, professional learning materials that enhance comprehension and retention through effective visual communication. These competencies allow instructional designers to produce high-quality graphics, infographics, course layouts, and multimedia elements that support diverse learners and accessibility requirements.

This skill set was utilized across all projects, and in particular within the SOE Credential Office Optimization and the Italian for Traveling projects, where visual design principles were applied to create clear, professional course interfaces and documentation templates.

Certifications and Workshops:

In Progress: Adobe Graphic Designer Certificate - Coursera (Adobe)

Accessibility

Accessibility expertise ensures that learning materials are inclusive and compliant with ADA standards, making education available to learners with diverse abilities and needs. This knowledge is critical for instructional designers to create equitable learning experiences and meet legal compliance requirements in educational institutions and corporate training environments.

While accessibility considerations were integrated throughout all portfolio projects, this skill set was particularly important in the SOE Credential Office Optimization project, since this is the project that was actually launched and incorporated by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo's Credential Office. Accessible document creation was necessary to ensure that credential program materials met institutional compliance standards and served students with diverse accessibility needs.

Certifications and Workshops:

Accessible Documents: Word, PowerPoint, & Acrobat - WebAIM (Utah State University)

Notion & Collaboration Spaces

Proficiency in collaboration and project management tools is essential for instructional designers who must coordinate with subject matter experts, stakeholders, and development teams throughout the design process. These skills enable effective project management, version control, stakeholder communication, and cross-functional collaboration in complex educational technology implementations.

This expertise was demonstrated across all portfolio projects, in which a variety of productivity tools and collaboration spaces were utilized. In particular, Notion is the main and leading organizational tool used for my entire graduate experience, and the Moodle Customization CSS. Other tools such as Asana, Trello, Slack, Teams, Zoom, Padlet, shared drives (e.g., Google Drive), and Microsoft To-Do were adopted for collaboration, communication, and project management.

Reflection

Throughout this program, I have discovered a wide range of tools that have significantly shaped my growth as an instructional designer. For each new technology, I invested additional hours in workshops, tutorials, and independent learning to deepen my understanding. However, the more I explored, the more I realized that my initial approach of treating my lack of technical expertise as a gap to be filled as quickly as possible was too narrow. There will always be newer, shinier tools, but I have learned that technology should never drive design on its own. Instead, pedagogy must guide every decision we make as instructional designers.

Engaging in thoughtful discussions about emerging technologies, in particular Artificial Intelligence, broadened my understanding of their (and my) role in instructional design. Collaborative and peer-to-peer learning experiences helped me see AI potential and limitations, its applications to instructional design, as well as its ethical, social, and professional implications.

Now, at the end of the program, I have moved beyond the assumption that proficiency in digital tools alone defines effective design. I feel equipped not only to master and implement new technologies but also to critically assess their pedagogical impact, sustainability, and alignment with learning goals. This shift from a tool-centered mindset to a reflective, pedagogy-driven approach has been one of the most transformative outcomes of my journey in this program.

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