Design Competition

Since 2004, the D&D Division has partnered with corporations, individuals, or organizations who sponsor an annual instructional design competition. From its conception until 2015, the competition was sponsored by PacifiCorps. It was then sponsored by the generosity of long-time AECT member, and one of the organization's past-presidents, Dr. Ana Donaldson. Starting with the 2019 competition, the sponsor will be the training division of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Allied Command Transformation (NATO ACT). The competition's founder and lead organizer is long-time AECT member and professional instructional designer, Dan Schuch.

The competition "problem statement" is announced in late fall and any group of instructional design students or working professionals can submit a preliminary response. The responses are judged by a group of peer reviewers, who then select the top six teams. The teams are then paired with a coach, who is typically a faculty member who teaches instructional design at a tertiary institution. From the top six teams who submit their problem solutions, the top three are chosen to attend the AECT annual convention to present their solutions to a panel of judges. The winner is announced at the convention's annual luncheon co-sponsored by the Design & Development division and the Research & Theory Division.

2004 - 2018 Competition organizers, mentors, participants, and winners (PDF file)