Jennifer Lares presents "Using your Tech Comm Skills as an Instructional Designer"

Are you interested in learning more about Instructional Design? Or are you thinking about transitioning your tech comm skills from tech writing to an instructional designer role?

Instructional design is an essential and dynamic field that focuses on the systematic development of educational and training materials. It's grounded in understanding how individuals learn and identifying the most effective strategies, tools, and technologies to facilitate learning. Instructional designers are the architects behind the scenes, meticulously crafting and curating content that ranges from traditional textbooks to interactive eLearning modules and multimedia resources.

Instructional Designers contribute significantly to corporate training programs, healthcare education, retail training, and even military instruction, showcasing the versatility and broad applicability of their skills.

The significance of instructional design is highlighted by its projected growth. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field is expected to see a 7% increase in job opportunities by 2031. This growth reflects the increasing recognition of the value that well-designed educational experiences bring to all sectors, emphasizing the critical role instructional designers play in advancing knowledge, skills, and professional development.

By the end of this session, you will be able to

• Understand an Instructional Designer’s (ID) role
• Recognize the skills a Tech Writer has that can also be applied to an ID role
• Evolve or modify your own skills for your next role, wherever may be next

About the Speaker

Jennifer Lares is an Instructional and Universal Designer at Long Beach City College. She has 10 years of experience consulting with instructors to convert courses from face-to-face to online, hybrid and hyflex courses. She also has experience working with converting other types of programs like new and transfer student orientations to a flipped format, converting soft-skills courses to be ADA compliant for campus staff and developing training and informational programs. 

Jennifer earned her BA in Comparative Literature from San Diego State University and MA in Educational Technology and Media Leadership from California State University, Long Beach.  She currently lives in Orange County and enjoys finding local coffee and tea shops in which to read, and she is a foodie. 

Cost

Pay what you can! The suggested donation is $10, but you're welcome to join us no matter what you contribute.

Meeting format

We'll keep things casual during this virtual event:

• Network with each other and learning about job opportunities
• Announce chapter news from OCSTC and surrounding chapters
• Learn from our guest speaker with room for a Q&A at the end
• Have fun!

How to join

You'll need to register through this event page before the deadline. The day before the meeting or the morning of, we'll send the Zoom meeting URL and password to the email address you used to register. 

Video is optional but encouraged. Wearing earbuds or a headset is also highly recommended.

Visit zoom.us to learn more about the video conferencing tool.