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The
need for instructional designers is being noticed in e-learning—both
in corporate training departments and education institutions. It
is one of the fastest growing fields. With a growth in the outsourcing
of instructional designing works, there are already about 5,000
instructional designers in India. As more outsourcing works pour
in, there would be demand for thousands of instructional designers
in the country. A good instructional designer can earn Rs 1.8 lakh
per annum at the low-end, and with experience his annual compensation
could touch Rs 12 lakh.
In
the past, the role of an instructional designer was to design curricula
for instructional books or manuals, but as technology has advanced,
the scope of ID services has expanded. Today, instructional designers
offer consultation on everything, from educational television, computer-based
lessons and instructional video, to print media and classroom design.
With
e-learning increasingly becoming an accepted mode of learning worldwide,
Indian IT companies are tapping into the enormous business potential
it offers. “These organisations are supplying customised e-learning
products to overseas markets, creating a demand for a new breed
of professionals in instructional designing,” said V Balasubramanian,
executive director of Aptech Limited.
Instructional
designing is a relatively new profession in India, though it has
been around for quite some time in countries like the US and the
UK. “Post IT slump, due to cost factor most of the US-based
organisations have been outsourcing their instructional designing
works to Indian companies,” added Sunil Kandlikar, chief executive
officer of Trina, a Hyderabad-based company that provides e-learning
solutions. Some of the other Indian companies that have forayed
into this area in a big way include Globarena, Jasubhai Digital
Media, QAI India, Aptech, NIIT, Zenith Global Consultants, Gurukulonline,
Maximizelearning and Veritas Software.
Instructional
designing is a process involving the use of learning and instructional
theory to ensure quality in education. “It is the systematic
process of translating general principles of learning and instruction
into plans for instructional materials and learning,” says
Sanjay K Basarkar, Andhra Pradesh regional head of Aptech.
Instructional
designers contribute to the design of a wide range of products for
both the private and public sectors (eg: e-Cops), including instructional
software, educational television and video, CD-ROMs for business
training, computer games, and multimedia applications. They also
work on ‘formative evaluation’—researching how well
a product serves or will serve a targeted audience before it is
released in the market.
Courses
in instructional design are offered in many varsities overseas.
In India, however, persons qualified in English literature or mass
communications take up instructional designing as a profession.
“Unfortunately, there is no university or institute in India
offering a specialised course in instructional designing,”
says Sunil.
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