Hiring an Instructional Designer is a challenging process whether it be for a contract position or full-time employment. Instructional design opportunities attract a whole lot of diverse talent that bring varied skills and experience. While some may have an Instructional design degree others may just bring years of relevant work experience. Sorting though hoards of such applications can be a daunting task. The goal though is to hire an individual with the right skills and experience and a good cultural fit for the organization.
As a training company we do understand the importance of the right resource and thus want to help you navigate and onboard the best suited resource for your learning requirements. This includes evaluating individuals on various parameters and among them the key skill for developing courses is the Instructional Design skills. Here are few key skills that we believe make a good instructional designer:
- Editing – Usage of proper spellings, punctuation and grammar impact the quality and readability of content. Good grammar sets the mood and tone of content while clarifying the intention of a writer. All these also impact the level of engagement and comprehension. With the editing test, ID’s are tested on all the above while also giving the hiring manager idea on the level of attention to detail. Here is a sample test that you can model for your organization:
(You can download the test by clicking here)
- Writing or rewriting – When writing content, the key is for Instructional Designers to have a strong command of the language and to structure the content in a manner that it is easy to read and comprehend. The Rewrite test evaluates ID’s on the ability to Proofread and rewrite content to ensure only the required amount of information is communicated in the most simplistic manner i.e. without excessive use of jargon or buzz words, proper sentence structure and with appropriate topic headlines. Here is a sample test to model for your business needs
(You can download the test by clicking here)
- Writing Assessment – ID’s are expected to produce training in specific time frames, and this requires them to be highly organized in order to not miss deadlines. Knowing how they manage their time can help you gain insights on their thought process and hence determine the suitability for your company. This test is designed to not only test the writing skills but also the organizing skills as prior to the content creation it is important that ID’s understand the concept, organize ideas and structure the content to make it simple to comprehend.
(You can download the test by clicking here)
- Learning Objectives – Forming the very base of any course involves writing measurable learning objectives which in turn provide the road map for the development process. This also involves identifying the target audience. The Learning objectives should be clear, concise and most importantly measurable.Here is a simple test that will allow you evaluate how the candidate writes learning objectives:
(You can download the test by clicking here)
- Creating a Sample Lesson – The last and the most important skill is to evaluate Instructional designers on their ability to create a lesson or module just the way it would be done in their day to day work. This activity will also allow you to test ID’s on the level of comfort with various course developmental tools and technologies.
(You can download the test by clicking here)
So, If you are an organization looking to hire instructional designers who do not have many years of experience then you can implement these tests to vet them out. Or if you are new to the field of Instructional design then you can take these tests to see where you need to brush your skills.
(P.s – Keep your answers ready and we would be sharing them next week.