UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Registration is now open for the ID2ID Peer Mentoring Program, a new offering designed to pair instructional designers across the country and help them achieve career goals. Applications will be accepted until May 15, and all professionals involved with instructional design in higher education are encouraged to apply. ID2ID is a collaboration between Penn State and EDUCAUSE, higher education’s largest technology association.
The program will begin mid-June, after a matching period in which applicants will be paired with a peer, mentee or mentor with whom they’ll collaborate for the following six to eight months. The pairs will identify goals and attend professional development events together before they complete the program with reflection pieces on what they learned.
Kyle Bowen, director of Penn State’s Education Technology Services, says ID2ID was created as a response to the changing role of instructional designers in higher education, and that as learning technologies, methods and student needs evolve, so does the influence of instructional designers on teaching and learning.
“Many aspects of education, from blended learning to analytics, involve instructional designers as key agents that help make academic transformation happen,” Bowen said. “In addition to supporting course design, instructional designers now serve as creative partners with faculty developing new ways to engage students.”
It’s a sentiment shared by Veronica Diaz, director of online programs and associate director for the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative.
“Teaching and learning in higher education is experiencing an unprecedented amount of change,” Diaz said, “and instructional design is no exception, making ongoing professional development, mentoring and the cultivation of new competencies more important than ever.”
ID2ID will allow its participants to explore such topics as digital literacies, assessment, open education and more.
“The program is designed with a loose structure, allowing participants the flexibility to create a personalized experience while benefiting from a cohort of professionals,” said Angela Dick, instructional designer in teaching and learning with technology at Penn State. “As participants move through the program, they will be able to focus on current key issues higher education institutions are currently trying to solve.”
Dick also says she hopes this program will not only provide participants an opportunity to contribute to a community of practice but also expand innovation within higher education institutions towards their strategic goals.
For more information and to apply, visit the ID2ID website.