UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Whether under traditional circumstances or amid a global health crisis, instructional designers (IDs) play a crucial role in how teaching and learning happen at colleges and universities. ID2ID, a joint project between Penn State and EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), brings IDs together to explore shared interests and grow professionally.
The application window for the current iteration of ID2ID is open, and interested IDs can apply online.
"We’re thrilled to be able to offer an excellent opportunity for IDs to engage with a community of colleagues across higher education who share a passion for advancing teaching and learning,” said Angie Dick, manager of learning design with Penn State’s Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT).
“The members of the ID2ID advisory committee have worked hard in partnership with our colleagues at ELI to redesign this year’s program so that participants can choose their level of involvement,” Dick added. “Peer mentoring will continue to be an important part of ID2ID, and now IDs who take part will have more freedom to choose how they pursue their development in areas such as digital literacies, faculty development, learning spaces, and more."
New for this year are three community of practice participation tiers that feature increasing levels of commitment. The tiers are named “Engage,” “Ignite,” and “Accelerate.”
IDs who join the "Engage" tier will enjoy peer networking and webinars on cutting edge instructional design topics. At the "Ignite" tier, members will have access to deeper learning, networking, and special interest groups, along with peer networking and webinars. The "Accelerate" tier boasts the benefits of the other two, along with the opportunity to create a project that could be disseminated to an open-source platform.
Those interested in the “Ignite” and “Accelerate” tiers, and who choose to participate in the associated mentoring opportunities, will be asked to fill out an application to help match participants with the appropriate group.
Christopher Blaire Bundy is the lead for strategic learning technology consulting and faculty engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also a member of the ID2ID advisory committee, who is confident in the "next stage in the evolution of the program" thanks to its restructuring.
"Based on feedback from past participants, this year's ID2ID will allow for more flexibility in terms of the schedule and time commitment," said Bundy. "The IDs in our program will also enjoy more personalization, which helps them better meet their professional development needs."
The “Engage” tier application window opened on Dec. 1. For the “Ignite” and “Accelerate” tiers, the initial application window will open in January 2021 and additional opportunities to apply will occur throughout the year. Those who are accepted will begin their work the following month. IDs who join at the “Engage” tier can apply to these tiers during any open enrollment period.
Question-and-answer sessions with the ID2ID advisory committee are scheduled for the following times:
Monday, Dec. 7, 2 to 3 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Dec. 15, 4 to 5 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Jan. 12, 3 to 4 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 5 to 6 p.m. ET
Wednesday, March 10, 11 a.m. to noon ET
Interested applicants can drop into these sessions at any point to have their questions answered and learn more about the ID2ID peer mentoring program.