Knowledge Management in Instructional Design

 

Knowledge Management in Instructional Design 

            Knowledge management (KM) is a process of creating, storing, organizing, using, and sharing information within an organization. It should serve an integral part of any organization in order to assure efficient productivity and outcomes. There is a great need for there to be an effective framework or an approach that enables people within any sort of organization to develop a set of productive practices. As in any organization, it is a vital part of all educational systems. This is especially true in the area of instructional design, which has become a diverse field that is booming within educational technology. Instructional design (ID) is an interdisciplinary profession where many designers come from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds. Instructional designers often are instrumental in workplace learning and higher education. While the job title and duties may vary from organization to organization, typically instructional designers create learning experiences for students, faculty, and staff based on organizational needs (Bowman, Ely, North, & Shortt, 2021).

            I think that knowledge management should be focused on as a fundamental part of any educational institution, as planning and organization of a magnitude of information and system are needed daily in order for the institution to run efficiently and effectively. There is an array of things that need extreme management within schools such as attendance records, grade books, lesson planning, office records, professional development, etc. Instricutoinla design becomes crucial in meeting the needs of creating approaches to the management of so many systems at once.l Instructional designers engage in activities related to the planning and implementation of instructional and performance support solutions. Available tools and technologies influence the way in which instructional designers accomplish their tasks. Knowledge management represents a technology that is changing how instructional design professionals work (Edmonds & Spector,  2002).  After reading about the history and evolution of instructional design and media, I realize that this has been a steady process as far as getting to this point of instructional technology. It has become a diverse field in need of proper knowledge management in order for this vast field to continue to expand. Instructional design is at the forefront of this industry as they are the creators focusing on solving needs and issues within that organization or institution.

            Now reflecting on the COVID pandemic, and various organizations and institutions, it is apparent that it has forever changed the way the world focuses on knowledge management. This could not be more true in the area of education. Schools quickly realized the immense need to utilize educational technology effectively and efficiently. In 2020, as COVID-19 impacted the world, instructional designers quickly came to the forefront of education, consulting, and corporate settings (Bowman, Ely, North, & Shortt, 2021). For this to be done properly, there need to be strong knowledge management systems within schools focusing on the creation and use of instructional design.

Video Resource: What is Instructional Design? 

Video Resource: What is Knowledge Management? 

References

Bowman, M., Ely, J., North, C. & Shortt, M. (2021). How Instructional Design Is Operationalized in Various Industries for job-Seeking Learning Designers: Engaging the Talent Development Capability Model. TechTrends. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-021-00636-2

Class, 2019 E. 6223. (2019). Chapter 2 – The diverse field of instructional design. Ohiostate.pressbooks.pub. https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/6223ebook2019/chapter/chapter-2/ 

Edmonds, G. & Spector, M. (2002). Knowledge Management in Instructional Design.  ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology. 

          https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/ERIC-ED465376/pdf/ERIC-ED465376.pdf