This has been an emerging field that has been gaining traction over the past decade or so. Especially in an era where internet access has sped up dramatically and certain tools have become more widely available to offer it.
Not to mention the availability of Moodle. The bonus of it being that its open source and freely available to download. Probably the reason why of all the LMS’s out there this is probably the most popular. Its used by the Pedagogies. Primary, Secondary schools, institutions of Further and Higher Education.
While i regard the build itself as a bit “Clunky” it does the job and works well with other authoring tools which is why I use it.
Like many I never went into higher education with a view to becoming an E-Learning Developer. Frankly back then the internet was in its infancy. in fact at uni the personal computer was a new thing, and at a grand a pop was out of reach of most households. Internet was expensive. AOL. Freeserve were the main what we call ISP’s (Internet Service Providers) and connecting was via a 56k Modem that dialled up using your own standard phone line.
in those days people who wanted to enter IT (or ICT as they now call it) spent time supporting the Desktop then onto networking or coding. Those were about the options then.
I ended up in training. Despite having a false start as a teacher, thats another story.
As time passed it became obvious that E-Learning was where it was heading, so i downloaded a copy of Moodle, uploaded to my hosting space and started developing astro courses.
It was not long before i hooked up with a GCSE Astronomy tutor (we met an astro soc newsletter) and we threw that on there, so a healthy working relationship started.
Moving forward, i invested hard and heavily in becoming a …
To be honest i am not sure what now, E-Learning Developer, Designer, ID. Roles which seem a tall order for one person. Then you throw other things in
Illustrator
Graphics Designer
Video Editior
animator
It became harder when firms wanted all of the above rolled into just the one. In truth each is a field in its own right.
What this pointed to was, E-Learning Development was no longer a “role” it was an industrial sector.
Nevertheless i continued trying to forefill the requirements of the job description. But discovered the harder i worked at it the more the goal posts changed. Recruiters then started to throw in the “Never gained my experience within a corporate environment”
That killer term was the finish for me. I stopped applying and stopped interviewing for jobs.
As a carer i did not really need the work (or the money) anyway.
A reason why i have removed it from my profile, if anything i have gone to being an educator. Putting my degree in Chemistry to good use.
So, given all that, what i my views on the field now?
Well, i do see many institutions and individuals trying to bring continuity to the field. With a multitude of new job descriptions from “Learning Experience Designers” “Digital Learning Specialists” the list grows.
We also seem to over complicate it i think with frameworks. ADDIE, Map it. Might sound fancy in the interview process but in the real world i think it just slows down the process. That said, i have no other stake holders, just my tutors. I tell you know if i used the ID models to develop our GCSE Maths course, it would NEVER get done.
Thats my next post, dealing with massive projects with limited resources
In summary, i say to all those clambering to enter the world of ID, E-Learning, call it what you will, to not limit your choices there. There are a whole host of other fields opening up that are equally hungry for expertise from teachers and the like.
Coding, Machine Learning, both come to mind, so it is all well and good to keep applying, but if you are either not getting the interviews or are but not getting the job and you have been non stop at it for several years (this was my mistake) then maybe ask if the field is simply not for you.
But other opportunities will be out there.
Just my opinion, good luck!