Table of Contents:

• Canva
• Camtasia
• Articulate Storyline
• IDOL in the Classroom
• Vyond
• CenarioVR
• Lectora  

If you’re a teacher looking for new job opportunities, you wouldn’t be the first to land here. Teachers are reportedly some of the most anxious – more anxious than office workers – and they’re leaving their traditional teaching jobs in favor of more flexible roles. No matter why you’re leaving, we can help you decide what to study next. Namely, the transition tools that will help kickstart your new instructional design career.

Instructional Design Tools for Teachers

As you transition into the instructional design world, learning the top instructional design tools will help you become a more attractive job candidate when it’s time to search for jobs. From design to video editing to e-learning software, these teacher resources help you design better lessons for your students.

Canva

Canva is a graphic design tool that makes designing images, videos, infographics, presentations, and more visual learning tools easy. With Canva, you don’t need any graphic design experience; it offers thousands of plug-and-play templates to make your courses professional and beautifully designed. 

Not only can you use it for graphics in your curriculum, but it can also be used to create a professional portfolio to showcase your work, resumes, and so many more documents you may need to run a freelance instructional design business.

Tips for Using Canva as an Instructional Design Tool

• Take full advantage of the available free templates. You can create designs daily and never run out of free templates to choose from, and it will save so much time.
• Update your Canva with branding, such as brand logos, colors, and fonts, to make learning modules more personalized to your brand.
• Don’t stop at creating images. Use Canva to make videos, animations, presentations, and documents.

Camtasia 

TechSmith Camtasia is a video tool used to create and edit beautiful, engaging videos. Camtasia allows you to design on-screen visuals like text and images, record your screen to film tutorials, edit existing video clips, and create long-form or short-form videos from your desk. Camtasia also incorporates AI to make editing and creating videos even easier and quicker, allowing you to do more with your time. 

Tips for Using Camtasia as an Instructional Design Tool

• Create a storyboard or outline before creating your video. This will help you organize what you need to develop step-by-step.
• Organize your Media Bin with clearly and efficiently named files for easy discovery.
• Leverage quizzes and callouts to draw attention and improve retention through interactive qualities.

Articulate Storyline

Storyline is the top e-learning software for creating custom and interactive courses. Newly added to its technology is AI, which helps design immersive courses faster. Dynamic learning experiences are developed through custom interactions with course content, including custom triggers when students interact with specific content modules. Storyline’s interactivity plugins make training more immersive with video, simulations, audio, and more.

Tips for Using Storyline as an Instructional Design Tool

• Test your courses on various devices, such as a mobile phone, tablet, and desktop computer to ensure your course is responsive on multiple screen sizes.
• Take advantage of the Articulate community forums, webinars, and tutorials for tips and best practices.
• Make sure your courses are accessible by using alt text, proper color contrast, and keyboard navigation shortcuts.

IDOL in the Classroom

IDOL in the Classroom is a versatile tool designed specifically to help teachers leverage their classroom expertise while transitioning to instructional design. It provides the resources, templates, and strategies needed to transform your teaching methods into corporate eLearning content. IDOL in the Classroom offers a unique blend of instructional design techniques tailored to educators, making it easier to create engaging learning experiences both in traditional classrooms and digital environments.

Tips for Using IDOL in the Classroom as an Instructional Design Tool

• Take advantage of the ready-made templates to quickly convert your lesson plans into eLearning modules.
• Use IDOL’s community support to get feedback from experienced instructional designers on your work.
• Incorporate classroom knowledge and teaching experience into your instructional design portfolio to showcase your adaptability.

Vyond

Vyond is the ultimate tool for creating engaging videos. You can make any video style for your learning platform, from animations to photorealism. Thanks to AI, you can easily input prompts to develop videos you created from your imagination. Vyond’s template library makes it easy to start from day one with multiple characters, props, and settings you can use for many different purposes.

Tips for Using Vyond as an Instructional Design Tool

• Customize the included characters and props to reflect your audience and scenario.
• Don’t overdo the animations or transitions; keep them relevant to avoid distraction.
• Use music and sound effects to enhance the mood and engagement. Ensure they complement the narrative without overpowering it.

CenarioVR

Immersive experiences used to be out of reach, but with CenarioVR, anyone can create VR experiences for their courses. There’s no need to understand coding; you just need to upload a 360-degree video and use the program to develop quizzes and interactive modules. You can even track features and analytics to understand students’ learning and retention rates!

Tips for Using CenarioVR as an Instructional Design Tool

• Ensure scenarios are relevant to the learners’ real-world experiences. This increases engagement and the likelihood of transfer of knowledge.
• Learner performance and engagement data can (and should) inform future updates and improvements to the material.
• Don’t hesitate to experiment with different features and designs.

Lectora

Lectora allows you to create courses from scratch with a template library and frameworks to get you started immediately. Edit copy, design presentations, and publish courses for students to access from the cloud while simultaneously collaborating with other team members.

Tips for Using Lectora as an Instructional Design Tool

• Actions and variables create interactivity and can track learning progress, which adds depth and engagement to your courses.
• When creating lengthy courses, preview your work frequently to review the flow and check for errors throughout.

Save time with built-in templates and libraries.  

Teacher Resources: Learning the Tools

If the list of instructional design tools overwhelms you, we’ve got good news. IDOL Academy is your spot to learn everything you need to enter the instructional design industry. No matter what career you’re coming from, the best transition tool is IDOL On Demand Bootcamp.

Our best training program, IDOL On Demand Bootcamp, provides comprehensive training, technology, and resource programs for both aspiring and experienced instructional designers. It’s flexible and on-demand so that you can complete it at your own pace, and it’s perfect for busy people who work full-time but want to transition into industrial design.

The Bootcamp includes access to five industry-preferred tools, including Lectora, CenarioVR, Genially, and Vyond. You’ll also have access to IDOL Coaches, a members-only community platform, tutorials, templates, and dozens of design tools and mentors.

Most students who complete the course land a job within 3 weeks to 3 months, so while you can complete your studies on your own time, landing a job can come quickly! Once you’re finished, you’ll receive four levels of credentials on Credly: eLearning Developer, Instructional Designer, IDOL Consultant, and Master IDOL. Sign up for your self-directed training today!