To kick off the program, you'll explore habits, get oriented to our school program and platforms, earn XP points, set goals, and get placed in the IDOL community to join mentor groups and your accountability pod.

Skills you'll build:

• Goal setting
• Career networking
• Setting yourself up for success in IDOL Academy

This week, you will explore the world of corporate instructional design, researching different career paths and determining which field aligns with your interests. You will also analyze market rates and set salary expectations while completing the IDOL Goals worksheet​.

You will start building your portfolio by selecting a website host, securing a domain name, and designing graphics for your portfolio pages. You will also optimize your LinkedIn profile, begin networking, and share your portfolio progress with the IDOL community for feedback​.

This week focuses on project management skills, including selecting and using project management tools, setting up a time-tracking system, and organizing files efficiently using Google Drive​.

You will delve into the core principles of instructional design, including Merrill’s First Principles. You will read The Do It Messy Approach (Chapters 1-2), explore different design models, and begin searching for an internship opportunity​.

This week, you will conduct a discovery call with a volunteer client to gather insights and create a learner persona for your project. You will read The Do It Messy Approach (Chapter 3) and apply these concepts in a real-world setting​.

You will prepare for and conduct a kickoff meeting with stakeholders and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). This includes developing an agenda, creating discussion questions, and ensuring all necessary elements are covered during the meeting​.

This week, you will work with SMEs to gather content, review existing materials, and develop key learning objectives. You will also create scenarios that help learners apply their knowledge effectively​.

You will define the end goal for your course, conduct a detailed task analysis, and develop a comprehensive problem scenario that will guide the course structure. You will also read The Do It Messy Approach (Chapters 5-7)​.

This week will be dedicated to completing and refining the first section of your Design Workbook, ensuring that your problem scenarios and course structure are well-developed​.

You will arrange learning scenarios from simple to complex and incorporate key instructional design principles to ensure effective learning experiences. You will read The Do It Messy Approach (Chapters 8-13)​.

You will write clear learning objectives, create a structured course framework, and integrate learning enhancement strategies to support learner engagement and comprehension​.

This week will be dedicated to refining and completing the second section of your Design Workbook, ensuring all instructional content aligns with learning objectives​.

You will design evaluation instruments, write feedback mechanisms for correct and incorrect responses, and gather feedback from your project team​.

You will create a detailed course blueprint and develop Instructional Design Documents (IDDs) that outline the course structure and content delivery plan​.

You will write scripts for instructional content, ensuring clarity and engagement for learners. You will also read The Do It Messy Approach (Chapter 17)​.

This week focuses on creating storyboards for the eLearning version of the course, ensuring logical flow and effective visual representation​.

You will explore eLearning development tools such as Lectora, CenarioVR, Genially, and Vyond. You will also have the opportunity to earn software-related badges​.

You will learn how to confidently record voiceover scripts for your course and integrate them into your eLearning materials​.

You will develop a working prototype using Lectora, creating up to 10 interactive slides based on your course design​.

You will implement training materials and evaluate their effectiveness in real-world settings​.

This week you will assess learner performance, gather feedback, and refine your instructional materials​.

The time has come to showcase all the hard work you've done since the start of your journey! Week 34 is all about finalizing your online portfolio + website, showcasing at least three of your favorite instructional design assets, including your completed eLearning project​.