The Subject Matter Expert's Role in Training and Instructional Design

Defining what a subject matter expert is in the modern era of instructional design requires moving past traditional ideas about SMEs. We can promote real progress by engaging and incorporating this important asset into our training family. Recognizing that SMEs exist in all disciplines—and that a content expert is the same as a graphic artist or pro­grammer working on a project—opens unlimited avenues of cooperation and com­munication. The training professional who embraces this emerging concept reflects the new generation of practice that lifts instructional design to a new level of efficiency and standards.