ATD Master Instructional Designer® Program

In the first week of this blended experience, you will assess your current knowledge and skill level of instructional design. Get to know your peers and your facilitator and become familiar with the course structure.

Complete your learning prioritization inventory and start key assignments to prepare you for your real-world project deliverables.

During this week you'll spend approximately two flexible hours online on the days and times of your choosing. You will also attend a 90-minute facilitator-led live online session.

Determining the need is the first step in the instructional design process. The results of a needs assessment will guide the rest of the process. This week you will explore the factors that will shape your design as well as how to present the results of a needs assessment.

Topics covered include factors to assess, presenting findings, and early planning for summative evaluation. You will complete and deliver your first learning project deliverable to receive feedback from your facilitator.

During this week you'll spend approximately three-and-a-half flexible hours online on the days and times of your choosing.

Instructional designers use the needs assessment results to define outcome statements, then ensure learning objectives align to them. Learn how to make good learning objectives great and leverage them to make design decisions.

Topics include leveraging models for writing learning objectives for the best results, design considerations, and how motivation and knowledge differ. You will receive feedback on your first learning project deliverable.

During this week you'll spend approximately two flexible hours online on the days and times of your choosing. You will also attend a 90-minute facilitator-led live online session.

This week you will go beyond the basics of course design to explore how you can promote collaborative partnerships to curate, create, and review content. Apply design thinking approaches to design innovative courses.

Topics include design thinking, visual style and representation, gaining buy-in, and collaboration with subject matter experts (SMEs) and stakeholders. You will complete and deliver your second learning project deliverable to receive feedback from your facilitator.

Throughout this week, you'll spend approximately three-and-a-half flexible hours online on the days and times of your choosing.

Instructional designers should have working knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of formal and informal modalities. Within this week you will consider how a blend of approaches will enhance your instructional design practice.

Topics include content development considerations such as cultural awareness, translation, and accessibility, writing content, and created blending experiences. You will receive feedback on your second learning project deliverable.

During this week you'll spend approximately two flexible hours online on the days and times of your choosing. You will also attend a 90-minute facilitator-led live online session.

At the end of this advanced instructional design certificate program, you will be able to:

• Use instructional design models to develop learning solutions that change behavior and improve performance.

• Assess factors that will shape your design.

• Use research and evidence-based practices to make key design decisions.

• Write measurable learning objectives that describe desired results.

• Use a collaborative approach with stakeholders and subject matter experts for curating, creating and reviewing content.

• Design learning solutions that leverage adult learning theories, incorporate brain science, and address the needs of the learners and the organization.

• Use various modalities such as formal classroom training, virtual classroom training, blended learning, online learning, and informal approaches.

• Make decisions to reach learning outcomes across all modalities.

• Use storyboards, prototypes, visual representations, and design thinking approaches to illustrate your designs early in the design process to key stakeholders.

• Manage training course production and quality assurance.

• Create a plan to assess effectiveness for the course launch.

• Identify appropriate evaluation techniques to effectively connect and communicate the business impact of your learning solutions.

• Develop and demonstrate mastery of instructional design through a multi-part real-world project, including individualized feedback and analysis.

• Gain access to tools, resources, and templates to use on the job.

• Receive personalized feedback from your facilitator and peers.

• Earn the industry-recognized ATD Master Instructional Designer designation and digital badge.

• Accelerate your pathway toward achieving the APTD or CPTD certification.

• Learn research-based best practices from across the Talent Development Capability Model to elevate your instructional design skills.

• Engage in a flexible around-your-schedule program via ATD’s online learning platform.

• Attend four virtual facilitator-led sessions throughout the program, in weeks 1, 3, 5, and 7.

• Benefit from the role- modeling, wisdom, and guidance of an ATD expert facilitator.

• Learn with and from a group of peers through application-based discussions and reflections.

• Personalize your Master Instructional Designer journey by assessing your current skills, taking a deep dive into content most relevant to you, and demonstrating success with a multi-part real-world project.

Elective Course Offering

To support ongoing professional development, ATD master program registration includes a complimentary course elective. Take the ATD certificate program of your choice following successful completion of your ATD master program. Exclusions apply.

Learners cannot enroll in the following as their complimentary elective:

• Other ATD master programs

• Essentials of Talent Development Certificate

• Talent Development Executive Certificate

• Applying AI in Learning & Development Certificate

• Training Design & Delivery Certificate

• APTD or CPTD preparation courses and preparation bootcamps

• ATD on-demand courses, including ATDYou and Micro courses

ATD Master Instructional Designer® Program is offered by the ATD Certification Institute. 

This program is ideal for experienced instructional designers and training and development specialists ready to boost their competency, capability, and confidence in instructional design. Review the eligibility criteria before you enroll.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To ensure you gain the most from this advanced-level program, you must have a:

1. Minimum of three years in the instructional design profession

2. Solid understanding of instructional design principles and terms

3. Demonstrated knowledge and application of various instructional design models

4. A strong background in traditional instructional design tasks which could include conducting needs assessments, writing effective learning objectives, structuring content, developing learning materials, implementing training solutions, and evaluating learning impact

5. Awareness of design considerations for a variety of modalities (for instance, traditional classroom, virtual classroom, and e-learning)

6. Completion of a foundational ATD certificate program (preferred, not required)

Not quite ready for this program? ATD’s Instructional Design Certificate is a great fit for participants new to the field or those with some experience who wish to learn and practice foundational instructional design principles, models, and skills.

ATD offers a variety of additional instructional design courses, such as E-Learning Instructional Design Certificate, Virtual Instructional Design Certificate, and Writing for Instructional Design and Training Certificate.

Each of these instructional design courses serves a different need. ATD's Master Instructional Designer is an advanced instructional design certificate program. The course is assessment-based, assumes some prior knowledge of instructional design, and goes more in depth than ATD’s Instructional Design Certificate. Alongside a certificate of completion, you will earn the ATD Master Instructional Designer designation, a verified credential recognized in the talent development field.

The Instructional Design Certificate is a foundational program that introduces the end-to-end instructional design process from needs assessment through evaluation. If you are new to instructional design or have some experience but are looking for formal training, this certificate in instructional design is the place to start. The program also works well for talent development professionals who specialize in training, learning technology, or other aspects of the field and want to deepen their knowledge of the instructional design process.

Like instructional design graduate certificates, ATD’s instructional design programs include leading instructional design principles and models. But, unlike those instructional design courses, our facilitators are experienced in the talent development field and our content, real-world application opportunities, practical skills, and tools, templates, and resources are tailored specifically to instructional design in learning and development.