Emerging Trends Shaping Instructional Design

Two trends I believe will continue to shape instructional design are generative artificial intelligence (AI) and learning analytics. Companies, organizations, and schools increasingly expect new learning solutions to be efficient, adaptable, and responsive to changing needs. With AI, instructional designers can use the technology to support brainstorming, content development, feedback, and automate other parts of the design process. However, research is finding that the designer still plays an important role in determining whether these AI-generated materials are fulfilling the learner's needs. Research by Liu et al. (2024) found that designers used AI as more of a collaborative tool rather than just providing the answers. The researchers also note that humans remained actively involved in the thinking and decision-making process, demonstrating the maintenance of cognitive agency.

Learning analytics is another important trend in instructional design, with organizations increasingly having access to large amounts of learner and performance data. Rather than relying only on assumptions, instructional designers can use this data to identify patterns, evaluate learning experiences, and make informed improvements (Drugova et al., 2024). Drugova et al. (2024) found growing interest in using learning analytics to improve learning design but noted that understanding the limitations of this causal relationship is still in its infancy. While data can reveal trends or patterns to support better-informed decisions about learning solutions, it does not always tell the whole story. Instructional designers still need to take a deep look at the whole picture rather than just relying on data.

Together, these trends reinforce the importance of instructional designers becoming more analytical and adaptable while using technology such as AI and learning analytics, rather than simply letting the technology dictate their learning solutions.

References

Drugova, E., Zhuravleva, I., Zakharova, U., & Latipov, A. (2024). Learning analytics driven improvements in learning design in higher education: A systematic literature review. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 40(2), 510–524. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcal.12894

Liu, J., Li, S., & Dong, Q. (2024). Collaboration with generative artificial intelligence: An exploratory study based on learning analytics. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 62(5), 1014–1046. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/07356331241242441