Job in education prospect – instructional design
Daemen University instructional designer discusses her unique—and fulfilling—career in education
Are you considering a job in education? The instructional design field is growing. It is a recognized field that is critical for both teachers and students.
In fact, instructional designers will have a significant influence on education. Their role will be key. The field always changes and it will likely focus more on hybrid learning options in the future.
To help mold this future, Angela Stockman joined Daemen University last year as an instructional designer. She played an important role as the institution minimized disrupted learning and teaching due to the pandemic.
This effort paid off. Daemen’s Office of Institutional Research found the university maintained its academic rigor and integrity. And students earned similar marks as before the pandemic.
“Our profession is still so new behind the scenes,” Stockman said. “But there’s so much opportunity in coming to work everyday committed to furthering deep, personal, sustained, and connected learning—especially during hard times.”
Another career in education option
So, what is instructional design? This job in education gives instructors tools and guidance to teach students in ways that motivate and engage them, and help them retain knowledge easier. This yields higher outcomes in the classroom.
“I spend a good deal of each day digging into the criteria of quality instruction, curriculum, and assessment design. Also, I help other instructors do the same,” Stockman said.
“I offer peer review on the development of online courses. I also help design workshops and webinars on best practices,” Stockman added.
There is no certification required to become an instructional designer. In most cases, professionals in the field study education and have a teaching license.
This is something Daemen education students prepare for. They have a combined pass rate above 90 percent on the annual New York State Teacher Certification Examinations.
Opportunity leads to experience—and experience leads to opportunity
Every instructional designer has their own journey.
Stockman’s has more than a quarter century of diverse experiences as an educator.
She served teachers and administrators in more than 100 school districts the past 15 years. Through her work she improved instructional practice, curricula and assessments.
Stockman began her career as an elementary teacher in the Catholic Diocese. She also gained experience teaching high school in Mayville Central School District before she settled into her role as a middle school English language arts teacher in Amherst, New York. She spent ten years in this position. Then, after working as a coordinator of instructional resources at Erie 1 BOCES, Stockman taught at the graduate level—and founded the WNY Young Writers’ Studio in Buffalo.
Stockman then channeled her passion for teaching into new territory. She became an international independent professional learning facilitator. She was “living on an airplane” and worked with educators around the world.
In the meantime, Stockman has published many books on education and is working on a couple more.
Working at Daemen has been “a great opportunity,” said Stockman. She will also soon expand her role and become an adjunct professor. She will teach courses in communications and language in society for Daemen’s educational partnership with Testing and Training International.
Words of wisdom for future educators
When students working towards a job in education ask Stockman for advice, she says, “Success is not about your GPA, your next promotion, or impressing those who prioritize those things over learning.”
“Great educators are redefining what ‘success’ looks like within, and beyond, the classroom right now. The more you contribute to that change, the better the world will be for it. The more agile and satisfied you’ll be in your own learning journey and work,” she said.
“No one told me this when I began teaching,” she explained. “But it’s the most important bit of wisdom I can share from my experiences over the years.”