This topic could be tackled a couple of different ways. For example, I was an edtech student once, so I could share a project I worked on while in school – my pick would be the SHFS website and Everett Baker Slide collection project. It could be taken as a project I’ve seen that current edtech program students have completed – a recent one that comes to mind is the Project Management for Instructional Designers that ETAD students at USask recently completed. It could be a project that students in another discipline did that used some kind of educational technology, but that didn’t focus on the tech as much as say knowledge mobilization – here I could pick a whole bunch such as GEOL109 Student Video Site, ASTR104 Student Astronomy Site, ECUR265 Student Wiki used to create a concept bank for Reconciliation in Education, this list goes on.

One thing that stands out is that in the case of the current students working on projects is that I’m not directly involved with the students doing the work. As an instructional designer, I’m behind the scenes, helping the instructor of the course develop assignments, getting a handle on the tech, choosing which tech to use, supporting questions, but not ever in direct connection with students. I saw another post that points this out for Day 9 as well:

(the tweet seems to have been deleted now)

I remember seeing a tweet from an online instructor years ago stating how important it is for IDs to also be teaching classes, and in part I agree. The trick is that the nature of ID roles in higher ed does not always present that opportunity for any number of reasons. Like publishing research, teaching is often not baked into the role as most ID positions in Canada have moved to staff roles away from faculty positions. Opportunities to teach most often have to be outside of the 8-5 grind, and therefore excludes IDs that might be interested in teaching. Few online course offerings for edtech and ID courses exist outside of a handful universities such as AU and Royal Roads, further limiting opportunties. Many ID positions require anything from just a Baccalaureate degree to a Masters, rarely requiring a PhD (although some say it’s an asset). This credential ceiling prevents IDs applying for teaching positions from getting very far in the process as the competition pool is filled with PhD holding applicants, and the processes are stacked in favour of credentials over experience and portfolios. Finally (I’m sure there’s plenty more items but I’ll stop here), the classic “we want experience” is a blockade for would be first time instructors. Even those who have teaching experience in contexts outside of higher ed and multiple education degrees, if you don’t have a folder of student evaluations from teaching previously you’re pretty much cast aside immediately.