LIVE From South College - Exploring Instructional Design with Dr Holly Dennis & A BIG Number

Summary

In this episode, Kathleen Stockham interviews Dr. Holly Dennis, Executive Director of Instructional Design and Technology at South College. They discuss the growth of South College, the role of instructional design in education, and the pathways to becoming an instructional designer. Dr. Dennis shares insights into the creative and technical aspects of instructional design, the importance of understanding different learning styles, and the rewarding process of developing new educational programs. The conversation also touches on the diverse career opportunities for instructional designers beyond traditional education settings.

Keywords

Instructional Design, South College, Education Technology, Learning Styles, Career Pathways

Takeaways

• Instructional design combines teaching, technology, and psychology.
• South College has grown to over 20,000 students.
• Instructional design is about creating engaging and effective learning experiences.
• Different learning styles are considered in instructional design.
• Instructional designers work in various fields beyond education.
• The process of developing new programs is rewarding and collaborative.
• Instructional design requires both creative and technical skills.
• There is no single path to becoming an instructional designer.
• South College offers a postdoctoral certificate in instructional design.
• Competency-based education allows flexible learning at South College.

Title Options

• Exploring Instructional Design with Dr. Holly Dennis
• The Growth of South College: A Conversation with Dr. Dennis
• Instructional Design: Bridging Creativity and Technology
• Understanding Learning Styles in Education
• Career Opportunities in Instructional Design
• Developing Educational Programs: Insights from Dr. Dennis
• The Role of Instructional Design in Modern Education
• Pathways to a Career in Instructional Design
• South College's Innovative Approach to Education
• Flexible Learning with Competency-Based Education

Sound bites

• Instructional design combines teaching, technology, and psychology.
• South College has grown to over 20,000 students.
• Creating engaging and effective learning experiences.
• Understanding different learning styles is crucial.
• Instructional designers work beyond traditional education.
• Developing new programs is a rewarding process.
• Instructional design requires creative and technical skills.
• No single path to becoming an instructional designer.
• South College offers a postdoctoral certificate.
• Competency-based education allows flexible learning.

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Transcript

TRANSCRIPT –  Exploring Instructional Design and Technology with Dr Holly Dennis & A BIG Number!

Kathleen Stockham (00:23)

Welcome to the Live From South College podcast. I'm your host Kathleen Stockham. The Live From South College podcast is your source for all South College activity, including new student information, deep dives into our 100 plus programs and concentration, tools of the trade and even live on location from all of our campuses, great interviews with faculty, staff, deans, and hear from South College students and alumni in their own words.

from certificates all the way to doctoral degrees catch up with live from South College for the lighter side of helping your dreams find direction. Each episode we try really hard to bring you the entire variety of programs we have, but also a wide variety of faculty and staff that are devoted to providing the very best experience. As a student, you are able to take part and be enveloped in an entire curriculum that has been built

prepared and tested by capable experts, instructors, and accreditors. My next guest is a big part of that ecosystem. It's time to get to know the executive director of instructional design and technology, Dr. Holly Dennis. Hi, Dr. Dennis.

Holly Dennis (01:38)

Hey Kathleen, thanks so much for having me. I'm really excited.

Kathleen Stockham (01:42)

Yeah, this will be fun. I've been looking forward to this one. I've been doing a lot of research on this. So instructional design is honestly something that I was not familiar with when I joined South College as an EDU neophyte some time ago. So I think there is a lot of time and a lot of stuff to uncover here. So here we go. Instructional design is a really fascinating area in education, but perhaps not as well known. So can you explain?

what instructional design is and why it's such a critical area of student experience.

Holly Dennis (02:17)

Yeah, absolutely. And I totally agree with you, Kathleen. Instructional design really is fascinating. And the cool part is that it brings together three things, teaching, technology, and psychology. So in a nutshell, instructional design is about being intentional with how learning happens. It's not just tossing content at students and hoping it sticks.

It's really designing experiences that are engaging, effective, and tied directly to learning outcomes. And here at South, my team and I focus on making sure students don't just get the information, but actually interact with it in ways that build real skills and knowledge that they can carry forward into their careers. And that's critical because strong instructional design can be the difference between

an education that feels overwhelming and boring versus education that feels meaningful and impactful.

Kathleen Stockham (03:22)

I love that. And I think the when you said earlier about tossing content at students, I think that's the one part for students that, you know, there is so much work and preparation and scoping and scoring that happens with all of this curriculum before they ever see it before they ever get to it. It doesn't just, magically appear on the screen or magically. So I wanted to spell any myths out there. There is no magical wizard. There is actually a team.

Holly Dennis (03:43)

Yep, you got it.

Yeah.

Kathleen Stockham (03:51)

that work together so I want to make sure we're clear on that but that actually makes a ton of sense. Do you need to be more technical as a skill set or more creative to do what you do or is it both?

Holly Dennis (04:06)

Hmm. ⁓ I have to say it takes both. I think instructional design really sits at the crossroads of creativity and technology. On the creative side, you've got curriculum development, creative writing, multimedia, and so on. And it's basically figuring out how to make learning something that people actually want to engage with.

And then on the technical side, it's more about navigating learning management systems, working with data, partnering with internal IT teams and vendors on integrations and so on. So the focus on that technical side is going to be ensuring a secure, reliable and seamless learning experience for students. So in my eyes, the best instructional designers are kind of

bilingual in that sense. They can speak to both the creative educator and tech problem solver. And that mix is what makes learning experience really come together. And I should also note that some institutions do prefer to separate those skill sets to ensure a high level of expertise where maybe one team focuses on the technical side and then another team may focus on that.

curriculum, content, development side that's more of the creative side.

Kathleen Stockham (05:33)

Okay, that actually, that's really fascinating because you're right, you kind of have to work with both sides of your brain because the other question that I would have is you also have to take into consideration that people learn things differently. Some are more visual learners, some are more contextual learners. So I mean, how does that incorporate into what you do?

Holly Dennis (05:55)

Well, yeah, you definitely have to take that into consideration at the very beginning. You have to understand your student body, what the curriculum is trying to convey, and then building those learning experiences around that. At the same time, understanding that there are different ways to process the content. And so that can be a variety of things from interactive simulations to videos to projects.

to discussion forums, but you really want to get that nice mix of those different cognitive experiences so that you're not just passively learning and you're not just regurgitating facts, but you're actually taking the content, seeing it in multiple ways, and then making meaning out of it to really display your true knowledge.

Kathleen Stockham (06:44)

That's so cool. It's very fascinating. So can you provide an example of what you do? Let's say for a new program.

Holly Dennis (06:51)

Yeah, great question. So when South prepares to launch a new program, our team gets involved from the very start. We sit down with faculty and academic leadership, subject matter experts and so on to map out what students actually need to learn and then build a framework for the delivery of the curriculum. So from there, we design each course with structured modules.

fun and engaging activities, assessments, and the right tech tools to create a meaningful and engaging learning experience. So for example, if we were launching a new healthcare program, we might utilize interactive software with simulations or clinical decision-making exercises that mimic real-world practice. The goal here would be that the students, again, don't memorize those theories and facts

They're actually practicing the skills they'll use in their careers.

Kathleen Stockham (07:53)

Okay, so the other part of that that I think is really fascinating is the fact that, these new programs, to your point, don't just appear overnight, hey, we're going to start this program, poof, here it is. We're talking about months and months and months of preparation, of building, of obviously getting accreditation approval and all of those things where it applies. I mean, how rewarding is that for you to see something that started as a first meeting and an idea of

or genesis of hey we're going to do this new program to actually seeing it launch how does that feel?

Holly Dennis (08:28)

It's amazing. I almost liken it to like a home makeover show where it's so fascinating to see and build something and to see everything come into fruition and see that beautiful outcome, right? Maybe not the best example, but it's just seeing everything come together and into this beautiful package that you can deliver. I think that's probably the most rewarding part is building that brand new program from the ground up.

Kathleen Stockham (08:53)

Yeah, I can almost imagine that as you're also sort of walking through all of the, the different directions that you have, I mean, do ever stop yourself at some point and go, wait a minute, maybe this doesn't make sense or, maybe the student won't understand or do you guys pretty much have a pretty good machine where you don't really have those kind of issues?

Holly Dennis (09:15)

That's a great question. That does happen. Don't get me wrong. But but we do have quality assurance checks and a process that's very iterative where it goes through lines of approval before we finally put that out. And so we make sure to get different perspectives, different folks at the table to review and make sure everything not only is aligned to the learning objectives, but it

just cohesively comes together and really just creates that engaging, meaningful product. And it's not just our team, it's not just the SMEs, it's academic leadership, it's so many other players where we can just make sure it's the best product before it does go live.

Kathleen Stockham (09:59)

Yeah, I love that. So do instructional design professionals work outside of EDU or is it exclusively in the education space?

Holly Dennis (10:09)

Absolutely. They are all over the place. mean, if you think about mostly when we think of instructional design, it's usually in the higher education or K through 12 setting, but they're in demand pretty much everywhere. Other settings could be corporate training, government, healthcare, nonprofits, you name it. Really any place where people need to learn new skills.

adopt new technology or follow new processes should really have instructional designers at the table. So for example, in the corporate world, right, there are onboarding programs, leadership development courses, compliance training, and the ID's role in this case would be to just help people actually know what they're supposed to do and do it well.

Kathleen Stockham (10:47)

Yeah, I love that. So it's interesting because you're saying that there's need and there's kind of a cry for help out there for more and more of these. So let's talk about the pathway. Tell me about the educational path that a student can take to become an IDT professional.

Holly Dennis (11:22)

Honestly, there's no single path into instructional design. So I'll touch a little bit on both the educational and the, I guess the alternative route. And that's what I love about instructional design. That's what makes it so fun and accessible. There's no single path. People come from all sorts of backgrounds like education, tech, communications, business, and so on.

Some do have formal instructional design degrees and some are teachers that have transitioned into the field or some have unknowingly moved into ID roles at their companies because they simply enjoy building training and teaching others. So again, in my opinion, there are so many ways to become an instructional designer.

Kathleen Stockham (12:13)

⁓ that's cool. Well, conveniently, we offer a postdoctoral certificate in instructional design and technology. And while you are not a faculty member, can you tell me a little bit more about this and kind of what degree do you need to have to actually approach this certificate, this postdoctoral certificate in instructional design and technology if you want to go that route?

Holly Dennis (12:36)

Yeah, great question. So in addition to our competency based Doctor of Education degree, where there is an instructional design specialization, we do also offer that postdoctoral certificate that you just alluded to. It is altogether 36 credit hour program, and it focuses on areas like e-learning theories and models, online course development,

and the integration of technology into teaching and learning. Specifically, students will be exposed to research, emerging trends, and best practices in the field. By the time they complete their certificate, they're well prepared, in my opinion, for roles like anywhere, e-learning developer, you could be a training manager, education consultant.

Maybe you want to go into instructional design leadership. You can find so many variety of roles across different settings. And before we move on to the next question, I just want to have just like a quick plug about our CBE program here at South because it's amazing. And it really is. And it truly provides learners with an opportunity to gain a degree at their own pace. Our competency based education is

a great fit for self-starters, busy professionals, or anyone who prefers to learn at their own speed. And I can't speak so highly of this. And I think that everyone who is potentially interested in getting into the field of instructional design, really take a look at what we offer here at South. It's very valuable.

Kathleen Stockham (14:16)

Yeah, I agree. We talk a lot about CBE on the podcast. I've interviewed the president of CBE, Dr. Michael Patrick. I don't know, three or four times at least. He's a good sport for coming on as I beg him to come on and talk more about.

CBE and and I've certainly witnessed the success of CBE from people that I know who have gone through the program and obviously I have colleagues here who have also gone through it and they all just glow with how amazing it is that you have a program that allows you to pursue a master's or doctoral degree or in this case a postdoctoral certificate and you can still work from time you can still raise a family you can still

take trips and weekends and all of those things while pursuing your education. And it's this wonderful one-on-one relationship that you have with faculty. So you're not sitting in a classroom. You're not, having to have, specific turn in dates. It's really truly designed, as you said, for the self-starter and someone who is vigorous about pursuing more education, but also with a realism that they can do it on their own time. So 100 % agree.

And there you go, shameless plug for CVE. I love it. So what's your advice for anyone possibly considering the direction of instructional design and technology?

Holly Dennis (15:30)

Haha

Yeah, awesome question, Kathleen. I would say if you're starting from, if you're starting from scratch, don't be intimidated. None of us begin with all the answers or the perfect network. Start by exploring free resources, joining online communities and experimenting with design tools. You'll, you'll just be surprised how quickly you pick things up.

Maybe even look for small projects, volunteer opportunities to build your confidence and portfolio. And as we just discussed a second ago, maybe consider obtaining a formal degree or certificate in instructional design. Remember, it's just, I guess the final piece here would be, remember, it's not where you start. It's about your willingness to learn and keep going.

Every expert in the field started out as a beginner too. So always think about that. Don't let it prevent you from moving forward.

Kathleen Stockham (16:41)

I agree and I think it's also great for someone that really wants to be involved in education, but maybe teaching is not for them or.

Possibly they don't

have the patience or unbelievable amount of compassion that it takes to be a teacher, but you also have the ability to still affect outcomes and learning for people of all ages. So I love that. All right, so we're gonna turn the table a little bit. Let's talk about you. What has been your path and how did you get to South College?

Holly Dennis (17:09)

Yeah, I actually started out as a high school teacher almost 20 years ago. And don't get me wrong, I loved teaching. But after four years, I realized that staying up past midnight grading papers was not my idea of a lifelong calling. That's when I discovered instructional design through a role in my local school district. And it felt like a light bulb.

Love light bulb movement. Finally, I found a career where I could use my skills, where I could embrace my creativity and something where I didn't have to use a red pen every single day. As I worked as an instructional designer, I did that for about five years. I realized though, I wanted to expand my skillset and learn more. And I decided to go to graduate school.

And there I picked up some adjunct teaching on the side and eventually earned my degree in curriculum and instruction with a focus on instructional technology. And that was a doctorate of philosophy at the University of South Florida. And from there, after I graduated with my PhD, I joined a local healthcare school as a senior instructional designer. And over time,

I just really felt that I was in the perfect role for who I was. So I successfully climbed the ladder and became Dean of Curriculum, Instructional Design and Technology, which I know is a really long title, but it basically meant I wore a lot of hats. And after that role, I decided to actually test the waters and corporate learning and development for a few years. And I thought it was an amazing experience. I learned so much.

But I realized that higher ed is really where my heart is. And so now here I am full circle and back at South as the executive director of instructional design and tech.

Kathleen Stockham (19:18)

Oh, I love that. What a cool story. And I love the fact that you found an evolvement. you started, as you said, as a high school teacher. And just God bless you, because that is not a good job.

Holly Dennis (19:26)

Ha ha ha!

Kathleen Stockham (19:32)

I don't know how you did that. But you found you really found your path, just by following your passion and that you kind of this is where you're at. And here it is. It's paid off. And now you can pay it forward and impact the lives of our students and students to come. So I think that's actually really cool. So so what do you do in your spare time?

Holly Dennis (19:34)

Right.

yeah, in my spare time, I try to stay active, but mostly to keep up with my two kids who are seven and four and a half. Chasing them all around might be the most intense workout of them all. But in all seriousness, I do enjoy playing tennis and pickleball. And I just try to spend as much time as I can outdoors on the weekends.

Kathleen Stockham (20:17)

love that. Well, wait till your kids are in their 20s. And they know everything. So just just a little, just a little preparation for you because you'll get there. And they know everything, by the way, just in case you weren't sure they will let you know. What? What kind of student were you in school?

Holly Dennis (20:26)

Yeah, I was ⁓ kind of that middle of the road student where I wasn't in AP classes, but I wasn't ⁓ struggling by any means. And I think it was partly because I didn't necessarily have like educational mentors. I didn't have kind of that push to excel and have that educational space where I could use my creativity.

my entrepreneurial skills, like all of these skills that aren't just the typical academic subjects like math and reading and so on and so forth. And so I think if the curriculum would have been a little bit different growing up, ⁓ I probably would have outshined a lot. And that's why I'm so interested in just understanding like now as a professional is to understand all the different learning styles and figure out ways to really

meet the needs of all of the variety of students out there by giving them a sampling of different modalities and so forth. But I did enjoy ⁓ school and I'm a lifelong learner. I never stop learning and that's the name of the game.

Kathleen Stockham (21:40)

Yeah, it totally is. And I think that's what makes South College unique. I say this all the time that when I walk the halls at every campus, I'm amazed at, these are not just 18 year olds wide eyed and not sure what they want to do. We have 35, 40, 50 year olds that are second career, third career in some cases, or wanting to learn more. And that's what makes South College so unique is that, we have a pathway for everybody.

for what they want to do. And we have so many different directions that we go in. And I absolutely identify with what you're saying. I wasn't necessarily a great student. I was a distracted student for lot of reasons. And I think as, particularly as I've gotten older, I kind of wish I could go back and redo things because obviously with age comes maturity. And for a few of us, you know, the maturity comes a little later, but that's okay.

Holly Dennis (22:19)

Yeah.

Kathleen Stockham (22:36)

But I think that's true for a lot of people that you go in one direction and that, like I said, that's what's so great about what we do. And then you get, part of the way through, your career path and you're like, wait a minute, I think I want to go over here. and there you have it. So, I mean, it's, I think it's a really awesome opportunity to really find your true self and the things that you're really passionate about.

to move forward. So I applaud you for continuing to dig and continuing to explore, to figure out what you really want to do. And you did it. And so I think that's actually pretty awesome.

Holly Dennis (23:10)

Yeah,

and I just have to say before we move on is that you don't have to be the smartest student in the class. You didn't have to have that perfect high school experience where you're in all the AP classes and so forth because I think that's what prevents people from getting higher degrees is that they don't have the faith in themselves and they can, you can do anything you want. And I really suggest if you kind of have that.

desire to learn more, that interest in obtaining a higher degree, just go for it. What do you have to lose?

Kathleen Stockham (23:42)

Yeah, yeah, there you go. Word to the wise and there you have it. These programs do not build themselves. If you've learned anything today, if you've ever wondered how the magic happens behind the scenes to prepare a robust and technically perfect experience, you have found out why. And by the way, do not bring any red pins to Dr. Dennis.

 I want to thank my guest, Executive Director of Instructional Design and Technology for South College, Dr. Holly Dennis, for being my guest today. Thank you so much. Yay, love that. And now we have some numbers to share. Coming up after the break, a whole new count that has us winding down the year in a very special way. Stick around. We'll be right back.

Holly Dennis (24:17)

Thank you, it's a pleasure.

[South College Radio Ad spot]

Kathleen Stockham (26:09)

Welcome back. Well, here we grow again. I feel like we just did this a few months ago and we did. South College is proud to announce that we are now over 18,000 students across all 10 campuses online and CBE. Wow, 18,000. My goodness.

We had 5,600 students my first week back a few years ago, and even 10,000 students at that time seemed a long way off. It has come with a lot of hard work, long hours, tough decisions, and a lot of amazing students that have put their future and their education first as a top priority. We are so proud of all of you and so humbled to be a part of your journey.

We know the road is bumpy and tough some days and trust me, we have them too on this side. But we also know you have choices as to where you want to get your education. And we are so proud that you chose us. We will always be here for you and always rooting for you. We are taking a small victory lap as we grow again and we definitely have a lot more great milestones to come. Just you watch. Keep watching this space.

With 10 campuses across seven states plus online and CBE, there's a pathway for you at South College. Hope you enjoyed this latest episode of Live From South College. Thanks for joining me. If you love it, give it some stars and you can always send us feedback by emailing us at southcollegepodcastsouth.edu. Have an awesome day and let your dreams find direction. See you next time.