Differentiation of Roles: Instructional Designers and Faculty in the Creation of Online Courses

Instructional design has continued to change and undergo metamorphosis. A key component of this process in higher education is the collaboration between an instructional designer and one or more faculty members to create a robust, quality online course. In this collaborative process, instructional designers are clearly the design expert, while the faculty member is the content expert. However, problems occur when roles are not clearly delineated. Conflict is often reported by instructional designers who feel they are not respected by faculty. Conflict can also occur when instructional designers cross the line and try to influence content instead of providing guidance on content delivery. In order to decrease conflict, the roles of instructional designers and the faculty they collaborate with must be clearly defined. Both the instructional designer and the faculty member should clearly articulate their expected roles in the collaborative course creation process. In addition, written policies and procedures for the instructional design process are crucial to the success of these collaborative relationships.