The Story is in the Structure: A Multi-Case Study of Instructional Design Teams
Although instructional designers are experienced and positioned to be leaders in online learning (Shaw, 2012), it was not previously known how organizational structures influenced their ability to act as leaders in their institutions. This problem warranted a deep exploration of the organizational...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Online Learning Consortium
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Online Learning |
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| Online Access: | https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/2877 |
| _version_ | 1797326996155400192 |
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| author | Jason Drysdale |
| author_facet | Jason Drysdale |
| author_sort | Jason Drysdale |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Although instructional designers are experienced and positioned to be leaders in online learning (Shaw, 2012), it was not previously known how organizational structures influenced their ability to act as leaders in their institutions. This problem warranted a deep exploration of the organizational structures for instructional design teams in higher education. This qualitative, multi-case study consisted of 3 individual universities each with a different organizational structure profile. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and document analysis with participants in 3 key roles at each institution: dedicated instructional designer, online faculty member, and online learning administrator. The research culminated in within-case analyses of each institution and a comparative case analysis of all 3 studied institutions. The results of the study revealed that the organizational structure that most positively influenced instructional design leadership was a centralized instructional design team with academic reporting lines. The results also showed that decentralized instructional designers experienced significant disempowerment, role misperception, and challenges in advocacy and leadership, while instructional designers with administrative reporting lines experienced a high level of role misperception specifically related to technology support. Positional parity between dedicated instructional designers and faculty, in conjunction with implementation of the recommended organizational structure, was found to be critical to empowering designers to be partners and leaders.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T06:32:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-49aa0416b7834350b493590ded4b18af |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2472-5749 2472-5730 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T06:32:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | Online Learning Consortium |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Online Learning |
| spelling | doaj.art-49aa0416b7834350b493590ded4b18af2024-02-03T11:10:03ZengOnline Learning ConsortiumOnline Learning2472-57492472-57302021-09-0125310.24059/olj.v25i3.2877The Story is in the Structure: A Multi-Case Study of Instructional Design TeamsJason Drysdale0University of Colorado Although instructional designers are experienced and positioned to be leaders in online learning (Shaw, 2012), it was not previously known how organizational structures influenced their ability to act as leaders in their institutions. This problem warranted a deep exploration of the organizational structures for instructional design teams in higher education. This qualitative, multi-case study consisted of 3 individual universities each with a different organizational structure profile. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and document analysis with participants in 3 key roles at each institution: dedicated instructional designer, online faculty member, and online learning administrator. The research culminated in within-case analyses of each institution and a comparative case analysis of all 3 studied institutions. The results of the study revealed that the organizational structure that most positively influenced instructional design leadership was a centralized instructional design team with academic reporting lines. The results also showed that decentralized instructional designers experienced significant disempowerment, role misperception, and challenges in advocacy and leadership, while instructional designers with administrative reporting lines experienced a high level of role misperception specifically related to technology support. Positional parity between dedicated instructional designers and faculty, in conjunction with implementation of the recommended organizational structure, was found to be critical to empowering designers to be partners and leaders. https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/2877organizational structureinstructional designonline learningleadershipshared governanceprogram design |
| spellingShingle | Jason Drysdale The Story is in the Structure: A Multi-Case Study of Instructional Design Teams Online Learning organizational structure instructional design online learning leadership shared governance program design |
| title | The Story is in the Structure: A Multi-Case Study of Instructional Design Teams |
| title_full | The Story is in the Structure: A Multi-Case Study of Instructional Design Teams |
| title_fullStr | The Story is in the Structure: A Multi-Case Study of Instructional Design Teams |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Story is in the Structure: A Multi-Case Study of Instructional Design Teams |
| title_short | The Story is in the Structure: A Multi-Case Study of Instructional Design Teams |
| title_sort | story is in the structure a multi case study of instructional design teams |
| topic | organizational structure instructional design online learning leadership shared governance program design |
| url | https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/2877 |
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