Online learning will form a significant part of, at the very least, the first half of 20-21...unless a large proportion of teaching staff have experience in online teaching, the importance of instructional designers cannot be overstated...moving to teach online requires a 1/

...big shift in thinking and some time is needed to think about and discuss that. Being able to speak with and discuss this with an instructional designer who has experience of designing online and blended learning and an understanding of how we learn is invaluable...2/

...there are models, frameworks etc out there, they may help a little (some are massively over hyped) but there’s no comparison between these and being able to work with a skilled and knowledgeable instructional designer. I still don’t think the sector understands the value..3/

..of instructional/learning designers to support the design of learning. If you can invest in skilled designers...it will be an investment that will last well into the future. Focus on those that understand learning first rather than just technologies..4/

...common to university teaching, yes people need to be fluent in their use, but there are too many examples of technology that does not enhance learning because people are simply versed in how it’s commonly implemented in teaching, not how it can be used in the context ..5/

...of proven strategies for deep learning. I’d like to see the sector focus on roles centred around learning, not technologies, based on the underlying assumption that we should all have a good grasp of digital technologies. 6/

..having been a strong advocate of investment in instructional designers before the pandemic, it will be interesting to see whether we see universities hiring more as a longer term investment. If you want to transform teaching whether online or otherwise - invest in designers 7/