The field of instructional design can be traced back to World War II, when the U.S. military hired education professionals to design educational programs for servicemen and -women. For many years, instructional designers have helped colleges and universities adapt in-person courses for distance-learning and extension programs, as well as assisted companies and other organizations with their training and continuing education needs. Demand for instructional designers has grown in recent years as a result of the increasing popularity of online courses (the number of college students taking online courses grew from 10 percent in 2002 to 61 percent in 2021, according to a July 2023 report from the National Center for Education Statistics), improvements in technology that facilitate and deliver online learning, and renewed efforts to improve the quality of teaching and educational outcomes.
- Adapted Physical Education Specialists
- Adult and Vocational Education Teachers
- Art Teachers
- Athletic Directors
- Biophysicists
- Book Editors
- Career and Employment Counselors
- Career and Employment Technicians
- College Administrators
- College Professors
- Community Nutrition Educators
- Computer Trainers
- Cooking Instructors
- Curriculum Coordinators
- Dance School Owners and Managers
- Distance Learning Coordinators
- Driving School Owners and Instructors
- Education Directors and Museum Teachers
- Edupreneurs
- Elementary School Teachers
- English as a Second Language (ESL) Teachers
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- Flight Instructors
- Guidance Counselors
- Health Educators
- Instructional Coordinators
- Journalism Teachers
- Learning Innovations Designers
- Library and Information Science Instructors
- Mathematics Teachers
- Music Teachers
- Nursing Instructors
- Physical Education Teachers
- Political Scientists
- Preschool Teachers
- Real Estate Educators
- School Administrators
- School Nurses
- Secondary School Teachers
- Special Education Teachers
- Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
- Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
- Teacher Aides
- Tutors and Trainers