What did you think Message Design was before the reading?
Honestly, I was not sure what this topic would encompass. But I felt like it might have something to do with email communications because, for me, that is my most frequent mode of messaging. Yet now that I reflect on this topic, my initial thoughts sound dumb.
Did it change afterward? How?
Yes, my understanding of Message Design changed. After completing the assigned reading, I now understand Message Design to address the messages we communicate to the learners.
What is your perspective on message design?
Prior to my career in academia, I was in the field of marketing within the corporate sector. I completed my undergraduate in advertising, and design came naturally to me. Spatial balance, color palettes, negative space, and advertising messages, it was my bailiwick. Yet, being that my training in the advertising design discipline was taught during my undergraduate, and was over 20 years ago, we were not taught the research that is known today. From the initial reading, this topic is a huge component for instructional designers.
How do you think Message Design can make an impact in learning?
This topic is extremely relevant to learning. As a former instructional designer, I can see how the theories and research within this topic are valuable to designing effective learning. Aside from instructional design (ID), where this topic should be mandated as part of an ID’s role, I feel that it would also be beneficial for faculty to understand the foundational elements of Message Design as well. Simple lecture PowerPoint design choices can drastically impact learning, from obscure graphics to unflattering color choices, to media selections. Design choices should never distract from the learning but instead should support the learning.
What do you want to gain from this course?
I am familiar with many of the theories and topics presented in the assigned reading, but I am only familiar with them through personal experience. With this course, I hope to get a deeper foundation on the topic and fill in my knowledge gaps with the presented research. I hope to then be able to effectively relay and communicate this information to our faculty and our instructional design team, who unfortunately were not mandated to take a Message Design course as part of their master’s programs.
