Congrats to Dr. Hsin-Hui Chang, completing a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education with a concentration in Learning Design and Technology at The University of Tennessee Knoxville, for successfully defending your dissertation titled “Exploring Instructional Designers’ Role Shifting and Challenges in Higher Education throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic” on June 17, 2025.
Committee Members: Dr. Lisa Yamagata-Lynch (Chair), Dr. Jean Derco, Dr. Miriam Larson, and Dr. Enilda Romero-Hall
Abstract:
In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted and challenged the higher education (HEd) community in numerous ways. While existing research has focused on institutions, faculty, and students, fewer studies have addressed the experiences of instructional designers (IDers). This study used Street-Level Bureaucracy (SLB) Theory and narrative research to explore whether IDers experienced shifts in their roles and responsibilities before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify the challenges they faced. It also examined the strategies IDers adopted to address the rapid increase in instructional design (ID) needs prompted by the pandemic. Recruitment relied on purposive sampling, including email outreach through listservs and postings in ID forums. The results revealed that most participants experienced either a short- or long-term shift or expansion in their roles due to the pandemic’s impact on the U.S. HEd. Factors such as institutional size and structure, the number of in-house IDers, and the service ratio between IDers and clients were also found to exacerbate the challenges IDers faced.
Design Goodiness 