The Intersection of Instructional Design & Technical Communication

By Maralee Sautter, Associate Fellow and IDL SIG Manager

At the 2024 Summit, I was part of an Instructional Design panel that described and demonstrated how technical communicators have many of the same skills and experience needed to transition into Instructional Design (ID). In this article, I’ll examine how the tech comm (TC) skill sets and tools can assist a transition into ID. Let’s start with definitions.
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First Time’s the Charm

By Janell Kennedy, STC Member and IDL SIG Secretary

A New Member’s Perspective on the 2024 STC Summit

There are many out there who have been to professional conferences before, including many past STC Summits, so they have a vast basis of comparison. I had none. I had never been to a professional conference of any kind, so I really didn’t know what to expect coming to the 2024 STC Summits. Honestly, I think I always talked myself out of anything like that, especially since it was likely I would have to shell out from my own pocket. And I was a little nervous about traveling alone. But for this year’s Summit I decided I would push away all those excuses and take the plunge. I was so glad I did.
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What I Learned About Tech Comm at the 2024 STC Summit

By Joy Carandang, STC Student Member

Technical communication books and STC Summit information

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the 2024 STC Summit in Bloomington, Minnesota, alongside my colleagues and friends from the Future Technical Communicators (FTC) club at the University of Central Florida and the STC Florida Chapter. As a student volunteer and first-time attendee, I am grateful to have had the chance to travel to our field’s annual premier conference through the support of our faculty advisors, FTC-STC Florida leadership, and donors.
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STC Summit 2024 – Come join us!

Hey, friends! The Instructional Design and Learning Special Interest Group (IDL SIG) has special plans for the 2024 STC Summit. We hope you can join us as we share our superpowers and grow closer as colleagues and friends.

Summit dates are Thursday, May 16 – Sunday, May 19. The events are open to all Summit attendees. Schedule information may change. For the latest content, please check the conference app.

All Week

Look for Maralee Sautter, Melanie Murphy, and Viqui Dill. Say hello and we will have stickers and other swag for you.

Thursday 16 May @ 6:45 pm

Join the STC IDL SIG for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe (Dutch/Separate Checks).

Mall of America 306 South Avenue, Level 3, turn right

Everyone welcome. No need to identify as an Instructional Designer.

After dinner, we are going to waddle down to the Duck Donuts shop for dessert and then take a lap around the mall.

 

Thursday 16 May after dinner (8:30 pm?)

Join the STC IDL SIG after dinner. We are going to waddle together for a lap around the mall.

Everyone welcome. No need to identify as an Instructional Designer.

Friday 17 May @ noon

During the Summit, on Friday, May 17, come sit with us for lunch.

Pick up your box lunch at the Sky Bridge, and bring it to Minnetonka A. We’ll have an informal IDL SIG gathering and enjoy our lunch together.

 

Saturday 18 May @ 1:30 pm

STC IDL SIG Panel at STC Summit 2024: Are You a Uni-Duck? The Intersection of Instructional Design and Technical Communication

Lakes Ballroom B

Have you ever wondered if what you do is more “technical communication” or is it more “instructional design”? What’s the difference? Are there differences? Do they even intersect? In this fun and interactive session, we’re going to explore the nuances of both, where they overlap, where they differ, and all the points in-between.

Panelists:
* Viqui Dill (Moderator/Emcee)
* Melanie Murphy
* Maralee Sautter

 

Questions? 

Join the conversation on Slack.

Summit 2023

If you’re attending the Summit this week (13-18, May), please introduce yourself to Maralee Sautter, SIG Manager. Look for the IDL SIG logo on my name tag. I’ll be at the CAC table (sign up for the drawing), the CAC sessions,  and attending sessions. I’ll be on Slack, so post your questions to the  STC Slack workspace, #sig-instructional-design channel.

We have many amazing IDL members presenting, along with several Instructional Design (ID) sessions. The sessions are listed below.

SIG Member or ID-related Sessions Speaker Day & Time Session Title
ID Kei Tomita 15 May
10:00–10:45 AM
Bringing Instructional Design Perspectives to User Interface Design Education
ID Chuck Campbell 15 May
11:00–11:45 AM
Transform PowerPoint Presentations into Fully Interactive eLearning Courses for Your LMS
ID-Member Tricia Spayer 15 May
3:00–3:45 PM
Mind Mapping Your Way to Organized Success
ID-Member Judy Glick Smith 16 May
12:00–2:00 PM
Honors Celebration And Lunch: Using Flow to Craft a Life of Excellence in Tech Comm
ID-Member Jennifer Goode 16 May
2:00–2:45 PM
Learn to Speak ID: A Brief Introduction to Instructional Design
ID-Member Ann Marie Queeney 16 May
4:30–5:15 PM
The Importance of Editing from Your Audience’s Perspective
ID-Member Michael Jang 16 May
9:00–9:45 AM
UI Text: Simplicity is Difficult
ID-Member Kelly Schrank 17 May
9:00–9:45 AM
Creating an Infographic Using PowerPoint: Let’s Do It!
ID-Member Kirsty Taylor 17 May
9:00–9:45 AM
Comm and Get ‘em: We Have Answers to Your Questions (with Bernard Aschwanden & Alisa Bonsignore)