There are so many opportunities out there as schools, colleges, and multinational corporations are looking forward to crafting the best digital learning experiences for their learners by onboarding the best talents.

If you're someone who wishes to become an instructional designer, here's a list of the 10 commonly asked instructional designer interview questions and answers to help you clear your interviews.

10 Commonly Asked Instructional Designer Interview Questions & Answers

1. Tell us about your background as an ID (Instructional Designer)?

Most interviewers start their interviews with a broad introductory question like this to get the candidate to start speaking comfortably.

While responding, keep your answers tight, and only include important details that have some relevance to your career as an instructional designer. Talk about how you got to this place in your career, what were your learnings and key takeaways.

Example answer:

I've been working as an instructional designer (ID) for the past 6 years. Before working as an instructional designer, I was into teaching. That's when I found out that I have a knack for course creation and design.

I decided to explore this field more and decided to make a career shift. I started learning different ID models, theories, and strategies.

I got placed in CourseTek where I assisted a team of 7 members and created 14 e-learning teaching tools. During this phase, I explored the psychology behind learning behaviours and became knowledgeable about what works and what doesn't in the field of instructional design

2. What are the roles and responsibilities of an instructional designer?

State the different roles performed by instructional designers on a daily basis.

Example answer: An instructional designer will

1. Craft engaging e-learning course content
2. Identify the training needs of the target audience by getting in touch with subject matter experts (SMEs)
3. Set clear end goals
4. Evaluate and apply different e-learning trends
5. Create supporting media (games) and devise modes of assessments like quizzes and tests to evaluate the effectiveness of the training programs
6. Maintain project documentation

3. What's your design process?

The interviewer asks this question to understand what kind of instructional design strategies you follow. He would want to know your step-by-step design process, starting from planning to execution.

Talk about how you approach projects, your working style, and your daily routine. If the position you're applying for demands management or organizational skills, make sure you talk about your project management experiences as well.

Example answer:
I try to approach the design process with a series of steps.

With a cognitivism philosophy in mind, I begin my design process by identifying the needs of the learners.

Then, I begin working on the design, formulate a storyboard and come up with a prototype. Since this is the meat of the design process, I spend most of my working time in this phase.

Finally, I will monitor the long-term effectiveness of the finished product.

4. How do you measure the success of your course design?

As an instructional designer, your job doesn't end once you create your e-learning courses. You should also be monitoring the effectiveness of your e-learning courses.

Employers would generally hire instructional designers who know how to evaluate the success of their courses.

So, explain the methods you use to measure the success of a course design clearly.

Example answer:
I believe the evaluation process starts right after we establish our organization's end goals.

With a clear set of end goals in mind, I start working on a design. And, as soon as the finalized design is given to learners, I start checking a few factors periodically.

I first try to identify how participants felt about the training and what were their key takeaways with the help of end-of-session surveys and questionnaires.

Then, I check if the training has had any positive impacts on the company (such as an increase in productivity, or reduction in expenditures).

5. How would you coordinate with subject matter experts (SMEs)?

It's common for instructional designers to work alongside SMEs. They rely on SMEs throughout the course development process to gain information about topics that need expert guidance.

Here, the interviewer is trying to assess how you collaborate with SMEs.

In your answer, talk about how you plan to coordinate with SMEs and how you'd handle any discrepancies that may arise while collaborating.

Example answer:
I believe it's crucial to foster a professional relationship with SMEs.

I usually have a few ideas about how the content can be developed and come up with a list of questions based on those ideas. We then get in touch and start working together.

There might be some people who are challenging to work with. I try to overcome these challenges by modifying my working style to accommodate their preferences. I always try my best to maintain an amicable relationship with all of them.

6. Do you have experience creating storyboards?

A storyboard is like a slide deck, document, or prototype created using UI prototyping tools that an instructional designer uses to layout the e-learning course framework he/she plans to create.

Most instructional designers spent most of their time creating storyboards. So, interviewers would want to know how experienced you are in creating it.

Example answer:
I am well experienced in creating storyboards. I use storyboards to map out how a course or learning experience will transpire for learners.

7. Have you ever recommended any changes that changed the direction of a course/curriculum?

Companies ask these types of questions to assess how you identify the need for change and how well you communicate it to your team members.

Qualified instructional designers (IDs) would feel confident while expressing their professional opinions. Likewise, you need to be comfortable about communicating changes and feedback.

Share an instance in which you identified a need for change, recommended it, and how it had a positive impact on the end result.

Example answer:
While designing an e-learning course, I noticed that sessions that involved learners critiquing each other's work had higher engagement rates and attendance rates. I shared this piece of data with the instructor and asked if we could add a peer-review workflow. The instructor agreed and added the peer-review workflow. This had a positive outcome and increased the course engagement rate by 12%

8. What software and LMS are you familiar with?

Most instructional designers are proficient with a couple of course authoring and design tools. A majority of the job descriptions also list preferred tools such as Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline 360, Blackboard, Canva, Photoshop, etc.

Your response about your involvement in graphic design, technical assistance, and coding will help the interviewer assess whether you'd be able to adapt to the tools/LMS their company uses.

Here's a list of user-friendly e-learning course authoring tools and LMS.

User-friendly course authoring tools

Vmaker Author
iSpring Suite
Camtasia
Articulate Rise 360
Eludicat

User-friendly LMS (Learning management systems)

Vmaker Train
TalentLMS
LearnUpon
SAP Litmos
Lessonly

Example answer:
I have worked with a few course authoring tools, graphic design tools, and learning management systems (LMS). I am quite familiar with Articulate Storyline 360, Adobe Captivate, Photoshop, and Canva.

9. What are the different types of instructional design models?

This is a technical question asked to test your technical expertise.

State the different types of instructional design models widely in use today.

Example Answer:
There are various instructional designer models in use. The most commonly used ones are:

1. ISD (Instructional Design System)
2. ADDIE
3. SAM
4. Carey
5. Dick and Carey
6. Kemp

10. Name the five stages involved in the ADDIE process.

This is yet another technical question asked to test your technical expertise.

Explain each step of the ADDIE model briefly.

Example Answer:
The term ADDIE is an acronym referring to the 5 different stages of iterative processes involved in course creation.

They are:

Analysis

Design

Development

Implementation

Evaluation

If you have any other tips, suggestions or guidance on how to answer some of these instructional designer interview questions, feel free to share your thoughts below!