Here's what I need to remember as an Instructional Designer if I want to stay relevant.

Only a couple of pages into Clark Quinn's Learning Science for Instructional Designers and he already had me questioning how I justify my design decisions.

As instructional designers, we shouldn't be saying:

"I just felt this interaction would be engaging."

"I like putting videos here."

"It looked better this way."

Instead, we should be able to say:

"I chose this approach because research on cognitive load suggests..."

"I used worked examples because cognitive science shows novices benefit from them."

"I spaced the practice because retrieval and spacing improve long-term retention."

That alone was a wake-up call.
But that wasn't what parked my bus.

What parked the bus was this:
"Just as you expect your doctor and financial adviser to be applying the latest outcomes, so too should you feel such an obligation when designing learning experiences. We don't want to be guilty of design malpractice, after all."

That one statement exposed something in me.

Back in my teaching days, there were approaches I used simply because they seemed to work—not because I could explain why they worked.

If I want to call myself an instructional designer...
"It worked before."
...can no longer be my standard.

Evidence has to become part of my design language.
And honestly?

That realization didn't discourage me.
It made me want to take greater pride in my craft.

Clark Quinn also reminds us that instructional design is a dynamic field.
Even David Merrill kept refining his thinking throughout his career.

If the pioneers kept learning...
Who am I to stop?

Then came another idea that stayed with me.

If the foundations of our design processes have evolved—from the World War II roots to today's understanding of learning...

Shouldn't the evidence we build our designs on evolve too?

That's the reminder I needed.
Not to chase every new trend.

But to keep my design decisions anchored in the best evidence available today—not yesterday.

Welcome to the very first episode of "Taking a Walk in Quinn's Mind."

A series where I don't just read Clark Quinn's Learning Science for Instructional Designers...

I sit with it...
Question it...
Wrestle with it...

And share how it's reshaping the way I think about designing learning.
I started reading this book hoping to learn more about instructional design.

I didn't expect it to start redesigning me.
Then again... I probably should've seen that coming. 😂

So thank you,Clark Quinn.

Some books give you answers, this one has given me better questions.
I have a feeling this won't be the last time your book parks my bus. 🚌

Day 16 of Instructional Design