If you’ve been in the instructional design field for a long time, it’s a safe bet that your process has evolved. And not just how you approach a given learning scenario—you’ve probably thought and rethought about learning itself—how it happens, what goes on in the learner’s mind, how the pace of learning has changed, and how to stay on your toes.

If the rate of change in the industry seems dizzying, you’re not wrong. Over the past century many instructional models have held sway, then morphed into or been supplanted by others. In fact, EDTECH has posted a roadmap of the history of instructional design—a handy visual of how theories have shifted from decade to decade. 

And for more detail, check out this history of instructional design, also posted on EDTECH. It includes the rise of online learning and the entrenchment of tech in instruction, with open questions about how big data, mobile and cloud technologies will move us toward more fluid, learner-friendly models. For a country that’s just marked its 150th birthday, it’s a staggering visual of how our ideas about learning have evolved and grown.

When you look at these graphics, do they represent your sense of how ID has evolved? Do they resonate for you? Is anything missing? And what’s coming up at the next signpost?

And what’s coming up in Canada’s next 150 years? Tell us what you think is 'round the bend.