I’ve been spending time recently revisiting some foundational and contemporary readings in instructional design, and together they’ve helped me clarify how I think about theory, practice, and uncertainty in our field. In particular, Reigeluth (1999), Snelbecker (1999), and Bond et al. (2023) collectively challenge the idea that instructional design should aim for certainty, perfection, orContinue reading “Instructional Design, Theory, and the Value of “Failure””
My First Semester at OU: The Semester That Changed How I See Learning, Design, and Justice
I didn’t come into my first PhD semester at the University of Oklahoma expecting to be changed. I expected rigor. I expected hard work. I expected new vocabulary, new theories, frameworks, and methods. I expected the constant feeling that I’d be catching up. But I didn’t expect a semester that would rearrange how I seeContinue reading “My First Semester at OU: The Semester That Changed How I See Learning, Design, and Justice”
Between the Lines: The Freelance Journey Beyond My Resume
If you skim my resume, you’ll find titles like Instructional Designer, Product Manager, and Head of Product. You’ll see institutions like Michigan State University, Ilmiya, and Staff Asia, and a toolkit packed with software, strategy, and innovation. But here’s what you won’t see:The quiet late-night hours.The weekend grind.The side hustles that quietly built my portfolioContinue reading “Between the Lines: The Freelance Journey Beyond My Resume”
The Ghostwriters of eLearning: A Story of Power, Language, and Survival
Chapter 1: The Dream Job That Wasn’t I still remember the excitement I felt when I first got the job. It was 2018, and I had just been hired as a course content developer at Staff Asia, an offshore office of a UK-based eLearning company. The job seemed perfect—a chance to create educational courses, researchContinue reading “The Ghostwriters of eLearning: A Story of Power, Language, and Survival”
Evidence for My Instincts: Discovering Mayer’s Multimedia Principles
One of the most exciting moments in my Multimedia Learning course was realizing how deeply I could relate to Mayer’s multimedia design principles. As I worked through The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (2021), I kept thinking:“Wait — I’ve been doing this.” I didn’t know the formal names. I didn’t always frame my decisions inContinue reading “Evidence for My Instincts: Discovering Mayer’s Multimedia Principles”
Designing Learning That Matters: My Journey, Goals, and the Future of AI in Learning
Disclaimer: This blog post was written as part of an application for an Instructional Design internship at OpenSesame and reflects my professional interests and perspectives on AI and learning. When I look back at my journey so far, from studying language and education in Bangladesh to working in eLearning companies, moving to the United StatesContinue reading “Designing Learning That Matters: My Journey, Goals, and the Future of AI in Learning”
AI vs. the Clark–Kozma Debate: The 90s Called… They Want Their Argument Back (and It Still Slaps)
If you’ve ever watched people argue about whether the tool matters or whether it’s all about how you use it, congratulations—you’ve basically attended a family dinner, a group project meeting, and an instructional technology conference… at the same time. Welcome to the Clark–Kozma debate, the academic version of: Now sprinkle AI into this debate, andContinue reading “AI vs. the Clark–Kozma Debate: The 90s Called… They Want Their Argument Back (and It Still Slaps)”
Week 6 Reflections: Critical Pedagogy and the Histories We Choose to See
(Reflections on Freire, 1970; Bradshaw, 2018) This week, I engaged with two deeply resonant works that connect the philosophical roots of critical pedagogy with the ethical responsibilities of instructional design: The videos below, generated through Notebook LM, offer excellent summaries of these works. Education Is Never Neutral (Freire, 1970) This video is about Paulo Freire’sContinue reading “Week 6 Reflections: Critical Pedagogy and the Histories We Choose to See”
Week 5 Learning Reflections: Task Analysis, Instructional Objectives, and Ethics
This week, my reflections draw from both Instructional Design and Learning Sciences courses. The topics are different—two very practical ID tools and one broader ethical discussion—but exploring them side by side highlights how design decisions always connect to bigger questions of responsibility and purpose. Task Analysis – Making Expert Knowledge Teachable This video is aboutContinue reading “Week 5 Learning Reflections: Task Analysis, Instructional Objectives, and Ethics”
Week 4 Reflections: Seeing Through Different Lenses
This week, my learning took me into the fascinating territory of positionality, paradigms, and perspective-taking. I came across a video that captures these concepts beautifully, so I thought I’d share it here as part of my PhD journey reflections. How You Know What You Know The video explores how our personal lens (positionality) and theContinue reading “Week 4 Reflections: Seeing Through Different Lenses”
Week 3 Reflections: Philosophies and Pitfalls in Learning Design
As part of my PhD journey, I’m continuing to share weekly reflections on what I’m learning. This week, I focused on two big themes that really stood out from my materials: why training sometimes fails despite good design, and how hidden philosophies shape the tools and technologies we use for learning. 🎥 Video 1: WhyContinue reading “Week 3 Reflections: Philosophies and Pitfalls in Learning Design”
Week 2 Reflections from My PhD Journey: Evolution of Learning Theories and Instructional Design
As part of my PhD journey, I’ve decided to document and share what I’m learning each week. This not only helps me process the ideas more deeply but also gives me a chance to connect with others who might be exploring similar topics in learning sciences, instructional design, or education. For Week 2, I pulledContinue reading “Week 2 Reflections from My PhD Journey: Evolution of Learning Theories and Instructional Design”
Mahbub Amin 