The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for additional teacher professional development opportunities for PK-12 teachers that expands their knowledge of integrating technology into their classroom whether they are teaching traditional in-person classes or in the hybrid or fully virtual model. Instructional designers or similar roles in public school districts may become important change leaders in the future of education. This article discusses relevant leadership theories including transformational and authentic leadership and applications of both. The article concludes with analyzing these leadership theories in conjunction with the well-established design models of ADDIE and AGILE to suggest the responsibilities of instructional designers as social architects, role models, and advocates.Â
The pandemic has forced change in many areas of life, and education is at the forefront of this change. With students, teachers, staff, and administrators using more technology, there will be more issues in the coming years, and it will be nearly impossible for teachers to navigate these legal and ethical issues on their own. An instructional designer who is familiar with the barriers, restrictions, and obstacles of providing online learning content can help determine boundaries, when lines have been crossed, and even prevent issues from arising by anticipating problems before they happen. Instructional designers who share responsibility for creating educational content with teachers who serve as the subject-matter experts can lead without exerting overt authority (Drysdale, 2019). Thus, leadership theories that employ team-based strategies focusing on leading with charisma, morals, and values without sacrificing followers’ needs will be useful for instructional designers to employ (Kwan, 2020). These theories may include transformational leadership and authentic leadership, both of which have many similarities. The following sections discuss each of these leadership styles and conclude with how the role of the instructional designer aligns with each of these styles.