Book excerpt: In 1986, the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance, and Instruction (IBSTPI) published the first edition of "Instructional Design [ID] Competencies: The Standards." It was the culmination of work that began in 1978. In this third edition, IBSTPI presents its latest view of the competencies of instructional designers. It is a greatly expanded view that reflects the complexities of current practice and technology, theoretical advancements, and the social tenor of the times. The level of proficiency described in the 1986 Competencies was taken to represent an instructional designer who would probably have at least three years of experience in the field beyond entry-level training. The current revision takes this notion considerably further in two ways. First, it discriminates between the essential and the advanced levels. Second, it discriminates between competencies which are universally recognized as required of all practitioners and those which have broad but not universal support. The current edition has added a section called "Professional Foundations." This section explicitly recognizes the importance of a knowledge base for ID and the professional responsibility practitioners have for career-long learning and update of that knowledge base. This recognition of knowledge as a foundation to practice was left implicit in the first version. The current revision has also found a way to recognize the importance of technological competence for the practitioner while continuing to recognize both the volatility and the context-specificity of expertise with any particular technology. The section now called "Implementation and Management" represents a considerable strengthening of the intent of the original. This represents both a better awareness of the role these competencies play in ID and also the increasing importance of ID in the success of knowledge-based enterprises, especially in business environments. Chapters are: (1) "Instructional Design Competence"; (2) "The 2000 IBSTPI Instructional Design Competencies"; (3) "The ID Competencies: Discussion and Analysis"; (4) "The Role and Use of ID Competencies"; (5) "The Competencies and ID Specialization"; and (6) "The Competency Validation Research." Appendices include the 1986 ID Competencies and Performance Statements, a glossary, bibliography, IBSTPI Code of Ethical Standards for Instructional Designers, and list of organizations participating in Competency validation. (Contains 48 references.) (AEF)