Professional organizations and researchers in the field of instructional design and technology (IDT) have attempted to identify the competencies that IDT professionals should possess using a variety of methods, including a job announcement analysis, surveys, and interviews. While most of the previous studies identified the IDT competences based on practitioners' perspectives or the content of job announcements or program websites, this study examined leading scholars' perspectives on the IDT competencies, curriculum, research, and the current state and the future directions of the IDT field. Qualitative data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 21 scholars from 16 US universities who had considerable teaching experience in the IDT field. The results revealed ways to improve the IDT curriculum in addition to six core competencies for IDT professionals. Further, five themes related to research in the IDT field were identified, and seven themes related to the future directions of the field were identified. The results of the study provide faculty, researchers, and practitioners in the IDT field with unique insights on how to improve IDT programs to better prepare students for the future in this rapidly changing world.