What should learning designers learn?

Abstract

There is widespread interest in employing designers who focus on learning, performance and education technology in many industries at a global level. In Australia, learning designers are in demand in Education, Corporate Training, Finance, Charity, Non-Government Sectors, and also in Start-Ups and Entrepreneurial arenas. This demand is despite the fact that the role of the Learning Designer is incredibly varied, contextually-based, and also unclear to many employers – and students! This suggests that there is currently an opportunity for learning designers and academics who deliver learning design content to define what it means to be a learning designer. This paper presents an Australian case study which uses design-based research methods in a pre-production mode to identify the key principles that informed the development of a course of study (what others may refer to as a program). How those principles were operationalised within the course design and more are discussed in an effort to reposition understandings of knowledge, skills and abilities for this field.

Instructional Design Made Easy! Instructional Design Models, Categories, Frameworks, Educational Context, and Recommendations for Future Work

“…The authors of [ 21 ] used the sensemaking theory to study blockchain-based online education. The authors of [ 22 ] implemented a design-based research method. In [ 23 ], the authors utilized the web pedagogical content knowledge (WPACK) model in addition to the PINTARR model, which refers to preparation, isolation, transformation, action, reflection, and revision.…”

“…Furthermore, four publications (13%) [ 17 , 29 , 39 , 43 ] in competition with MOOCs used blended learning for teaching and learning purposes. Three studies (10%) conducted their instruction in a face-to-face setting [ 22 , 36 , 41 ]. Furthermore, the remaining research employed a wide range of pedagogical settings, with 15 publications (48%) utilizing the following: Ref.…”

Developing a micro-credential for Learning Designers: A Delphi Study

“…As a result, there has been growing interest in the role of the learning designer (LD) to facilitate and support educators to design effective online learning experiences (Slade, 2018). As a consequence of the pandemic, there has been a greater focus on online-only or high-end blended models of learning in all sectors of education (Heggart & Dickson-Deane, 2022). Support is therefore needed within all areas to support the effective development of learning, making learning design a critical component of many educational institutions.…”

Reconnecting with ourselves? Developing standards and competencies for Learning Designers

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Learning Designer role was recognised and highly valued as having the skillset required for helping institutions and academic staff ensure the continuity of student learning through the rapid pivot to remote learning (Bellaby et al, 2020). Examining the nature of these roles and how they have changed in response to COVID-19 has received renewed focus in literature in recent years (Bellaby et al, 2020;Heggart & Dickson-Deane, 2021).…”

“…Dall'Alba (2009) comments that learning to become a professional involves integration of knowing, acting, and ways of being "that unfold over time". More recently Heggart and Dickson-Deane (2021) suggest that with the pandemic, there is an opportunity for learning designers who are now critically involved in the delivery and design of student learning to define what it means to be a learning designer. One way to approach this is through the development of core competencies, standards and/or frameworks that describes the work of a learning designer.…”