Inproceedings,
A Practical Guide to Learning Design in Higher Education Disciplines
Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning, (May 2022)
Abstract
Learning Design is a new discipline which is becoming mainstream, especially given the last two years of COVID-19 and the suddenly increased need to deliver online learning. However, there is inconsistency in understandings of what it means to be a learning designer. A decade ago, a learning designer was recruited based on their ability to create digital content. In recent years, there has been a push for a more holistic competency profile for learning designers, including pedagogical approaches, instructional strategies, evaluation, and soft skills. Teaching experience or research skills are not required to become a learning designer, although higher education institutions with learning designers do focus on evidence-based practices when deploying online learning. Recently, some universities in Australia have begun offering learning design courses, but there is a shortage of academics in the learning design discipline. As a result, approaches to learning design in the field are often inconsistent and based on guesswork. In this paper, to help the new generation of learning designers, the author shares a decade of experience in learning design and implementing evidence-based learning experiences.
