top of page
Search

The Identity Crisis of L&D

Seriously though, are we about to see job postings with the caption “Learning Gods Wanted”?

A: So, what do you do?

B: Oh I work in instructional design.

A: So, you're doing e-Learning?


Are you, B? ARE YOU?


Due to the highly interdisciplinary nature and multiple functions of the profession, it’s difficult to pinpoint what an “instructional designer” (ID for short) exactly is and isn’t. The profession goes by many names: Based on the needs of the employing unit, the expected requirements for the job and the range of responsibilities vary. To provide an understanding of the many faces of the occupation, Cara North, Juliann Ely, Margaret Bowman, and Mitchell Shortt came up with The diverse field of instructional design.


...and while I tremendously enjoyed it, it dragged me to an existential crisis.


Recently, I've been seing a lot of sexy names for L&D jobs: The three most common titles I kept seeing were learning experience designer, learning engineer, and learning architect. Partially inspired by the chapter I mentioned above, I decided to go on a quest:


Just how much do these new titles differ from an “instructional designer”?

...if at all, that is.



What to Expect from Your Average IDs Jane & Joe


Here are the highlights from The diverse field of instructional design:

  • What was included: job advertisements for full-time jobs within the US (or the ones with the option of remote work for a US organization); lists at least five job duties along with required and preferred qualifications.

  • Search query: “instructional design” somewhere in the post.

  • The contexts: training, higher education, K-12, and educational corporations.

  • Data analysis: For the training context, they utilized the Association for Talent and Development’s (ATD) training and development competency model to cross-reference the qualifications required for an ID and the expected job function. For the remaining contexts, job responsibilities, knowledge/skills/abilities, and required experience were analyzed.

  • Result: The analysis found that although the required skills, knowledge and experience varied across industries, the common denominator included skills in design and development, communication, teamwork, and technical skills. The overall results depicted that 3-5 years of experience and at least a bachelor’s degree was a prerequisite for instructional design positions. As a degree requirement, a master’s degree was indicated as a “preferred” qualification for most posts.


The Evolution of Titles


1. Learning Experience Designer

Learning experience design (LXD) as a term is not something new, much like instructional design. However, the "learning experiences" mentioned in older articles (i.e. dating back to two decades ago) usually refer to "classroom experiences", mind you.


Niels Floor argues that currently this is an interdisciplinary expertise that allows fields like interaction design, neuroscience, cognitive psychology and teaching to come together, and he emphasizes that it doesn’t necessarily mean to develop digital learning. He believes the novelty of the technology doesn’t matter – “it could even be centuries old”. According to him, the goal of LXD is “…to design the best possible learning experience and choose the form or technology that works best for the learner in a specific situation and/or at a given time.”


Although Floor argues otherwise, “learning experience design” is also considered a profession today, and it has everything to do with digital learning design. In a 2018 article, Sundeep Singh Pardal even considered it a merger with user experience design (UX), and broke it down to certain best practices in LXD. What’s more, programs have been established on the concept: Oregon State University is offering an LXD certificate program from an e-learning development perspective, and Brandeis University offers a fully online master’s program in the field.



2. Learning Engineer


The term was first mentioned way back in 1967 by Herbert Simon in his essay addressed to college presidents: “…find a place on the campus for a team of individuals who are professionals in the design of learning environments -- learning engineers, if you will.” (p. 10, para. 2). Simon being affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University, the institution embraced the term, and was highly productive on learning engineering research - which eventually led to an establishment of an M.S.-equivalent master’s program in the field. Boston University also offers a learning engineering M.A.


Back in 2013, Bill Jerome proposed the need for learning engineers. He described learning engineering as;


“...the development, evaluation and improvement of the processes, methodologies, and educational technologies that lead to predictable, repeatable development and improvement of learning environments which leverage learning science and the affordances of technology to address instructional challenges and create conditions that enable robust learning and effective instruction”.

A distinction that he makes between an instructional designer and a learning engineer is research orientation and the use of semantic data. He offers an example of what semantic data looks like as follows:


“Student x' has now selected "line 5” which is correct. Student was given the feedback “You are correct, line 5 is the base case”. This was her third try, though it is the first question about the skill "recursive base case" she attempted to answer even though it's the third related question in the material.”.

Based on semantic data, he argues, the learning engineers would be able to pinpoint what elements of a course is effective and what can be improved. On a similar vein, in 2015 Bror Saxberg defined learning engineers as “…professionals who understand the research about learning, test it, and apply it to help more students learn more effectively”. According to Mark Lieberman, they are different from instructional designers because learning engineers;


work more closely with administrators, while instructional designers collaborate directly with instructors.
develop research on learning and data science and make decisions based on quantitative analysis, while instructional designers make qualitative judgments based on individual needs and, in some cases, existing learning science research.
make changes and drive initiatives at the program level, while instructional designers help conceive and reshape individual courses.

He also mentions Linder and Dello Stritto’s 2017 survey conducted with U.S. higher education instructional designers, which paints another picture. The study reports that while the designers would like to collaborate on research projects with faculty and peers, the majority of them feels underprepared, and sometimes even face obstacles. If learning engineers are more “research-oriented” professionals, and there is a “gap to be bridged” between an engineer and a designer, the 2017 landscape surely was not fully fertile for the endeavor.


3. Learning Architect


In his 2017 blog post, Graham Hall takes software architects as a reference point. In his definition, the software architects not only know everything in the organization, they also lay out a blueprint sketched with the tools, platforms, and content. Consequently, they deliver user-friendly and scalable user experiences. In a similar vein, here's his definition for a learning architect:


[...] a Learning Architect will help ensure you create a clear vision, with a clearly defined roadmap, bringing together the learning tools, learning platforms, and learning content into a form that is easy to use, scales and delivers a great learner experience.

Later that year, Susan Jacobs referenced architects as we know them - as building planners. She defines a learning architect as a good strategist possessing communication, data interpretation, and project management skills. With the incorporation of elements like vision and strategy, the function seems to take more of a corporate form.



What is the Playing Field Like?

Sooooo...


I did a job search similar to the one in The diverse field of instructional design. I went on indeed.com (since it's a search aggregator) and also higheredjobs.com . The latter was just to see whether universities were hiring these "fresh talents". My inclusion criteria was the same as my reference study:

  • Full-time job in the US (or remote work for a US institution),

  • The query "learning experience design designer". "learning engineer", "learning architect" somewhere in the job posting,

  • At least 5 qualifications and responsibilities listed,

  • Analyze the first 25 job ads that pop up.


I typed in the three titles in both platforms. When I hit "search", this is how many "related" results I got:


Hit count for the three job titles on two job search platforms (September, 2019)

1. Learning Experience Designer


I analyzed the first 25 out of 58 hits on indeed as well as all 7 hits on higheredjobs. I did one more thing, though.


For all three jobs, I gathered the text from the qualifications and responsibilities sections, and fed it into a word cloud maker. Granted, it wasn't a perfect platform because there is case sensitivity, but it still provides some sort of an insight.


Here's what the cloud looks like for an LX Designer.


A word cloud for an LX Designer based on the qualifications & responsibilities text of the job ads

Where is Waldo's cousin, twice removed?

My eyesight is legitimately bad and I've actually had surgery for it before, so please correct me if I'm missing it - I just couldn't find any authoring software in this word cloud.


However, please peep a certain creative ☁️ brand that has a frequency high enough to make it appear in a decent font size. It's near the top, functioning as a cherry on the word "development". But more on that later.


Below is an overall look of what an LX designer’s responsibilities are along with the minimum and preferred qualifications cited.


Relevant experience and education: While the required experience for an LXD job ranges between 1 to 6 years (with an exception of 10 years for one senior position), the average experience wanted is around 4 years. Almost all employers want a bachelor’s degree either on instructional design or relevant field (e.g. educational technology, (adult) education, curriculum development, learning sciences…). A few places also accept degrees in business, psychology, and (product) design. While only a few positions cite a master’s degree as a must, for most positions it was a preferred qualification. Several companies accept experience in lieu of education and vice versa. Also, two institutions stated Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) credential in their ads, one in lieu of a bachelor’s degree, and the other as a preferred qualification.


Technical skills: Employers seek individuals who have demonstrated technical proficiency. While most require command on e-learning authoring and video production software, nearly half the advertisements specifically required proficiency in photo manipulation and vector development tools. Some institutions mentioned experience with learning management systems, HTML/CSS and data analysis would be a plus. One qualification I predict to be prevalent in the near future is experience with user experience and interaction design (UX/UI). Only a few of the job advertisements in the corporate setting mention this as a preferred asset. On the other hand, while I used the query “learning experience designer” for jobs in higher ed settings, 2 out of the 7 hits were titled “UX Designer”. The function of the job was very similar to that of an LX designer, but one requirement in particular was to “apply best UX/UI practices” with “user-centered design” in mind to create “impactful and highly engaging” learning experiences. Aligned with this statement, one of the future technical requirements for an LX designer could be command on prototyping/wireframing software.


What they do: The main function of an LX designer is to oversee the design and development of “learning solutions” that are mostly digital. This process includes program/curriculum design, development, delivery/facilitation, evaluation of the effectiveness and redesign of the products if necessary. Therefore, strong project management and consulting skills were required in almost every ad. It is emphasized throughout most of them that the end products need to be innovative, user-friendly, highly engaging, intuitive, impactful, creative, and visually appealing. Institutions want designers that are evidence-based practitioners – while some ads required knowledge of specific design models, a great majority of them sought command on adult learning theories and strategies, behavioral and cognitive science, instructional design principles, design thinking, and industry research. Additionally, the employers want their candidates to be in the know of the current and emerging trends in the field, both theoretically and technologically, and they want people who are constantly seeking to improve themselves professionally. One institution in particular wanted their prospective teammate to “maintain a personal learning network.” For two of the higher ed positions only, the job function included conducting independent research in the form of survey and interviews with the instructors and the learners. Overall, the function of an LX designer does not differ when it comes to corporate or higher ed contexts.


Identity of an LX Designer: A developer, project manager, a creative visual/graphic designer (thus the ☁️).


2. Learning Engineer


Full disclosure: This job title is so rare that I only managed to find 2 hits related to the field of L&D - The rest were all about "deep/machine learning engineers" and similar computational functions. Granted, this does not provide much to move forward with, but I attempted to make do with what I have.


A word cloud for a Learning Engineer based on the qualifications & responsibilities text of the job ads

Relevant experience and education: Only two job postings do not actually make a good frame of reference, but that in itself means something – that this title could be an emergent one. The first position – and we will call this the ‘designer role’ – required a bachelor’s in the instructional design field along with 3 years of progressive experience as the minimum. However, the preferred qualification was a master’s with 6 years of experience. The other one, i.e. the ‘engineer role’, was highly technical. The position was stated as “intermediate level” but still required 8 years of experience in web-based product creation along with 2 years of team management experience. The required educational background was a master’s in computer science or an instructional design related field, but the candidate could make up for it with an additional 10 years of experience.


Technical skills: The ‘designer’ role required command on e-learning authoring tools and learning management systems. While knowledge of learning and data sciences were desirable, graphic design proficiency was considered “a big plus”. On the other hand, although no specific software was cited, the ‘engineer’ role required knowledge of conducting user testing, coding, SCORM, and reverse engineering.


What they do: The overlapping function of both jobs was to develop and deliver digital and hybrid courses. In contrast to the "research orientation" argument in the previous section, the postings did not cite any research qualifications to be considered for the job, which brings another aspect into question: It looks like there is no consensus of what a learning engineer does in reality...


*Pause. Do not lash out and hear me out please.*


...and it depends on what kind of an institution you are working for. The ‘engineer’ role was for a technology company. It is possible that if this job was advertised for a higher ed institution, one of the requirements could very well be that research orientation.


Identity of a Learning Engineer: This is something that is yet to be unpacked.


3. Learning Architect


Out of the 41 hits obtained from indeed, 6 of the job postings were relevant – the rest were results of software architecture and deep learning. Of the relevant results, one was also titled as “Senior Instructional Designer”.


A word cloud for a Learning Architect based on the qualifications & responsibilities text of the job ads

Relevant experience and education: The range of experience for a learning architect job was between 5 to 10 years with an average of 8. The minimum required education varied as both bachelor’s and master’s degree were cited. One job in particular preferred a Ph.D. The education required was mostly of instructional design and related areas, however, one institution also accepted a degree in organizational development. In a similar vein, another institution required “interdisciplinary business knowledge” from their candidates. Management experience and “strong consultation skills” were a common theme across the advertisements.


Technical skills: Overall, the skills required for the job is not much different than those of an LX designer. Knowledge of e-learning authoring tools was a must for all postings. While one job mentioned LMS knowledge, one other wanted the candidate to regularly report data. Nevertheless, no specific software was mentioned for data reporting.


What they do: The overall function of a learning architect can be described as “design and development of innovative, quality, impactful learning programs based on adult learning techniques - and sustaining them”. The flow is perceived as more of a system here rather than a “creative process”. Additionally, the candidates are expected to contribute to the strategy of the institution.


Identity of a Learning Architect: A system designer, consultant, strategist, manager.


A “Glorified” Instructional Designer?


To be very honest, it does not seem like there is a clear-cut distinction between these three job titles when it comes to the core function: it is to design and develop learning solutions that are engaging and impactful – period. As of now, considering the current full-time openings in the United States, there is not enough data to conclude what is expected from a learning engineer and what they do. However, there seems to be a slight difference between an LX designer and a learning architect: an LX designer is a designer. There is heavy emphasis on the visual appeal of the products as well as the project management role. A learning architect, however, has that C-level feel to it: they are more experienced, and supposed to establish, maintain, and sustain the design and development system.


At the end of the day, if instructional design is the major, these new titles seem to be the focus tracks you can pick from. The core function is not earth-shatteringly different - for now. The necessity of creating the sexy titles, however, is still open for debate.

932 views
bottom of page