Educational, Learning and Instructional Design

Whilst these terms may be used interchangeably within organisations, the definitions do highlight some differences. An Instructional Designer may have difficulty carrying out the work of an Educational Designer, but may manage Learning Design roles. The Learning Designer can usually carry out the role of an Educational Designer as long as they have formal trailing in the Learning Sciences. Educational Design is at the top of the ‘tree’ because they definitely need formal training in learning and teaching as well as current knowledge of the Learning Sciences.

Within universities, Educational Design and Learning Design do have some differences. Educational Designers tend to work on a variety of projects from a wide range of subjects whilst Learning Designers focus on one Subject or one course. This means that an Educational Designer needs a greater variety of skills to meet the demands of their varied work. The Learning Designer may need to work more closely with the content so would need greater attention to detail.

Interesting in Australia there are almost double the monthly google searches for the term Instructional Design compared to Learning Design.

All three of these roles can be applied to eLearning. ELearning covers the full spectrum of digital learning and teaching. Information and communication systems are the media used to implement the learning process.

Looking for a Job as an Instructional Designer in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth?

We are always looking for talented instructional designers to join our team in Melbourne, Sydney,  Perth and Brisbane on an independent contractor or casual employee basis to provide instructional design support on specific projects.  Our projects typically vary in length from 1 to 12 weeks, so we may be able to offer flexible engagements around your other commitments and availability (including work from home, flexible days and hours). Learn More

Click on the links below to learn more about instructional design.

• What is Instructional Design
• Understanding Instructional Design
• What Do Instructional Designers Do?
• What are the differences between Educational Design, Learning Design and Instructional Design?
• First Principles of Instruction
• The Instructional Design Method
• Learning Science
• Read more Academic Articles on Instructional design here.
• Read our latest blog articles here

Instructional Design Australia (IDA) draws on the ADDIE model of Instructional Design when delivering its learning design services to clients across Australia.  Watch the video below to learn more on how IDA apply the ADDIE model.