Digital learning designer

This occupation is found in organisations of any size or sector where there is either an internal need, or where digital learning services are part of their business outputs. Typical organisations include, but are not limited to, formal education providers, public sector organisations, private training providers, in-house and specialist digital learning design studios and private companies, for example retail and telecommunications.

Digital learning designers are experts in adult learning and have specialist skills in educational technologies. They design and develop a range of products and initiatives, such as online courses, interactive multimedia, and virtual simulations, to address a wide range of educational and business needs

The broad purpose of the occupation is to scope, design, develop, and maintain digital learning materials and provisions for educational and professional development programmes, courses, and other learning initiatives. Employees in this occupation work with a range of stakeholders, including internal or external subject experts, clients, academics, learning and development, and technology professionals. They engage with organisational and sector insights, research and performance data, and consult with learners and other stakeholders, to define the learning context and requirements, and design and develop digital learning designs within an appropriate learning model or framework. They support and advise upon the use and implementation of learning technologies to facilitate learning and assessment strategies. Digital learning designers act as subject matter experts in approaches to learning with digital technologies. This includes good practice and research-informed approaches to how humans learn and how this knowledge can be leveraged with appropriate learning technologies. They provide contextually relevant guidance on enhancing the learner experience, complying with legal and professional standards, such as accessibility, and evaluating and improving the effectiveness of learning systems. Their services may be required as an internal resource and/or as part of an external commercial, non-profit, or public service. They coordinate various aspects of different digital learning projects with a focus on enhancing and improving learner experience and achieving intended learning outcomes. Digital Learning Designers maximise platform configuration and the use of established and emerging technologies, to achieve the best outcome for learners and their organisations. They may align digital learning programmes of study, content, and experiences with professional or qualification frameworks. Digital learning designers actively engage with relevant communities of practice and maintain their professional skillset through research and continual professional development.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a wide range of internal and external departments and stakeholders. These include primarily subject matter experts, educators and training professionals but also various professional staff such as IT, operations, marketing and management. They may also work with independent creative and legal professionals as well as professional bodies. They interact directly with a wide range of learners who may be employees, students, or public consumers. A Digital Learning Designer may work independently or within a team depending upon the type and size of organisation. They are expected to carry out their role independently with limited supervision. A key part of the design role is to consult colleagues, management, stakeholders, subject experts and the wider community of professional practice outside of their organisation. In day-to-day project work Digital Learning Designers usually report to a relevant project or programme manager. More broadly, direct line management is often carried out by a head of department or senior learning designer. These roles and company structures vary dependent upon size and type of organisation.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for making sure deliverables are achieved and documented within agreed project specifications and timescales. They are responsible for sound and appropriate design for effective learning in specific contexts. They ensure the quality of the digital learning content and configurations. Typically they may provide progress reports either internally or to an external client. They are responsible for data they gather during the design process and must ensure they follow legal and organisational requirements. Typically they agree the time and resource required from other professionals with whom they work collaboratively, for example a graphic designer. They capture and respond to relevant evaluative data and feedback. They may be responsible for some budgetary considerations depending on the type and size of organisations and scope of their role. This would often relate to advice in procurement processes, including choices of technology, specialist work such as video and animation and licence requirements.