How Design Thinking Can Improve Instructional Design

Happy Tuesday, instructional designers & eLearning devs! Quick question: do you think that instructional design is a fulfilling career? I've had different answers to this question depending on the year. On the one hand, you don't get the same satisfaction as you do from seeing those "aha" moments when teaching in-person. But on the other hand, you can reach way more people as an instructional designer. You can be more creative and design really cool eLearning experiences, but if you're in the wrong role, you might be churning out infodumps. And the list goes on. There are pros and cons. I dive deeper into my perspective in this week's YouTube video (linked in the comments), but I'd love to hear what you think. Is instructional design fulfilling for you? #LinkedInWithDevlin #InstructionalDesign #eLearning #Teacher #Teaching

How I Discovered That I’ve Been an Instructional Designer all along. When I first heard the term ADDIE in Instructional Design, I thought it sounded like something complicated, a technical model only for e-learning professionals. But then I looked closer..and realized I had been using it all along, I mean I use it everyday in my classroom. What is ADDIE? ADDIE is the most popular instructional design model. It is the framework instructional designers use to create effective learning experiences. It simply stands for: A – Analysis D – Design D – Development I – Implementation E – Evaluation At first, it looks like a corporate model.
But for teachers like me, it’s how we teach instinctively. Here’s how I realized it fits my daily practice: Analysis – Every time I observe my pupils to understand their learning gaps. Design – When I plan my lessons or decide which teaching aids to use. Development – When I create charts, slides, or models to simplify a concept. Implementation – When I deliver the lesson and guide my learners through it. Evaluation – When I assess how much they actually learned and what I can do better next time. So yes, we’ve been instructional designers all along. We just didn’t have a name for it. Why ADDIE Matters Understanding the ADDIE framework has helped me connect my classroom experience with the broader field of Instructional Design and EdTech. It’s shown me how to: ✅ Plan lessons more strategically.
 ✅ Use feedback to continuously improve.
 ✅ Think beyond the classroom and design for any learning space, digital or physical. It’s not just about making content.
It’s about designing learning that works. Teaching has always been my foundation, but Instructional Design is opening a new door; one where creativity meets structure, and storytelling meets strategy. And now, when I sit to plan a lesson, I think like a designer not just a teacher.
Because that’s what modern education truly needs. Have you ever realized you were using a big educational theory without even knowing it? Let’s talk, what’s one teaching habit you now see in a new light? #InstructionalDesign #Teaching #Education #ADDIE #LearningDesign #EdTech #ProfessionalGrowth #TeacherTransition

🎯 Instructional Design: The Framework Every Teacher Should Know Have you ever finished a great lesson — energetic, fun, full of activities — and still thought, “But did they really learn what I wanted them to?” That’s where Instructional Design (ID) comes in. 🧩 What is Instructional Design? Instructional Design is the process of planning, structuring, and evaluating learning experiences so that every part of a lesson — the objectives, the materials, the activities, and the assessments — work together to help learners reach a clear goal. It’s not about making lessons fancier. It’s about making them intentional, measurable, and learner-centered. Here’s how teachers can start applying ID in their classrooms 👇 1️⃣ Begin with the End in Mind Ask yourself: What exactly should my students be able to do by the end of this lesson? That goal becomes your North Star. 2️⃣ Align Everything with That Goal Every activity, discussion, and worksheet should serve that objective — not just “fill time.” 3️⃣ Design for Engagement, Not Entertainment Videos, games, and quizzes are great, but true engagement means learners are thinking, connecting, and using new knowledge. 4️⃣ Reflect and Revise After each lesson, ask: Did this activity actually help them achieve the goal? That reflection is what turns a good teacher into a designer. 🔑 Takeaway: Instructional Design gives teachers a framework to make learning more effective — not by doing more, but by doing things with clearer purpose. #InstructionalDesign #TeacherDevelopment #LearningDesign #Education #TeachingStrategies #ProfessionalGrowth #LifelongLearning #corporatetrainer #businessenglish

The Instructional Design I’d spent three weeks designing a L&D module I was proud of—scaffolded learning, real-life scenarios, and even a gamified quiz at the end. But to the subject matter expert, it was "too much." I felt frustrated. But instead of pushing back, I asked, “What’s the one thing you want learners to do differently after this?” That one question changed everything. We cut the content by 40%, focused on a single, clear outcome, and added a simple decision-making simulation based on real tasks. The SME loved it. And better yet—learners retained more. That’s when I truly understood that instructional design isn’t about making things pretty or dumping knowledge. It’s about clarity, empathy, and behavior change. It’s about asking the right questions, even if the answer means letting go of your "perfect" design. If you're an instructional designer feeling stuck between stakeholders and strategy—remember: Anchor in the learner's needs Design for action, not just information And never underestimate the power of a good question #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #LxD #CorporateTraining #Storytelling #DesignThinking #Elearning

📝 One of my favorite ways to transform a course into a meaningful learning experience is by using scenario-based eLearning. At its core, a scenario is simply a story set in a realistic situation where learners make choices and see the consequences. It sounds complex at first, but the impact is powerful. I’ve seen scenarios turn even the dullest topics — like mandatory compliance or routine protocols — into opportunities for reflection, decision-making, and real-world application. Here’s what scenario-based learning can do for us as instructional designers: ✨ Breathe life into dry, repetitive content ✨ Stimulate learner interest by connecting to practice ✨ Encourage thought, reflection, and action — not just memorization For me, scenarios aren’t just a design choice — they’re a way to shift learners from disengaged to deeply involved. 👉 Have you tried weaving scenarios into your courses? What’s worked best for you? #InstructionalDesign #Elearning #LearningExperience #ScenarioBasedLearning #CourseDesign

A practical 50-second guide for instructional designers: see how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can transform e-learning by offering multiple means of representation, engagement, and action/expression. This short video follows the script word-for-word using only stock media, word-by-word subtitles, and a clear female American voice. Learn concrete examples—captions, downloadable transcripts, and infographic summaries—for accessible compliance training built with tools like Articulate 360. Perfect for course creators focused on accessibility, equity, and effective adult learning strategies. If this helped, please like and share the video to spread UDL best practices. #UDL #InstructionalDesign #eLearning #Accessibility #Articulate360

Designing for Transformation: From Teaching to learning A thought I keep coming back to in my work as an instructional designer: Students don’t remember the course outline. They remember how the learning experience changed them. As an educational developer in the higher education context, I partner with brilliant faculty who know their subject inside and out. The real magic happens when we shift from “What do we want to teach?” to “What do learners need to do differently after going through this learning journey?” That’s where instructional design lives. It’s about designing for transformation. Here are some of the questions that we discuss about when I sit down, one on one, with faculty to discuss designing meaningful, effective and inclusive learning experiences for their students: 1. What should your learners be able to know/do by the end of this learning experience? 2. What will get in their way? 3. How can we create practice that feels authentic, meaningful, engaging and inclusive? Every time we anchor design in those questions, the learning outcomes stick. In the end, it’s about what learners carry forward, rather than about what is taught. What’s one principle you always come back to in your own teaching or design practice? #EducationalDeveloper #InstructionalDesigner #TeachingAndLearningexcellence #InstructionalDesign #LearningDesign #EducationalDevelopment #TeachingAndLearning #HigherEd #FacultyDevelopment #LearningExperienceDesign #InclusiveTeaching #Pedagogy #LearningOutcomes #TransformativeLearning #StudentSuccess #CourseDesign #EducationInnovation #LearningThatLasts

🎯 Training Tip Tuesday 🎯 One of the best ways to create impactful training is to design with empathy, not just expertise. 👉 Learners don’t always come in with confidence. Some are overwhelmed, some are brand new, and others may be balancing heavy workloads or uncertainty in their personal lives. As instructional designers, our job isn’t just to share knowledge, it’s to lower barriers so learning feels doable. Designing training for humans, needs to be centered around humans. We need to understand where our learning is coming from, why they are taking the training, and what bariers there might be to making the training effective. We, as designers, need to step into the world of our learner to make the learning impactful and useful. 💡 Tip of the day: Build training that speaks to the learner’s world. Use clear language, give context for why it matters, and provide small wins along the way. Because when training meets learners where they are, it transforms from “just another course” into a tool for growth, resilience, and confidence. #humandesign #instructionaldesigner #training #contentdesigner #creative #learning #educaiton #continuingeducation #onthejobtraining

Considering the instruction design field? Learn more about what instructional designers do in this article by Penn State World Campus #PennStateWorldCampus #InstructionalDesign #EdTech #NationalLearningAndDevelopmentMonth

Instructional designers combine instructional design theory, educational psychology, and learning science with instructional technology to create effective learning experiences. These skills translate to work like curriculum development, project management, and multimedia design to create effective learning experiences that address real-world needs. https://bit.ly/48kzNpO