Home > What is an Educational Designer?
Stafford Lumsden PhD, SFHEA. Educational Designer, Sydney Law School
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Educational designers (often called instructional designers, learning designers etc.) are specialists whose work is focused on improving teaching and learning.
Often, educational designers are referred to as working in a 3rd space, somewhere at the intersection of pedagogy, curriculum, technology, governance, and institutional operations.
An educational designer is likely able to bring expertise in course design, assessment, student engagement, and classroom practice to discussions with unit coordinators, teachers, and lecturers based on multiple years of experience teaching in the same or similar contexts.
In addition, educational designers are often trainers that is, they are teachers of teachers, concerned with the professional development of their academic colleagues and coaching them on how to design engaging courses and adopt new pedagogical strategies
By creating a bridge between theory and practice educational designers help ensure that higher education courses are well-structured, pedagogically sound, and aligned with institutional goals and regulatory requirements.
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At its best, educational design is built on collaborative partnerships grounded in trust, empathy, and shared purpose. Educational designers work alongside academics and other professional staff members, listening carefully to their needs, translating pedagogical theory into practice, and offering creative, often technology-enhanced solutions to emerging teaching and learning challenges.
Through communicating complex concepts through design, instruction, and modeling, educational designers act as bridge builders in schools anfd faculties, connecting strategic priorities with classroom realities. Their ultimate goal is to work with teachers in co-creating learning experiences for students that are engaging, based on evidence and data, and sustainable.
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Educational designers typically have a strong background in education and a mix of practical teaching experience and formal training. Many, have been academics, taught at postgraduate level, and have advanced postgraduate degrees themselves.
Increasingly, universities and other organisations look for at least a Masters degree in Education or a related field. Many Ed designers have multiple postgraduate qualifications, often a Masters in their “home” discipline and a PGCert/PGDip in something akin to design, but there are very few, if any, qualifications that specifically focus on educational design.
Education design is a heterogeneous field of educators who bring core pedagogical principles and practice from their home discipline and apply them to different teaching and learning contexts.
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The day-to-day work of an ed designer varies depending on whether they are attached to a central team, or embedded within a faculty, school, department, or other business unit.
Notwithstanding the context in which they find themselves, an educational designer is likely to spend considerable time collaborating with academics, professional teams, and students. They will offer advice on classroom practice, planning, assessment, curriculum design, educational technologies, online and blended learning, using the LMS, faculty professional development, project management, and program evaluation to name but a handful of tasks. Organisation, creativity, and problem-solving skills are required to address complex projects and challenges but having (often) been in the same shoes as the teachers they work with, educational designers are usually among the first to speak to maintaining academic autonomy in institutions like universities. You often find that educators and designers learn from each other, that the process of (designing) teaching and learning is not a one way street but a process that, at its very foundation is based on a shared commitment to improving student learning and fostering innovation.
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Educational designers, are in many ways jacks of all educational and pedagogical trades. It just so happens they have mastered quite a number of those trades as well.
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Educational designers wear many hats and navigate quite complex academic environments so being able to apply the following skills and exhibit the following qualities are essential:
1. Communication and collaboration: Successful educational designers build trust and understanding by communicating clearly and collaborating effectively with academics, professional staff, and students. They translate complex pedagogical ideas into actionable, shared goals that improve learning design and delivery.
2. Pedagogical expertise and continuous learning: They draw on strong pedagogical knowledge to design engaging, evidence-based learning experiences, while remaining committed to continual learning to stay current with emerging educational research and technologies.
3. Proficiency with technology: They confidently use digital tools and learning platforms to enhance course design and delivery, integrating technology purposefully to support accessibility, engagement, and innovation.
4. Organisation and project management skills: Educational designers manage multiple projects and stakeholders with structure and precision, ensuring that design initiatives are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with institutional priorities.
5. Creativity: They approach design challenges with imagination and flexibility, finding new ways to present content, structure activities, and motivate learners while maintaining academic integrity and rigour.
6. Problem-solving skills: They analyse complex pedagogical or logistical challenges, identify practical solutions, and adapt quickly to evolving contexts in teaching, learning, and technology.
7. Empathy: Empathy allows educational designers to understand the perspectives of both educators and students, creating learning environments that are inclusive, responsive, and supportive of diverse needs and experiences.
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©2025 Stafford Lumsden | ABN: 17767497079 | UPDATED: November 4, 2025
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