Blueprint for impact
Get a look at the pillars shaping this course.
While development is still underway, these highlights offer an early look at the skills and outcomes you’ll be working toward:
“This course focuses on designing learning that drives change. Instructional design is about more than presenting information, it is about making it stick. The tools you gain here can improve training, communication, and knowledge sharing across any organization.”
Flexible. Applied. Built for business.
Exploring this for your team, not just yourself? You’re in the right place. This course is still in development, making it an ideal time to explore how it could support your workforce goals. Whether you're planning ahead or seeking a strategic fit, we’ll help tailor the experience so it delivers value for your team from day one.
Instructional Design Principles
Gain the skills to design powerful learning experiences that inspire, engage, and deliver results. Learn proven strategies that drive performance and deepen understanding.
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Course description
Strong instructional design is essential to developing effective training and education that empowers people to learn, grow, and perform at their best. This course equips you with foundational design strategies that improve how learning is built, delivered, and measured across industries. Whether you're creating programs for professional development, workforce training, or digital learning products, you’ll gain tools that turn information into impact.
You’ll learn to assess learner needs, define measurable objectives, and apply adult learning theory to practical design challenges. The course introduces widely used models like ADDIE and backward design while guiding you through real scenarios using personas, storyboards, and microlearning techniques. Each concept is reinforced with hands-on projects that mirror the challenges faced in modern learning environments.
You’ll build a portfolio-ready instructional artifact and gain insights that translate directly into more effective onboarding, training, and learning outcomes. By the end of the course, you’ll have the tools to create meaningful, strategic learning experiences that drive performance, improve retention, and meet evolving demands.
Course outcomes
- Define Measurable Objectives
Write clear learning outcomes that align with goals and drive course structure, delivery, and assessment. - Apply Learning Theories
Use adult learning principles to shape engaging and effective instructional strategies across audiences. - Design with the ADDIE Model
Use ADDIE to plan, develop, and refine instruction with purpose, structure, and flexibility. - Create Learner Personas
Build detailed user profiles to guide personalized, targeted, and inclusive learning experiences. - Build Learning Storyboards
Translate learning goals into structured content flows using visual mapping and sequencing techniques. - Develop Instructional Artifacts
Create a prototype or learning product that applies best practices and demonstrates instructional design skills. - Use Backward Design Effectively
Design with the end in mind to ensure content and activities align with outcomes and performance needs. - Enhance Engagement with Microlearning
Break down complex content into digestible, focused modules to support just-in-time learning and retention.
The learning experience
This course is designed for professionals who create learning experiences or manage training efforts across any industry. Whether you're new to instructional design or building on experience, you'll gain frameworks, feedback, and hands-on practice. Expect collaborative discussions, flexible online delivery, and a chance to apply concepts through a final design project. There are no specific prerequisites, just curiosity and a desire to make learning more effective.
Cost
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This course is designed by RIT and delivered on the edX platform. Enrollment is available exclusively at edx.org. Please visit the edX website to explore more detailed information about pricing options, start dates, time commitment and more.
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Ready when you are
This course is not currently open for enrollment, but that doesn’t mean the opportunity has to wait.
If this course aligns with your goals or your team’s needs, let us know. Your interest helps us plan future sessions and may even accelerate the timeline. We also offer custom options for organizations looking to run tailored versions of this experience.
Hear from the experts
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Insight
“This course focuses on designing learning that drives change. Instructional design is about more than presenting information, it is about making it stick. The tools you gain here can improve training, communication, and knowledge sharing across any organization.”
Value
“I believe that good instructional design is a powerful problem-solving tool. These skills are not just for educators. They are essential for anyone who trains, teaches, or communicates knowledge to adults in a meaningful way.”
Flexible. Applied. Built for business.
Exploring this for your team, not just yourself? You're in the right place. RIT Certified courses and certificates deliver high-impact ROI whether used off the shelf or tailored with our team to align with your workforce strategy. Each offering builds in-demand skills that help teams grow, retain talent, and stay ahead in a world of constant change. We don’t just deliver training. We help you plan for what’s next.
Pathways and certificates
This course is part of a broader mastery certificate.
Explore how it fits into a full learning journey.
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