An innovative new Michigan State University master’s program will equip current and aspiring instructional designers to become field leaders in a diverse range of educational settings. The M.A. in Learning Experience Design (MALXD) is currently accepting applications to join its inaugural cohort of students in Fall 2024.
Learning experience design involves the creation of educational experiences informed by research-backed learning theories that incorporate powerful strategies and intentional technologies to help students meet learning goals. Learning experience designers help organizations review and develop curriculum, improve and create new courses and learning experiences, and support the implementation of new teaching techniques and technologies.
In this fully online, asynchronous program, MALXD learners will create well-informed and powerful learning experiences in all educational settings, informed by the critical lenses of equity, accessibility and social justice.
A ‘strategically scaffolded’ program
Fittingly, the MSU team behind MALXD took a learning experience design approach as they began developing this new program and its unique student experience.
“One of the most important skills we develop as designers is listening – and as a program, we really prioritize listening to our learners,” said program director and Assistant Professor Liz Owens Boltz. “We developed the Master of Arts in Learning Experience Design by listening to the needs of students and potential students.”
Building on what they learned from College of Education alumni working in the field, MALXD faculty designed a strategically scaffolded program where students will earn three graduate certificates as they work towards their master’s degree. The course sequence allows students to carry over and build on their knowledge as they progress through the program. These thoughtfully designed elements create an educational experience that allows learners to concretely develop their skills and credentials on the path to graduation.
MALXD will support a vibrant community of learners with diverse perspectives and backgrounds, from those starting their careers in instructional design to experienced designers who want to expand their knowledge and seek leadership opportunities. The fully online program is designed to be completed in less than two years by learners who are working full time.
Equity, accessibility and social justice are foundational elements of the program, ensuring that designers are creating educational experiences and media that will meet the needs of all learners.
“Social justice is crucial to the process of design,” explained Boltz. “Who is included and excluded from the design process? Who is represented in course readings and media? What diverse needs are learners bringing to the experience? Those are all questions we need to consider as designers.”
Inspired by alums
This new master’s program was created in response to an interesting trend that MSU’s M.A. in Educational Technology (MAET) program began noticing among its students and alumni.
The MAET program has empowered nearly 1,500 K-12 classroom educators to better support learners by integrating technology into their teaching practices.
In recent years, MAET has welcomed a growing number of learners from higher education, the private sector, business settings and communications departments who are seeking knowledge about theory, teaching, and technology. At the same time, more MAET alumni have found positions in instructional design within higher education and private-sector educational spaces.
These observations sparked the initial inspiration for MALXD.
“It became clear that we had learners who were focused on substantially different professional outcomes and we were serving vastly different learners and contexts,” explained Boltz, who also serves as director of the MAET program. “We knew we could do better for our learners by developing a program that was focused on theory-informed design in a range of professional contexts.”
An instructional designer’s perspective
In 2020, Bernadette Bacero was ready to begin a new professional chapter and jumped at an opportunity to become an instructional designer at a Michigan community college. After almost a decade as a high school teacher and having recently earned her M.A. in Educational Technology at MSU, Bacero was excited by the challenge of working across a broad range of subjects and using technology to create better learning experiences for students.
As part of her role at Schoolcraft College, Bacero collaborates with faculty to design and improve primarily online courses. Over a six-month period, she will collaborate with an instructor to review the alignment to course competencies and then develop the student experience with the student’s perspective in mind. This process may involve exploring new technological or instructional strategies, enhancing how the course is delivered online, and ensuring the course is accessible for all students.
When asked what she loves most about her role, Bacero speaks of the collaboration, creativity, and curiosity that are inherent to instructional design. She’s inspired by the process of helping an instructor translate their passion for the subject matter into a learning experience that’s accessible and engaging for Schoolcraft students.
As an MAET alum, Bacero offered some insight into what future MALXD learners can expect within the new program. While her experiences in the MAET program help inform her work as an instructional designer, she is excited by the new program’s specific emphasis on accessibility. She also underscored the sense of community and support that’s at the heart of the MALXD team, as well as the spirit of innovation that inspires their courses.
“They bring a spirit of creativity, of creation, of trial and error that is really conducive to having an open mind when it comes to technology and learning,” she said.