Centering the Learner Within Instructional Design: The Evolution of Learning Design and the Emergence of Learning Experience Design (LXD) in Workforce Training and Development

Abstract

Evolving from its instructional design origins and directly related to contemporary learning experience design (LXD), learning design has emerged as a movement within the field of workplace learning and development that seeks to shift the focus of training and education from the content to the learner. The origins of this learner focus can be traced to the development of instructional design theories and the emergence of learning sciences in the late 20th century, along with the expansion of competencies required of the modern instructional designer. Advances in our understanding of how people learn and changes in sociocultural aspects related to learning have led designers to structure experiences for learners that increase their autonomy and seek to meet each learner's unique needs.