#96: Redesigning a Graduate Program from Instructional Design to Learning Design and Learning Sciences

This design contribution describes the redesign of a graduate program from instructional design to learning design. The objective was to align program structures with the learning sciences while responding to student experiences. Using learning experience network analysis, I analyzed 118 student reflections across three semesters to identify potential design changes. The redesigned program implements empirically-informed and theory-grounded changes including portfolio-based assessment replacing comprehensive exams, design thinking coursework providing collaboration scaffolding, expanded research practicum for authentic professional work, and flexible specializations. This transformation demonstrates how design-based research methods can inform curricular reform that honors both empirical evidence and theoretical coherence. The process offers a model for graduate programs navigating paradigmatic shifts from knowledge transmission to learning as becoming.