Courses and Learning Outcomes
M.A. in Learning Design and Technology
Course Sequence
Students will typically enroll in 2 to 3 courses per semester (6 to 9 units). A total of 30 units are required to graduate.
Core Courses
18 units of core courses to include:
Rationale, foundations, theories, careers, trends, and issues in educational technology. Implications of educational technology for instruction and information in schools, government, and corporations.
Systematic design of products for education and training. Use of analyses and content mapping to set instructional goals. Instructional methods derived from learning theories for use in schools, universities, corporations, and other settings. Rapid prototyping of instructional products.
Educational visualization with digital video, animation, sound, 2D and 3D graphics for mobile and web-based learning.
Principles of human learning and cognition applied to design and use of technology-based learning systems. Development of research-based guidelines for designing educational products and services.
Learning experiences using virtual reality and worlds. Cognitive load in novel environments, sensory perception, theories and models of social interaction. Implications of virtual interaction.
Management of instructional design and performance interventions. Development of timelines, staffing plans, communication strategies, and budgets.
Elective Courses
9 units of elective courses. Courses in learning design and technology and related fields, selected with the approval of the adviser on the basis of the student’s interests and goals. A minimum of nine elective units must be taken in courses at the 600- and/or 700-levels.
Analysis of games and play from cognitive, historical, motivational, and social perspectives. Design of simple learning games. Survey of the game industry and use of games in education and training.
Personal investigation into conscious awareness, identity, and mind. Exploration of mindfulness, self-inquiry, and similar contemporary approaches to personal awakening. Opportunities for direct experience with meditation, yoga, and related methods for expanding awareness, quieting mind, and cultivating communication, creativity, and intelligence.
Selected problems in educational technology.
Work begun in the Fall semester of EDL 660 will continue, and candidates will participate in a second 3-day shadowing experience.
Mobile learning models and examples. Design principles and development processes. Adapting mobile learning for different environments, settings, and cultures. Future trends.
Design, evaluation, and use of simulations and games for education and training. Instructional applications of role plays, board games, and multiplayer virtual worlds. Theories of motivation and interest.
Design and development of individualized instruction delivered through e-learning; learning management systems; informal learning for corporate and museum education.
Organizational and informational systems that support instructional products and services. Individual, team, and organizational analyses. Incentives, feedback, coaching, job-aids, selection, knowledge management, and other performance improvement strategies.
Supervised internship in an educational or training setting. Application to take course must be made during preceding semester.
May involve fieldwork.
Practicum or Research
3 units from one of the following:
Degree Learning Outcomes (DLOs)
The following are clusters of curricular goals for the LDT program and the professional standards they align with, along with the student learning outcomes associated with each cluster.
- ISPI: International Society for Performance Improvement
- AECT: The Association for Educational Communications and Technology
- ATD: The Association for Talent Development
- Determine the needs associated with an instructional problem using audience, environment, function and task analyses.
- Analyze and evaluate instructor-led lessons and identify opportunities to enhance them with technology.
- Determine the needs associated with developing mobile learning solutions for an organization.
Course aligned with outcome cluster: LDT 515, 525, 544, 561, 630, 671
Professional standards aligned with this outcome: ISPI, AECT, ATD
- Define, explain and choose among instructional strategies dealing with problem- solving, declarative knowledge, concepts, principles, procedures, cognitive strategies, psychomotor skills, motivation, attitude and interest.
- Using ADDIE, SAM or Design Thinking to design mobile learning applications for an organization.
- Design a tabletop game to achieve specific learning outcomes.
Courses aligned with outcome cluster: LDT 515, 525, 544, 561, 630, 650, 670, 671, 690
Professional standards aligned with this outcome: ISPI, AECT, ATD
Design and develop a job aid that focuses on the needs of an audience.
Produce high-quality rapid prototypes that meet pre-specified instructional objectives.
Develop multimedia applications for organizations around the world.
Using ADDIE, SAM or Design Thinking to develop mobile learning applications for an organization.
Courses aligned with outcome cluster: All courses except LDT 640 and 690
Professional standards aligned with this outcome: ISPI, AECT, ATD
- Design and conduct a synchronous online session with a sequence of planned resources and interactions.
- Conduct research on real-world problems in teaching and learning as class activities.
- Deploy and test a learning or performance intervention for an external client.
Courses aligned with outcome cluster: All 600- and 700-level courses
Professional standards aligned with this outcome: ISPI, AECT, ATD
- Assess the emotional response to an educational game through observation and direct questioning.
- Locate or develop instruments and tools.
- Conduct evaluation on real-world problems in teaching and learning as class activities.
- Conduct test of a learning or performance intervention for an external client.
Courses aligned with outcome cluster: All 600- and 700-level courses
Professional standards aligned with this outcome: ISPI, AECT, ATD
- Establish project objectives that are measurable and feasible, and explain them to appropriate stakeholders.
- Communicate through oral and written briefings and meeting minutes.
Courses aligned with outcome cluster: LDT 684, 795
Professional standards aligned with this outcome: AECT, ATD
- Explain theories and models of motivation and affect including Malone & Lepper’s intrinsic motivation taxonomy, Csikszentmihalyi’s flow concept and Mehrabian & Russell’s model of emotions.
- Demonstrate competence with software appropriate for quantitative research (Excel, SPSS, etc.), including set-up, graphical and table displays, and interpretation of results.
Courses aligned with outcome cluster: LDT 640, 670, 690
Professional standard aligned with this outcome: AECT