Reflections of a new educational designer

Abstract

Educational design is an area of growing significance in tertiary education, though the career pathway to educational design is varied. Few specific qualifications are available, and so educational designers tend to take up their roles with little experience or in-depth knowledge. The purpose of the study is to investigate one new educational designer’s development from new to role to experienced practitioner, in order to identify what new educational designers might expect as they develop. Across the early stage of her educational design role, Nicky Meuleman, educational designer at Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, captured significant encounters and recorded ongoing reflection. This paper summarises and discusses the key themes from those reflections, providing insight into one educational designer’s journey from beginner to proficient practitioner.