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When I saw on LinkedIn that the Center for Digital Innovation and Learning at Boston College is searching for a learning experience designer, I knew I wanted to feature the gig. The center’s executive director, Brian Salerno, is an old friend and colleague. Brian graciously agreed to answer my questions about the role.
If you have a job at the intersection of learning, organizational change and technology that you are recruiting for, please get in touch!
Q: What is the university’s mandate behind this role? How does it help align with and advance the university’s strategic priorities?
A: Boston College's mandate for the learning designer role is to enhance the quality of digital teaching and learning through innovative instructional design. This position supports the university’s commitment to academic excellence and formative education by collaborating with faculty to develop engaging, effective and transformative digital learning experiences. This is inclusive of multimodal learning experiences such as online, hybrid and digitally enhanced face-to-face courses and programs. By integrating evidence-based pedagogical strategies, learner-centered course design techniques and by leveraging innovative learning technologies, the learning designer contributes to Boston College's strategic priorities of fostering student success and promoting a culture of academic excellence and innovation in teaching and course design.
Q: Where does the role sit within the university structure? How will the person in this role engage with other units and leaders across campus?
A: The learning designer position is housed within the Center for Digital Innovation in Learning (CDIL) at Boston College, which is under the purview and guidance of provost. In this capacity, the learning designer collaborates closely with faculty members across various disciplines, providing expertise in learning design and course development. CDIL supports online and hybrid programs and courses, including degree programs and continuing education offerings from nearly every school and academic unit within Boston College. Additionally, the role involves collaborating with other units such as BC Libraries, Information Technology Services, the Center for Teaching Excellence and others to ensure a cohesive approach to digital teaching and learning initiatives. Through these collaborations, the learning designer plays a pivotal role in advancing the university's formative educational mission and the center’s mandate to fully support faculty in the exploration of innovative approaches to digital learning and course design.
Q: What would success look like in one year? Three years? Beyond?
A: In the first year, success in this role would be measured by the learning designer’s ability to build strong collaborative relationships with our faculty colleagues and contribute meaningfully to a range of course design and enhancement projects. The learning designer would demonstrate fluency with Boston College’s values and pedagogical goals, applying learning design best practices that reflect both innovative design and use of learning technologies, as well as the university’s formative education mission. By the end of the first year, they would be seen as a trusted partner in the academic community and an active contributor to CDIL’s campuswide initiatives.
Over the next three years, the learning designer would be expected to grow into more complex responsibilities—potentially stepping into a learning experience designer role. At this stage, they would likely take an emerging role on program-level design efforts, mentor peers or faculty partners and help shape institutional digital learning strategy through pilot programs, faculty development, or research-informed practices. Their work would have a demonstrable impact on student learning outcomes and pedagogical innovation.
Looking further ahead, beyond the three-year mark, the learning designer could potentially evolve into a more advanced role, such as senior learning experience designer. They would be recognized not only for their design expertise but also for their influence on institutional digital teaching culture, their ability to lead change and innovation and their contributions to advancing digital learning in higher education.
Q: What kinds of future roles would someone who took this position be prepared for?
A: The position is intentionally designed with a developmental pathway in mind; as previously mentioned the role is created with the intention of supporting our colleagues in progressing from learning designer to learning experience designer and eventually to senior learning experience designer. This structured growth track allows individuals to deepen their expertise, expand leadership capacity and take on more strategic responsibilities over time.
Beyond the internal path, as I’ve seen firsthand, this role sets the stage for potential future careers in academic innovation leadership within higher education, higher ed consulting, perhaps in ed-tech firms or consulting organizations, learning and development leadership in other settings like corporate or nonprofits, and even program and curriculum development roles within higher education. Ultimately, the learning designer role isn’t just about designing better digital courses, but it’s often a launchpad for becoming a key driver of educational transformation in higher education and beyond.
