Instructional design in higher education often focuses on managing the Learning Management System (LMS), organizing course content, and supporting faculty in integrating digital tools into their teaching. This was the case with my first role as Academic Director at SAE Institute Paris, where I wore many hats, from tech support and content organization to managing the department heads and to developing our certification and accreditation strategy. Where our LMS (Canvas at SAE) was concerned, I primarily ensured that educational materials were accessible and functional for students and educators.

Out of all of my hats from SAE, it was the LMS one that was most enticing to ESSEC Business School when they hired me as the Instructional Design Manager. They were looking for someone to manage the former team dedicated to managing their Moodle LMS platform as well as the content-creation team (that created content for MOOCs on Coursera as well as SPOCs delivered internally on Moodle). In my interviews, I spoke about my experience managing Canvas for an entire school as well as how I had flipped the classroom with my team at SAE following the first covid lockdown, creating theoretical video content to be consulted prior to in-person practical course. But when I arrived, I discovered authoring tools — they weren’t widely used at ESSEC at the time, but they had purchased a subscription of Articulate 360 in order to transpose content they had purchased from a supplier. I realized I needed to learn more, and enrolled in IDOL Courses Academy!

Through IDOL, I learned about how different instructional design was in a corporate context. Indeed, corporate instructional designers are tasked with creating targeted, engaging, and efficient eLearning experiences. They often develop courses from scratch, incorporating multimedia elements, interactive activities, and performance-based assessments, tailored to meet specific training needs. While higher ed focuses on maintaining content delivery, corporate instructional design emphasizes creating engaging and practical learning solutions with the help of subject matter specialists (SMEs), often on authoring tools but also through graphic design and in-person training.

At ESSEC and now at Quest Education Group, I truly believe that higher education instructional designers can borrow from corporate best practices enhance the learning experience and better prepare students for the real world. Here’s how.

1. Asynchronous eLearning and Authoring Tools

Corporate Practice:

In the corporate world, asynchronous eLearning modules are often built using authoring tools like Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, and others. These tools allow designers to create interactive, multimedia-rich courses that learners can access at their convenience. This flexibility supports self-paced learning, making it easier for employees to fit training into their schedules.

Application in Higher Education:

While in higher education, flipping the classroom is a regular occurrence using readings, homework assignments, and other asynchronous materials, eLearning development is strangely absent. Indeed, most universities restrict “eLearning” to MOOC-like products — videos and quizzes. Higher education can greatly benefit from the corporate model. Universities can use similar authoring tools (that often have education discounts, like Articulate) to develop engaging online modules that allow students to revisit content, complete interactive exercises, and study at their own pace. Especially for blended and online courses, these tools can enhance the overall learning experience by providing a consistent, scalable solution for course delivery.

2. Job Aids and Supportive Learning Resources

Corporate Practice:

Job aids are essential in corporate training, acting as quick-reference tools that help employees perform tasks more efficiently. These aids can be checklists, infographics, quick-reference cards, or even short instructional videos. The idea is to provide on-the-job support, helping employees apply what they’ve learned directly in their roles.

Application in Higher Education:

In higher education, teachers often create handouts, but I know that when I was teaching, I was always dissatisfied with the look and feel of handouts I created. The corporate idea of job aids can be repurposed as supplementary learning materials. Students often need support outside the classroom, and providing resources like cheat sheets, instructional videos, or quick-reference guides can reinforce key concepts. For example, a lab course might provide a step-by-step checklist to help students complete experiments, mirroring the job aid approach in a real-world setting. Canva is an amazing and easy-to-learn tool that can help teachers at all levels create such content for students!

3. Microlearning for Efficient Knowledge Acquisition

Corporate Practice:

Corporate training often uses microlearning modules—short, focused lessons designed to teach a specific skill or concept. These bite-sized lessons are particularly effective for on-the-job learning, as they allow employees to quickly acquire and apply new knowledge without overwhelming them.

Application in Higher Education:

In higher education, microlearning can be applied to complex subjects by breaking down difficult concepts into smaller, manageable units. These micro-units can be delivered as part of a larger course, allowing students to master each segment before moving on to the next. Indeed, we have just started implementing such an approach at Quest to help students discover the hidden curriculum of employability! Especially when combined with other methods (our microlearning is combined with a project-based approach and virtual, synchronous masterclasses), this approach encourages active learning and helps students retain information more effectively.

Bridging the Gap Between Corporate and Higher Ed Instructional Design

The best practices developed in corporate instructional design are rooted in efficiency, engagement, and practicality—elements that can significantly benefit higher education. By adopting these strategies, universities can create more engaging, learner-centric experiences that not only improve student outcomes but also better prepare them for their future careers.

Ultimately, the goal of education, whether in a corporate setting or a university, is to facilitate learning that sticks. By applying lessons from the corporate sector, higher education institutions can create a richer, more supportive learning environment that meets the needs of modern students.

Have you seen corporate instructional design practices implemented in a higher education setting? What strategies have worked well for you?