Instructional Design Glossary
A bookmarkable reference for eLearning and L&D terms — written for IDs who want clear, no-fluff definitions they can use in real projects and client conversations.
A
ADDIE
A classic instructional design framework that breaks course creation into five phases. In real projects, most teams treat it as a flexible checklist instead of a strict step-by-step recipe.
Accessibility
Designing learning so people with disabilities can use it. This includes screen reader support, keyboard navigation, color contrast, captions, transcripts, and clear structure on every screen.
Agile
An iterative way of working where you release small pieces of a course, get feedback quickly, and refine over short cycles instead of waiting for one big launch at the end.
Assessment
Any activity that checks what learners know or can do. This includes quick checks, scenario questions, quizzes, simulations, and on-the-job tasks tied to real work.
B
Bloom’s Taxonomy
A framework that organizes cognitive skills from basic recall to higher-order thinking (like applying, analyzing, and creating). Many IDs use it to shape learning objectives and question difficulty.
Blended Learning
A training approach that combines more than one modality—like eLearning, virtual sessions, and on-the-job activities—to create one connected learning experience.
Branching Scenario
An interactive scenario where learner choices lead to different paths and outcomes. It’s often used to practice conversations, decisions, and judgment calls in a safe environment.
Business Outcome
A measurable change the organization cares about, such as reduced errors, higher sales, or faster onboarding. Training should support these outcomes, not exist as a standalone goal.
C
Cognitive Load
The total mental effort a learner uses to understand and work with information. Too much load at once can overwhelm people and make it harder to learn or remember anything.
Chunking
Organizing information into smaller, meaningful pieces so it’s easier to process and remember. In eLearning, this shows up as short sections, steps, or grouped ideas instead of long walls of text.
Compliance Training
Training that helps employees follow laws, regulations, or internal policies— such as safety, ethics, data privacy, or harassment prevention.
Curriculum
A planned sequence of learning experiences that work together over time— not just a single course, but a full path of activities, resources, and touchpoints.
D
Discovery
The early phase of a project where you clarify the problem, audience, context, constraints, and success measures before you commit to a solution or course outline.
Design Document
A blueprint that outlines goals, audience, content structure, activities, and assessment plans before development starts. It captures key decisions in one place for review and sign-off.
Design Thinking
An approach to solving problems that starts with understanding people, then moves through ideation, prototyping, and testing. It encourages experimenting and learning fast from feedback.
Development
The phase where you create the actual learning materials—slides, eLearning modules, videos, guides, and job aids—based on the approved design.
E
eLearning
Learning experiences delivered through digital platforms—often browser-based courses, modules in an LMS, or interactive web experiences that learners complete online.
Evaluation
The process of checking how well learning performed—from basic reactions and completion data to changes in behavior and business results.
Engagement
The level of attention, interest, and participation learners bring to a learning experience. It’s influenced by relevance, challenge, interaction, and how the content feels to them.
Experiential Learning
A learning approach where people gain skills and insight by doing real or simulated tasks, then reflecting on what happened and how to apply it back on the job.
F
Formative Assessment
Low-stakes checks during a learning experience—like quick questions, knowledge checks, or practice activities—used to see how learners are doing and adjust as needed.
Facilitator Guide
A detailed guide that helps facilitators run a session. It usually includes timing, talking points, activity steps, debrief questions, and notes about slides or handouts.
Feedback
Information given to learners about their performance—what they did well, what needs adjustment, and how to improve on the next attempt or in real work.
Flipped Classroom
A structure where learners first explore core content on their own—often via eLearning or videos—and then use live time for practice, discussion, and problem-solving instead of lectures.
G
Gamification
Adding selected game elements—like points, levels, challenges, or progress bars—to a non-game learning experience to boost motivation and engagement.
Gap Analysis
A method for comparing the current state of performance or skills with the desired future state. The difference between the two is the “gap” your solution should address.
Goal Alignment
The practice of connecting learning objectives to business outcomes, so the course clearly supports real priorities instead of existing as a standalone “nice to have.”
Guided Practice
Practice activities where learners try a task with support—such as hints, worked examples, or step-by-step prompts—before they’re asked to perform more independently.
H
Hands-on Practice
Activities where learners actually do the task—clicking through a system, having a conversation, or completing a realistic exercise—instead of just watching or reading about it.
High-Level Design (HLD)
A summary view of the solution that shows major components, flow, and key decisions without getting into slide-by-slide or screen-by-screen detail.
Human-Centered Design
An approach that keeps the people you’re designing for at the center—focusing on their context, needs, constraints, and emotions throughout discovery, design, and testing.
Hybrid Learning
A learning setup where some people join in person and others join remotely at the same time, or where sessions switch between in-person and virtual formats across a program.
I
Implementation
The stage where the learning solution is released to learners—uploading to the LMS, communicating the launch, scheduling sessions, and monitoring early use.
Instructor-Led Training (ILT)
Training led by a facilitator in real time, usually in a physical classroom. It often includes slides, group activities, discussions, and role plays.
Interactivity
Any moment where learners actively do something with the content—click, drag, decide, type, discuss, or practice—instead of just consuming information.
Informal Learning
Learning that happens naturally through work, conversations, observation, and self-directed exploration—rather than through scheduled classes or assigned courses.
J
Job Aid
A tool that helps people perform a task on the job—like a checklist, quick reference, flowchart, or step-by-step guide—without having to remember every detail from training.
Just-in-Time Learning
Learning resources delivered at the exact moment of need—such as short videos, micro-courses, or job aids people access right before or during a task.
K
Kirkpatrick Model
A model for evaluating training using four levels: reaction, learning, behavior, and results. It helps structure how you think about measuring impact beyond smile sheets.
Knowledge Check
A brief, low-stakes question or interaction used during learning to see if key ideas are landing—often multiple choice, drag-and-drop, or scenario-based questions.
Knowledge Transfer
The extent to which what people learn in training shows up later in their real work— in their decisions, behaviors, and results.
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
A specific, measurable metric an organization watches closely—such as error rates, sales numbers, or customer satisfaction scores—that training may be designed to influence.
L
Learning & Development (L&D)
The part of an organization responsible for building skills, knowledge, and capabilities— often through training, programs, resources, and performance support.
Learning Objective
A clear statement of what learners should be able to do by the end of a course or lesson, usually written with an action verb and a focus on observable behavior.
Learning Outcome
The change you expect to see in knowledge, behavior, or performance after learning— often framed at a higher level than a single course objective.
Learning Path
An organized sequence of courses, resources, and experiences that learners move through over time to build a skill set or reach a role-ready level.
Learning Management System (LMS)
Software used to deliver, track, and manage learning—such as assigning courses, storing completions, and generating basic reports.
Learning Experience Design (LXD)
A way of designing learning that blends instructional design with UX, product thinking, and human-centered design. It looks at the end-to-end experience, not just a single course.
M
Metrics
The numbers you look at to understand how learning is performing—such as completions, quiz scores, time to competence, error rates, or other business-linked data.
Microlearning
Learning experiences broken into small, focused units—often a few minutes each— that target a single idea, skill, or task instead of a long, all-in-one course.
Mobile Learning
Learning experiences designed to work well on mobile devices—often shorter, tap-friendly, and focused on quick reference or practice rather than long, slide-heavy modules.
Modalities
The different formats you can use for learning—such as eLearning, video, ILT, VILT, job aids, simulations, or coaching—often combined in a single solution.
N
Narrative
The story thread that connects characters, situations, and events in a learning experience— often used in scenarios, case studies, or branching stories.
Navigation
The way learners move through a course or experience—buttons, menus, progress indicators, and rules about what they can do next.
Needs Analysis
The process of clarifying the real problem, audience, current performance, and desired state before deciding whether training is needed and what it should do.
Nudges (Learning Nudges)
Small, timely prompts—like reminders, tips, or micro-messages—that encourage people to use new behaviors or resources after training, often delivered through email, chat, or apps.
O
Onboarding
The structured process of helping new hires understand their role, team, tools, and culture— often combining courses, live sessions, shadowing, and on-the-job practice.
Online Learning
Any learning that happens over the internet—such as eLearning modules, virtual classes, webinars, or self-paced resources accessed through a browser or app.
On-the-Job Support
Tools and resources people use while doing their actual work—like job aids, checklists, embedded help, or quick reference guides that reduce the need to remember everything.
On-the-Job Training (OJT)
Training that happens as part of real work, usually with a more experienced person guiding, demonstrating, and coaching while the learner performs actual tasks.
P
Performance Support
Resources that help people do their jobs while they work—such as job aids, checklists, tooltips, or embedded help—so they don’t have to rely on memory from training alone.
Personas
Fictional but research-informed profiles that represent key learner groups—capturing their goals, constraints, context, and attitudes toward learning.
Pilot
A small-scale release of a learning solution to a limited audience to test content, flow, and logistics before rolling out more broadly.
Practice
Opportunities for learners to try the target skills—through scenarios, simulations, exercises, role plays, or real work—often with feedback and increasing challenge.
Pre-work
Activities or content learners complete before a live session or main course—such as short videos, readings, or reflections—to prime them and save time for deeper work.
Prototype
A quick, simplified version of a learning experience—such as a few sample screens, a clickable mockup, or a rough module—used to test ideas with stakeholders or learners.
Q
Qualitative Data
Non-numeric data—like comments, interview notes, observations, and themes—that help you understand how learners experienced a program and why results look the way they do.
Quantitative Data
Numeric data—like completions, scores, attendance, time spent, or KPI changes—that can be counted, compared, and tracked over time.
Question Bank
A collection of assessment questions grouped by topic, objective, or difficulty that an LMS or authoring tool can pull from to build quizzes or randomize items.
Quiz
A brief test used to check knowledge or understanding—often at the end of a lesson or module—made up of questions like multiple choice, true/false, or matching items.
R
Reflection
Intentional time for learners to think about what they experienced, what it means for their work, and how they might respond differently next time.
Reinforcement
Ongoing touchpoints—like reminders, nudges, refreshers, and manager check-ins—that help keep key ideas visible and support habit-building over time.
Retrieval Practice
Activities that ask learners to pull information from memory—like low-stakes quizzes, flashcards, or “what would you do?” questions—rather than just re-reading content.
Return on Investment (ROI)
A way of comparing the benefits of a learning initiative (like improved performance or reduced errors) to its costs in time, money, and resources.
Review Cycle
Planned rounds of feedback on drafts or builds—often from SMEs, stakeholders, and QA— with clear owners, deadlines, and what’s in scope for each round.
Role Play
A practice method where learners act out realistic situations—like coaching talks, customer calls, or feedback conversations—to try new skills in a safe environment.
S
Scenario-Based Learning
A learning approach that drops learners into realistic situations and asks them to make decisions, see consequences, and try again—often using branching or layered scenarios.
Simulation
An experience that imitates a real system, tool, or situation—like software sims, flight sims, or branching scenarios—so learners can practice without real-world risk.
SME (Subject Matter Expert)
A person with deep expertise in the topic or role you’re designing for—often a leader, high performer, or specialist who provides content, examples, and review.
Spaced Practice
A technique where practice or review happens across multiple sessions over time, instead of in one long block, to strengthen memory and skill.
Stakeholders
Individuals or groups who have a stake in the learning solution—such as sponsors, managers, SMEs, learners, and downstream teams affected by the results.
Storyboard
A detailed plan that lays out content, visuals, interactions, and audio script screen by screen (or slide by slide) before full development in an authoring tool.
T
Target Audience
The specific group of people a learning solution is meant to serve—defined by their roles, experience level, context, and what they need to be able to do.
Task Analysis
The process of breaking a job task into smaller, observable steps and decisions so you can see what people actually do and where they struggle.
Templates
Pre-built structures for documents or designs—like storyboards, slides, or emails—that give you a consistent starting point while leaving room for customization.
Time to Competence
The amount of time it takes for a learner—often a new hire—to reach a defined level of acceptable performance in their role.
Touchpoints
The individual moments where learners interact with the learning experience—emails, sign-up pages, modules, coaching sessions, nudges, and follow-ups.
Transfer of Training
The degree to which skills and knowledge from training show up later in real work— in how people behave, make decisions, and deliver results.
U
Upskilling
Helping people develop new or deeper skills so they can succeed in their current role or grow into future roles, often through targeted programs and practice.
Usability Testing
Observing real or representative learners as they try to use a course, tool, or resource to see where they get confused, stuck, or surprised.
User Experience (UX)
The overall experience someone has when interacting with a product or course—how easy it is to use, how it feels, and whether it helps them do what they came to do.
User Journey
A mapped view of all the steps a learner goes through with a solution—from first invite or announcement through completion, follow-up, and on-the-job use.
V
Video
A format that combines visuals, audio, and motion to share concepts, stories, demonstrations, or walkthroughs—live-action, animated, or screen-recorded.
Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT)
Real-time training led by a facilitator in a virtual platform—using chat, polls, breakout rooms, and shared screens instead of a physical classroom.
Visual Design
How a course or asset looks—layout, typography, color, spacing, and imagery—used intentionally to support clarity, focus, and emotional tone.
Voiceover
Recorded narration that guides learners through content—whether human-recorded or AI— usually following a script that complements (not reads) on-screen text.
W
Webinar
A live online session, often with a presenter and slides, delivered through a web platform— sometimes interactive, sometimes more broadcast-style.
Wireframe
A simple, low-fidelity sketch of screens or pages that focuses on structure, spacing, and content placement without final visuals or branding.
Workflow Learning
Learning that’s embedded directly into day-to-day work—through tools, prompts, job aids, and systems—so people don’t have to step away to a separate “course.”
Workplace Learning
All the ways people learn at work—formal programs, coaching, workflow learning, peer support, and informal problem-solving on the job.
X · Y · Z
xAPI (Experience API)
A specification for tracking learning activities across systems—not just in an LMS— by sending statements like “Dana completed Scenario 2” to a Learning Record Store (LRS).
YouTube & Open Video (Informal Learning)
When people use publicly available video platforms—like YouTube—to look up how-to content, explanations, or walkthroughs outside formal training programs.
Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
A concept from Vygotsky describing the “sweet spot” where a learner can succeed with some support—tasks that are just beyond what they can do alone, but not so hard they shut down.