What are the best instructional design courses on Coursera?

Top courses include Instructional Design Foundations and Applications from the University of Illinois and An Introduction to Learning Experience Design (LXD) from the University of Michigan as well. These programs cover learning theory, course planning, digital pedagogy, and technology tools for designing engaging learning experiences.

Can I learn instructional design for free on Coursera?

Yes. Many instructional design courses offer a free audit option. You can access video lectures and readings at no cost. If you want to complete assessments or earn a certificate, you’ll need to upgrade or apply for financial aid.

What will I learn in an instructional design course?

You’ll learn how to design learning objectives, structure courses, select appropriate media and tools, and evaluate learning outcomes. Many courses also include frameworks like ADDIE, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Do I need a teaching background to start learning instructional design?

Not necessarily. While experience in education or training can be helpful, many courses are beginner-friendly and provide a strong foundation for anyone interested in creating effective learning experiences.

Can Coursera’s instructional design courses help me build a career?

Yes. Instructional design is a growing field across education , corporate training , government , and nonprofits . Coursera courses can help you build job-ready skills, create a portfolio of work, and earn certificates that demonstrate your ability to design engaging and effective learning materials.

Top Instructional Design Courses - Learn Instructional Design Online

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Find the Best Instructional Design Course for Your Goals

Status: New
University of Colorado Boulder
Sentido Numérico para la Educación Primaria con PhET
Skills you'll gain: Mathematics Education, Teaching, Simulation and Simulation Software, Instructional Strategies, Education Software and Technology, Arithmetic, Diversity Awareness
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Packt
Advanced Terraform - Variables, Modules, & State Management
Skills you'll gain: AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), Terraform, Amazon Web Services, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Data Validation, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, Configuration Management, Testability, GitHub, Maintainability, Data Security
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Coursera
Creating Engaging Content for Facebook
Skills you'll gain: Facebook, Social Media Content, Content Creation, Social Media Management, Social Media, Content Performance Analysis, Social Media Strategy, Content Strategy, Drive Engagement, Video Production, Photo/Video Production and Technology, Storytelling, Community Development, Workflow Management, Target Audience, Live Streaming
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Coursera Project Network
Bewirb dein Kleinunternehmen auf Facebook mit Canva
Skills you'll gain: Facebook, Social Media Content, Social Media, Social Media Campaigns, Social Media Marketing, Marketing Materials, Advertising Campaigns, Promotional Materials, Design and Product
Beginner · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
Packt
Certified Six Sigma Yellow Belt Training
Skills you'll gain: Root Cause Analysis, Six Sigma Methodology, Lean Six Sigma, Statistical Process Controls, Minitab, Waste Minimization, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Kaizen Methodology, Process Improvement, Solution Design, Project Management, Process Analysis, Lean Manufacturing, Data Collection, Pareto Chart, Process Mapping, Sampling (Statistics), Brainstorming, Customer Insights
Beginner · Course · 3 - 6 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
University of Colorado System
Cultural Agility for Teamwork
Skills you'll gain: Intercultural Competence, Teamwork, Personal Development, Cultural Sensitivity, Adaptability, Cultural Diversity, Cultural Responsiveness, Collaboration, Empathy, Professional Development, Cognitive flexibility, Resilience, Dealing With Ambiguity, Relationship Building, Self-Awareness, Curiosity
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: New
Packt
Introduction to Website Development Technologies
Skills you'll gain: Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Web Development, Bootstrap (Front-End Framework), Development Environment, Responsive Web Design, Version Control, GitHub, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Web Design, Front-End Web Development, Application Deployment, Javascript, Integrated Development Environments, Web Development Tools, Cloud Hosting
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: New
Coursera
YouTube Design: Banners & Profile Pics
Skills you'll gain: Logo Design, Style Guides, Visual Design, Graphic and Visual Design, Design Elements And Principles, Technical Documentation
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: New
Packt
Fundamentals of Programming Using Flowchart and Pseudocode
Skills you'll gain: Pseudocode, Programming Principles, Software Visualization, Computational Logic, Debugging, Computer Programming, Graphical Tools
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: New
Coursera
Facebook Content Creation Essentials
Skills you'll gain: Facebook, Content Creation, Graphic and Visual Design, Graphic Design, Drive Engagement, Video Production, Storytelling, Generative AI Agents, Writing, Video Editing
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: New
Packt
Blender Lighting & Compositing for Beginners
Skills you'll gain: 3D Modeling, Computer Graphics, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Computer Graphic Techniques, Virtual Environment
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Google Cloud
Introduction to Vertex AI Studio - Deutsch
Skills you'll gain: Prompt Engineering, Generative AI, Prototyping, Artificial Intelligence, Google Cloud Platform
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

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In summary, here are 10 of our most popular instructional design courses

Sentido Numérico para la Educación Primaria con PhET: University of Colorado Boulder
Advanced Terraform - Variables, Modules, & State Management: Packt
Creating Engaging Content for Facebook: Coursera
Bewirb dein Kleinunternehmen auf Facebook mit Canva: Coursera Project Network
Certified Six Sigma Yellow Belt Training: Packt
Cultural Agility for Teamwork: University of Colorado System
Introduction to Website Development Technologies: Packt
YouTube Design: Banners & Profile Pics: Coursera
Fundamentals of Programming Using Flowchart and Pseudocode: Packt
Facebook Content Creation Essentials: Coursera

Instructional Design Courses