Updated and improved for relaunch in 2025!

Learning Design Foundation Certificate

Are you considering a career in learning design?

Would you like to be able to design and develop digital and hybrid learning experiences for a range of learning contexts?

Whether you're looking to change career, start a side business, or go freelance, this course covers all the essentials you need to take your first steps as a learning designer.

Course overview

  • High quality interactive content
  • 100% online, self-paced
  • Develop your portfolio
  • Support from peers and expert mentors
  • Exclusive #LXDhacks and puzzles
  • Personal course sandbox
This exciting course covers the foundation knowledge and skills you will need to become an instructional designer, learning experience designer, or learning technologist. 

Learning is self-paced with a range of activities and content including interactive tasks and quizzes, videos, reflective activities, template downloads, job aids and forum discussions. You will also be provided with a personal sandbox to create your own sample course!

Informed by the latest research and developments in learning sciences, our programme is written and facilitated by a friendly, highly qualified and experienced team of learning design professionals.

What you will learn

The programme modules are structured around the stages and themes of a learning design project, in the order that they tend to occur across a project lifecycle.


Expand each module title below to discover the variety and scope of topics covered.

How you will be assessed

Each module concludes with an assessment quiz of 15 multiple-choice questions. You need to pass each quiz with a score of 85% or more to move on to subsequent modules. You can take repeat the quizzes as many times as you need to pass.

Certificate of completion

At the end of the course there is a final assessment quiz with 50 multiple choice questions. As with the end of module quizzes, you will need to achieve a score of 85% or more to pass. You can repeat as many times as you need to pass. 

A downloadable certificate is generated as soon as you have passed the final assessment.

Certified Learning Designer

Once you have passed the final assessment, you have the option of submitting a Reflective Statement of Evidence in order to achieve Lexedio Certified Learning Designer status. If your submission meets the necessary assessment criteria, you will receive a professionally printed certificate and stylish pin badge

Frequently asked questions

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for anyone who is looking to pursue a career in instructional/learning design for adult learning contexts. It is ideally suited to people who are:

- transitioning into a learning design role within their current organisation;
- looking for a career change e.g. from teaching/lecturing, multimedia design, HR, IT;
- interested in developing their own courses as a business or second income stream;
- taking on freelance instructional design projects; or
- applying for learning design jobs 

and want to demonstrate competence through reputable certification. 

This course is an ideal for people who are keen to find a flexible and affordable alternative to University degree programmes and apprenticeships. 

Are there any prerequisites?

You do not need to have any formal qualifications to take this course. However, you will need to judge whether the level of learning is appropriate to your skills and abilities. You should have good English language proficiency and feel confident in learning at a UK Level 3 or 4 qualification standard.

What digital skills and equipment will I need?

To get the best experience on the Lexedio platform, we recommend using a desktop or laptop computer with a reliable internet connection. Courses can also be accessed on a tablet or smartphone, though some interactive features may display better on larger screens.

Please use an up-to-date browser such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, or Firefox. Make sure your browser allows cookies, JavaScript, and pop-ups for the site to function correctly.

You should feel confident with basic digital skills, including navigating websites, using online forms, playing videos, downloading files, and managing your login details. The course explains how to go about developing more advanced digital skills needed to pursue digital specialisms.

How long will it take to complete?

As you will learn on the course, all learners are different. The course is self-paced, so you can take your time - up to 12 months in total.

However, if you're looking for a fast track solution, it may be possible to complete the core content and quizzes to achieve the downloadable certificate within weeks. 

The workbook accompanying the course is designed to extend and enhance the learning experience. These activities will deepen your understanding and help you to apply what you have learned as you develop your portfolio. They will take additional time and effort, so you should give yourself at least a few months to prepare for Certified Learning Designer status.

Is the course suitable for learners outside the UK?

The course is designed with UK learners in mind, but most of the topics and content are relevant to learning design practices in any part of the world.

Note that legal topics e.g. data protection will focus on UK contexts.

Not sure? Just ask