Learning, Design, and Technology (LDT) is a concentration under the Applied Education Studies (AES) degree in the College of Education. AES:LDT was designed for undergraduate students who are interested in working in the Education sector not as traditional teachers but as instructional designers and developers for varied employers (higher education, government/military agencies, business/industry) or as independent entrepreneurs of education services and products. While training in instructional design is typically found in graduate school, scholars in the field of LDT have highlighted undergraduate preparation as a future direction for the expanding field to help meet demand (An, 2024). We are excited to provide this opportunity for undergraduates at NC State, and given the large number of courses taken by undergraduates, expect AES:LDT graduates to be well prepared to meet employer demands.
As a field, LDT draws on interdisciplinary foundations across education, psychology, communications, and design to apply what is empirically understood about how people learn to effectively design, develop, implement, and evaluate instructional resources to improve learning and performance in varied settings. Graduates will develop knowledge of underlying learning theory, applicable instructional design skills such as instructional analysis and instructional strategy planning, design and development skills with varied technologies (e-learning, apps, games, video, AR/VR), and entrepreneurship and project management skills to plan and iterate original educational innovations.
Program Description
The AES:LDT concentration features the following:
- required three-course core for undergraduates taught by LDT faculty on campus featuring courses on foundations of LDT, instructional design, and educational innovation and entrepreneurship; additional undergraduate electives taught by LDT faculty on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence
- customizable curriculum plan featuring multiple elective slots and General Education Program (GEP) courses that LDT faculty have aligned with IBSTPI instructional design competencies to ensure graduates are well prepared for careers in the field
- opportunity for undergraduates interested in entrepreneurial educational solutions to get involved in university entrepreneurial communities such as Campfire, the Entrepreneurship Garage, and the Entrepreneurs Village
- formally approved Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) option allowing well-qualified undergraduates with a 3.5 GPA to receive both their B.S. and M.Ed. degrees in LDT in as little as five years with a 12-hour reduction in master’s credit hours by taking four 500-level graduate courses in the senior year
- presently the only undergraduate concentration in the College of Education that does not lead to teacher licensure (no student teaching, edTPA portfolio, or Praxis exam) with graduates instead working as instructional designers, developers, or entrepreneurs
Course of Study
AES:LDT students work with the college advising team and their faculty advisor to customize a course of study that includes a set of required AES:LDT core courses, required and recommended courses from the university’s General Education Program (GEP), and further electives to obtain discipline-related competencies. The curriculum plan can be viewed online, including the 4+1 Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) option.
Additional Information
A frequently asked questions (FAQs) page is maintained by LDT faculty to provide expanded information on the AES:LDT program, its curriculum, student opportunities on campus and in employment, the Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) option, and further references. For additional information, students can reach out to the AES:LDT undergraduate program coordinator, Dr. Kevin Oliver (kmoliver@ncsu.edu).
Faculty
Daniela (Ela) Castellanos Reyes
Assistant Professor
dcastel2@ncsu.edu
Joey Huang
Assistant Professor
chuang35@ncsu.edu
Shiyan Jiang
Assistant Professor
sjiang24@ncsu.edu
Florence Martin
Professor
fmartin3@ncsu.edu
Julia McKeown
Assistant Professor
julia_mckeown@ncsu.edu
Kevin Oliver
Professor
kmoliver@ncsu.edu