Where did you start out in your learning design career? If you answered journalist, media producer, teacher, or HR officer, it wouldn’t be unusual in this growing – and diverging - profession. Learning designers can bring a rich depth of knowledge and experience to their work, but with few ‘typical’ career pathways to follow, where does a talented learning designer go when they’re ready for the next challenge?

As occupants of the ‘Third Space’ in higher education institutions, learning designers can end up feeling that they have no clear map for career progression. At the same time, many find themselves in positions where leading, among other key competencies, is an essential skill. There is demand for learning design experience in leadership and management roles, and even when a job role does not include the word ‘leader’, many learning designers are leading ‘from the middle’.

So what does it mean to be a leader in learning design, and how can we chart a course in that direction? What are the skills and competencies that help learning designers prepare for leadership positions? We’ll explore these questions and more, together with panel guests Tam Nguyen (UNSW), Amanda Lizier (UTS) and Kelly Pattison (Circular Learning) at the upcoming UTS Learning Design Meetup in collaboration with the ASCILITE TELedvisors SIG.

Our panel guests:

Tam Nguyen

Tam Nguyen is the Director, Education Design and Digital Development at the Business School, UNSW Sydney. Tam has extensive experience in the Australian tertiary sector and has spanned corporate, vocational, and higher education roles. She has led education design and delivery teams across multiple institutions, overseeing the transformation of education for high-quality student experiences.

Tam is responsible for faculty-wide initiatives on digitally enriched learning and teaching and works closely with the University on a range of strategic projects. Tam has held professional leadership roles in a number of higher education companies and institutions in Australia. She is a lifelong learner and holds degrees in Architecture, Education, Communication and Learning Analytics.

Amanda Lizier

Dr Amanda Lizier is a Lecturer in the School of International Studies and Education at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia where she is currently the Teaching & Learning Coordinator for the School. Amanda's research interests focus on workplace and professional learning, using complexity theory and practice approaches to understand the practices of work and learning in organisations. Amanda’s research work also includes leading in higher education with a focus on middle leading. Prior to working at UTS, Amanda worked for many years in industry within learning and organisational development roles including learning design, facilitation, and strategic work leading learning functions in organisations. Her continued engagement with industry closely informs her research and teaching work.

Kelly Pattison

Kelly Pattison is the Co-Founder and Director of Circular Learning, a Perth-based learning design and teacher training consultancy. She has previously held senior leadership roles in the international education sector in Australia and Japan.

Her learning design work spans across education (ELICOS, VET and Higher Ed), government and corporate sectors. For project-based consultancy work, her leadership role involves project management, stakeholder communication, and strengths mapping to allocate tasks within the learning design team.