Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and iDesign team up to help adult-serving colleges and universities "insource" online program development

CHICAGO, March 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), a national nonprofit forging learning pathways for working adults, today announced the launch of a new initiative that will provide professional development and training to help colleges and universities build their own online programs. As a complement to its existing professional development program offerings, CAEL will partner with pioneering instructional design firm, iDesign, to offer a new competency-based education program, called LX Pathways, for education professionals looking to upskill their careers in instructional design.

"As demand for online courses increases, this educational resource will help institutions build capacity to develop their own effective online programs," said Marie Cini, president of CAEL. "LX Pathways coursework will enable our members to create online options aligned to the needs of the adult learners and communities they serve."

Through the new partnership, adult-serving colleges and universities who are members of CAEL will gain discounted access to continuing education courses in disciplines like instructional technology, learning design and online course development. The certificate is based on core competencies identified by iDesign as critical to the instructional design process, including learning theories, project management, LMS fundamentals, mentoring and support, and accessibility requirements. The courses will enable participating college and university employees to access self-paced content, with optional opportunities to share their work and collaborate with peers.

LX Pathways coursework is geared toward the needs of aspiring instructional design and technology professionals, who will receive micro-credentials on their way to earning a certificate after demonstrating essential competencies required for each career path. This learning experience focused on instructional design and technology, LX Pathways will be offered on Course Market powered by Instructure's Canvas Learning Management Platform.

"This is far more than a DIY solution for online learning. It's about helping higher education professionals achieve their full creative and technical potential to develop world-class online courses," said Paxton Riter, CEO and co-founder of iDesign. "For more than forty years, CAEL has helped institutions become more responsive to the needs of adult learners. We're thrilled to work with their team to help more member institutions expand their capabilities as online program builders."

To learn more about LX Pathways, please visit lxpathways.com.

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