Applied Education Studies (BS): Learning Design and Technology
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 four-course core for undergraduates taught by LDT faculty on campus featuring courses on foundations of LDT, instructional design, artificial intelligence in education, and educational innovation and entrepreneurship in education
- customizable curriculum plan featuring multiple elective slots and General Education Program (GEP) courses that LDT faculty have aligned with IBSTPIÌýÌýto ensure graduates are well prepared for careers in the field
- opportunity for undergraduates interested in entrepreneurial educational solutions to get involved inÌýÌýsuch 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
Additional Information
´¡ÌýÌýis 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).
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| English, Literature, and Speech | ||
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| Advanced Writing | 3 | |
| °ä°¿²ÑÌý110 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| ´Ç°ùÌý°ä°¿²ÑÌý112 | Interpersonal Communication | |
| ´Ç°ùÌý°ä°¿²ÑÌý211 | Argumentation and Advocacy | |
| Humanities & Social Sciences | ||
| ±Ê³§³ÛÌý200 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| ³§°¿°äÌý202 | Principles of Sociology | 3 |
| History | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| Education Major | ||
| ·¡¶ÙÌý100 | Intro to Education | 2 |
| ·¡³¢±ÊÌý344 | School and Society | 3 |
| ·¡¶Ù±ÊÌý304 | Educational Psychology | 3 |
| ±Ê³§³ÛÌý376 | Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| Major Electives | ||
| Education Electives | 3 | |
| Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society | ||
| Teaching Field Electives | 30 | |
| Supporting Electives | 12 | |
| Foundations of Interactive Game Design | ||
| Design Inquiry I: Methods and Processes | ||
| Desktop Publishing and Imaging Technology | ||
| GEP Courses | ||
| GEP Mathematical Sciences | 6 | |
| GEP Natural Sciences | 7 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 5 | |
| GEP Global Knowledge | ||
| GEP Foundations of American Democracy (verify requirement) | ||
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| World Language Proficiency | ||
| Free Electives | 19 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Advanced Writing
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý287 | Explorations in Creative Writing | 3 |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý288 | Fiction Writing | 3 |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý289 | Poetry Writing | 3 |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý292 | Writing About Film | 3 |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý316 | Introduction to News and Article Writing | 3 |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý323 | Writing in Rhetorical Traditions | 3 |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý331 | Communication for Engineering and Technology | 3 |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý332 | Communication for Business and Management | 3 |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý333 | Communication for Science and Research | 3 |
History
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AFS/HI 275 | Introduction to History of South and East Africa | 3 |
| AFS/HI 276 | Introduction to History of West Africa | 3 |
| ±á±õÌý205 | Western Civilization Since 1400 | 3 |
| ±á±õÌý207 | Ancient Mediterranean World | 3 |
| ±á±õÌý208 | The Middle Ages | 3 |
| ±á±õÌý209 | From Renaissance to Revolution: The Origins of Modern Europe | 3 |
| ±á±õÌý210 | Modern Europe 1815-Present | 3 |
| ±á±õÌý221 | British History to 1688 | 3 |
| ±á±õÌý222 | History of British Cultures and Societies From 1688 | 3 |
| ±á±õÌý233 | The World Since 1750 | 3 |
| ±á±õÌý251 | American History I | 3 |
| ±á±õÌý252 | American History II | 3 |
| ±á±õÌý263 | Asian Civilizations to 1800 | 3 |
| ±á±õÌý264 | Modern Asia: 1800 to Present | 3 |
| ±á±õÌý270 | Modern Middle East | 3 |
| ±á°¿±·Ìý290 | Honors Special Topics - Humanities/US Diversity | 3 |
| ±á°¿±·Ìý293 | Honors Special Topics - Interdisciplinary Perspectives/Global Knowledge | 3 |
Teaching Field Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ·¡°ä±õÌý201 | Intro to Instructional Technology for Educators | 3 |
| ·¡°ä±õÌý511 | Introduction to Learning Design and Technology | 3 |
| ·¡°ä±õÌý512 | Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning | 3 |
| ·¡°ä±õÌý513 | Video for Teaching and Learning | 3 |
| ·¡°ä±õÌý514 | Developing and Delivering Online Instruction | 3 |
| ·¡°ä±õÌý515 | Cultural Investigations and Technical Representations in Education | 3 |
| ·¡°ä±õÌý516 | Design and Evaluation Of Instructional Materials | 3 |
| ·¡°ä±õÌý517 | Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Learning Environments | 3 |
| ·¡°ä±õÌý518 | Digital Learning Program and Staff Development | 3 |
| ·¡±õÌý201 | Exploring Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurial Thinking | 3 |
| ·¡±õÌý331 | Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurial Thinking I: Skills and Planning Basics | 3 |
Ìý
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| ±Ê³§³ÛÌý200 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| GEP Mathematical Sciences | 3 | |
| °ä°¿²ÑÌý211 | Argumentation and Advocacy (Communications Elective) or Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| ·¡¶ÙÌý100 | Intro to Education | 2 |
| Ìý | Hours | 16 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| GEP Mathematical Sciences | 3 | |
| ³§°¿°äÌý202 | Principles of Sociology | 3 |
| Free Elective | 2 | |
| Teaching Field Elective | 3 | |
| ANTÌý261 | Technology in Society and Culture (GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives) | 3 |
| Ìý | Hours | 15 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BITÌý100 | Current Topics in Biotechnology (GEP Natural Sciences) | 3 |
| ¶ÙÌý100 | Design Inquiry I: Methods and Processes (Supporting Elective) | 3 |
| ·¡°ä±õÌý201 | Intro to Instructional Technology for Educators (Teaching Field Elective) | 3 |
| History Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BIOÌý227 | Understanding Structural Diversity through Biological Illustration (GEP Natural Sciences) | 4 |
| DÌý101 | Design Inquiry II: Methods and Processes (GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives) | 3 |
| COMÌý200 or COMÌý395 | Communication Media in a Changing World (GEP Humanities) or Studies in Rhetoric and Digital Media | 3 |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 1 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 14 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ·¡³¢±ÊÌý344 | School and Society | 3 |
| °ä³§°äÌý281 | Foundations of Interactive Game Design (Supporting Elective) | 3 |
| ·¡±õÌý201 | Exploring Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurial Thinking (Teaching Field Elective) | 3 |
| Teaching Field Elective | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý331 or ·¡±·³ÒÌý332 | Communication for Engineering and Technology (Advanced Writing Elective) or Communication for Business and Management | 3 |
| Ìý | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ·¡±õÌý331 | Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurial Thinking I: Skills and Planning Basics (Teaching Field Elective) | 3 |
| ³§°Õ³§Ìý214 | Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society (Education Elective) | 3 |
| ±Ê³§³ÛÌý376 | Developmental Psychology or Child Psychology or Psychology of Adolescent Development | 3 |
| Teaching Field Elective | 3 | |
| °Õ¶Ù·¡Ìý205 | Desktop Publishing and Imaging Technology (Supporting Elective) | 3 |
| SLCÌý250 | Critical and Creative Decision Making Models (Free Elective) | 3 |
| Ìý | Hours | 18 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| GCÌý420 | Visual Thinking (Free Elective) | 3 |
| AEEÌý325 | Planning and Delivering Non-Formal Education (Free Elective) | 3 |
| ·¡¶Ù±ÊÌý304 | Educational Psychology | 3 |
| Supporting Elective | 3 | |
| Teaching Field (recommend drawing from 500-level instructional/media design courses in LDT master’s program) | 3 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Teaching Field (recommend drawing from 500-level instructional/media design courses in LDT master’s program) | 9 | |
| H´¡Ìý240 | Introduction to Visual Culture (Free Elective) | 3 |
| Ìý | Hours | 12 |
| Ìý | Total Hours | 120 |
For those pursuing the Accelerated Bachelor's Master's Program:
| Fifth Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| Draw from 500-level instructional/media design courses in LDT master’s program | 3 | |
| ECIÌý546 | New Literacies & Media | 3 |
| ECIÌý721 | Technology and Informal Learning Environments | 3 |
| Ìý | Hours | 9 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ECIÌý652 | Field-Based Applications of Learning Design and Technology | 3 |
| ECIÌý502 | Technology Program Evaluation | 3 |
| ECIÌý722 | Theory and Research in Distance Education | 3 |
| Ìý | Hours | 9 |
| Ìý | Total Hours | 18 |
Career Opportunities
Graduates are expected to work as instructional designers and content developers for different employers such as K-12 and private school systems, higher education institutions, government/military agencies, or business/industry. Some graduates may also be interested in entrepreneurial work, creating non-profits or startup companies to offer technical educational services, training, or new products.
Career Titles
- Content Developer
- Entrepreneur
- Instructional Designer
- Non-Profit Director
- Technical Director
- Training Specialist
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