It took a pandemic to help us contextualise the value of learning designers in higher education

Abstract

Much has been written about burnout, the difference between a learning engineer and a learning designer, and the plight of adjunct faculty. We wanted to find out how those whose role was within the learning design domain experienced compassion fatigue and burnout. Stories illuminated the notions of identity that are intertwined with the idea of learning design practice, work-life balance, and personal and professional selves. Through review of relevant literature and interviews and focus groups that examined the ways in which the participants experienced compassion fatigue and burnout during the pandemic, the following themes emerged: 1) toxic work environment, 2) care and fatigue, and 3) life-work balance. This exploratory study gives insights into the interconnectedness between identity, care, and life-work balance that learning designers in higher education experience. Before and during the pandemic, learning designers have led with an ethic of care; now we, the broader educational community, needs to care for them. Recommendations include supporting time-blocking calendars, communicating clearly to supervisors what the current workload is, and educating leadership so that they better understand the work.