The mission of the Center for Academic Innovation at the University of Michigan is to collaborate across campus and around the world to create equitable, lifelong educational opportunities for learners everywhere. Over the past 10 years since CAI’s inception and evolution, the center has emerged as a model and leading voice in the broader postsecondary conversations around enhancing educational quality and access.

When I saw that CAI is searching for a director of learning design, I contacted my colleagues James DeVaney and Sarah Dysart to see if they’d be willing to share more information about this exciting role. For those of you who don’t know James (many of you do), he wears several hats at U-M. He is the founding executive director of the Center for Academic Innovation, the associate vice provost for academic innovation and special adviser to the president. Sarah serves as the chief learning officer at CAI. Together, James and Sarah provided insights into the role and its significance within U-M’s broader educational strategy.

Q: What is the university’s mandate behind this role? How does it help align with and advance the university’s strategic priorities?

A: Think of this role as the ultimate architect of learning experiences—equal parts visionary, strategist and tinkerer—helping to design engaging, research-driven learning opportunities that reach learners wherever they are in the world.

This role directly supports the University of Michigan’s Vision 2034, particularly its commitment to life-changing education. Our vision is to connect and empower learners everywhere, ensuring they have the skills and knowledge necessary to reach their full potential at every stage of life.

The director of learning design will play a central role in shaping learner-centered, research-driven, scalable and sustainable educational experiences, particularly within Michigan Online. Our platform serves a diverse set of learners—current U-M students, alumni, global professionals, precollege learners and workforce development partners—by offering high-quality, flexible learning opportunities.

As the education and technology landscape continues to evolve, so must our approach to learning design. This role will lead the center’s design strategy, ensuring that innovative pedagogies and emergent and experiential technologies are effectively integrated to support a broad range of learner needs. Additionally, the director will help advance U-M’s design community by refining best practices, improving efficiency and fostering innovation across digital and hybrid learning experiences. The talented individual who joins our team will have the opportunity to shape our overarching design strategy while effectively leading a large team to bring innovative faculty-driven learning experiences to life.

Q: Where does the role sit in the university structure? How will the person in this role engage with other units and leaders across campus?

A: This isn’t a sit-behind-the-desk kind of role—it’s about building bridges, sparking conversations and collaborating across the university (and beyond) to ensure learning experiences are not only cutting-edge but also deeply connected to faculty and learner needs.

The director of learning design reports to the chief learning officer at CAI and will be a key leader in U-M’s broader learning design community. Given CAI’s role as a universitywide hub for innovation and online learning, this position will actively engage with instructional designers, faculty and academic leaders across schools and colleges. Additionally, CAI is deeply connected to institutions and learning organizations worldwide, and this individual will have opportunities to collaborate with peers at other leading universities, exchange best practices and contribute to advancing the field of learning design on a global scale.

U-M has a robust set of communities of practice focused on instructional design, online degree development, AI in teaching and digital accessibility. The director will serve as a thought partner within these communities, advising units on how to scale learning design resources, optimize processes and integrate innovative teaching strategies into online and blended programs.

Beyond internal collaborations, this role will also engage with external partners in the ed-tech industry that support CAI’s overall portfolio. These partnerships allow CAI to remain agile, ensuring we can scale to meet institutional priorities and address emerging needs in online education.

Q: What would success look like in one year? Three years? Beyond?

A: In a year, we’ll be celebrating the director’s first big wins, in three years, we expect them to be known across campus as the go-to expert for innovative learning design, and beyond that, well, let’s just say we hope they’ll have set the gold standard for what learning design leadership looks like in higher ed.

But let us offer a bit more.

In the first year, success will mean establishing and implementing a clear vision for learning design strategies that align with institutional priorities and diverse learner needs. A key priority will be providing leadership as Michigan Online evolves, ensuring our learning experiences reflect best practices in scalable, learner-centered design. The director will also play a key role in shaping new product types that translate faculty innovation into impactful, accessible learning opportunities.

Over three years, success will include the integration of scalable learner engagement strategies that balance personalization with operational efficiency. This will involve refining models for instructional engagement to support both faculty and global learners while maintaining high levels of learner engagement and satisfaction. Additionally, the director will help extend the excellence of CAI’s learning design and design management teams by fostering a culture of innovation, data-informed decision-making and continuous improvement.

Beyond three years, the impact of this role will be seen in the continued evolution of U-M’s learning design capabilities, ensuring our institution remains a leader in digital education. The director’s leadership will contribute to sustainable, high-quality learning experiences that serve a growing and increasingly diverse set of learners.

Q: What kinds of future roles would someone who took this position be prepared for?

A: Whether they dream of leading an online learning empire, running a teaching and learning center, or becoming the Yoda of instructional design, this role will give them the experience, network and strategic chops to make it happen.

Intentional learning design is a critical and transferable skill. This role offers a strong foundation for leadership in digital and online learning enterprises, making it an ideal stepping-stone to executive roles in academic innovation, instructional strategy and online program management. Many leaders in digital education and academic innovation began their careers in learning design before transitioning into broader strategic positions.

Additionally, this role provides experience in design operations at scale, equipping someone for leadership in teaching and learning centers or broader operational roles in higher education. The ability to manage complex design teams and optimize large-scale digital learning initiatives will set this person apart, opening doors to high-impact leadership positions across the field.