Emilia, a learning design professional based in Chile and Spain, who brings a wealth of expertise to the field, supported by her academic achievements, including master’s degrees in instructional design and e-learning design. Her career spans diverse sectors such as mining, banking, energy, and public administration, where she has developed online training programs.
For me, the key to success [as a learning designer] consists of earning the client’s trust so that they let you do what you do best. I would tell people who want to get involved in this field to learn the instructional design process and to start with the basics, do not skip stages. I would recommend that the last factor that they consider is technology and for them to have a big toolbox of theories.
Emilia emphasizes the integration of instructional design theory with project management skills, advocating for tools like Gantt charts and critical path methods to enhance efficiency. She highlights the importance of evidence-based practices and clear communication to ensure meaningful design processes. Emilia also underscores the need for competencies in development, graphic production, and user experience design, aligning with research that stresses the interdisciplinary nature of effective e-learning. Additionally, she advocates for ethical decision-making in instructional design to address its value-laden nature. Her insights provide valuable guidance for learning designers navigating complex organizational contexts.
Romero-Hall, E. (2026). Learning Designers in Context: Examining Practices Across the Global South. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003270591
This chapter explores learning design competencies at the intersection of geographical, cultural, sectoral, and organizational contexts. It provides critical insights into how learning design practices are disseminated globally, emphasizing the evolving role of learning designers in diverse settings. The uneven dissemination of these practices across regions underscores the need to examine both similarities and differences in approaches worldwide. By critiquing the limited research on practitioners in underrepresented regions, particularly the Global South, this chapter advocates for a broader and more inclusive understanding of global practices. The chapter highlights the importance of culturally contextualized approaches to better address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by learning designers across varied contexts.
Despite the contextual differences in their work, one element that all practitioners share is their passion for and dedication to the learning design practice. As shown by the narratives shared in this book, learning design and technology is systematic but is also about questioning things (e.g., why are we using this particular method?) while considering all factors (e.g., have we done quality checks?) to create learning experiences that fully equip learners (e.g., what reading level is best for the learners? How can we design an engaging learning activity?). Learning design practice is about problem-solving with one’s team, connecting with one’s (internal or external) clients, and lifelong learning.
Google Book Preview:
You can read Chapter 1 using the Google Book preview link: Chapter 1.
Romero-Hall, E. (2026). Learning Designers in Context: Examining Practices Across the Global South. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003270591
A few months ago I got a message from a former student, she is part of the TESOL leadership team and she had nominated me as the keynote speaker for their upcoming international convention. I was truly honored by the invitation!
This will be my first time at the TESOL International Convention but I am excited to engage with the members of this community. There is a tremendous amount of educational technology use by TESOL educators and professionals. Many of my educational technology colleagues were TESOL instructors prior to their transition into edtech and learning design.
I wanted to pass along that my latest book is now published and available!
Learning Designers in Context: Examining Practice Across the Global South examines learning design across professional sectors, local cultures, and geographic regions in the Global South, addressing the ways in which practitioners effectively draw on the knowledge, skills, and resources available to them. The book explores design and implementation in higher education, corporate, non-profit, and government sectors while attending to urgent cultural and geographic distinctions, these chapters vividly illustrate the roles, challenges, and opportunities of learning designers’ use in real-world settings home to specific demographics, traditions, socioeconomic parameters, and policy orientations.
Please feel free to share with anyone who may find it useful.
The acknowledgement
Five years ago, I embarked on this book writing journey. I had the idea to write this book even before my previous book “Research Methods on Learning, Design, and Technology” was published in October 2020. The email I sent to the publisher on July 17, 2020 read:
I have an idea for a book project and I am wondering if I could chat with you to discuss it. I want to know if this is a topic that would be considered before working on the book proposal
I knew exactly what I wanted to write. I was inspired by the findings of a book chapter (titled: “Educational Technologists in Latin America and the Caribbean: Perceived Importance of Competencies for Practice”) that I co-authored with my former graduate students: Leonor Adams, Erika Petersen, and Adriana Viana. In the process of disseminating the survey for data collection we came across pockets of learning designers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. It made me wonder how much we had yet to learn from learning designers in other parts of the world and the context of their practice.
I would like to express my gratitude to the learning designers who took the time to meet with me and share their journeys into learning design practice. Your bravery and sincerity are truly appreciated. Your willingness to open up about your experiences, challenges, and successes has provided invaluable insights that will undoubtedly enrich the field of learning design. Your contributions have not only enhanced this work but also inspired me personally. Thank you for your dedication and for being a source of inspiration to others in the profession.
I am beyond grateful for the support of McFadden Hall for cheering me on throughout this process, brainstorming with me when I needed a voice of reason, and holding my hand when I just wanted to give up.
Thank you to the University of Tennessee Knoxville for providing resources and funds, which were instrumental in facilitating various aspects of this book project.
Making it through every step (i.e., writing a proposal, submitting the IRB, conducting the interviews, formatting, transcribing, translating, editing the chapters, writing, and organizing) seemed like a massive ordeal while leaving through changes in my personal and professional life. I am so incredibly thankful for those who have, in many ways, inspired and encouraged me without even knowing it. Gratitude!
I do not know how many people actually read this blog, but I figured I would go ahead and share that “Learning Designers in Context” is now available for pre-order.
It also is discounted right now, when you order it directly from the publisher:Pre-Order Here
The book is scheduled for release December 5th, 2025. Copies of the book will be shipped after the released date.
I have previously published two edited books (i.e., Research Methods in Learning Design and Technology, Feminist Pedagogy for Teaching Online) and it honestly feels so different promoting a solo-authored book! In previous instances, I wanted to recognized and disseminate their work of my colleagues who had their work in the edited books, so promoting those books felt easy! However, having to promote my solo-authored book is so hard. I feel like my introverted side all of a sudden takes over!
I also wanted to add that if anyone would like to get a copy of the book, feel free to send me an email. I am happy to share a PDF.
Over the last few weeks, I have re-read the proofs of my forthcoming book “Learning Designers in Contexts” so many times that I honestly I feel I could recite some of the chapters. Due to some communication issues, the release date has been pushed back a bit. It is all part of the process or at least that is what I tell myself.
I am very happy that last Friday I saw a final version of the proofs. But that excitement was quickly met with a very familiar feeling of seen a grammatical mistake in the final proofs. It always happens! After seen this, I laughed a bit, closed my computer, and when to my son’s soccer game.
Last week, I also contacted the publisher and asked for permission to share a bit of the book in my blog. My editor, Hannah, asked me what chapter I wanted to share and I decided to go with Chapter 15. This sneak preview PDF also includes the table of content. I will do a bit more writing about the other chapters in the upcoming month or so. But, for now you are welcome to read Chapter 15.
Abstract:
This chapter is based on a keynote address I delivered at the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) International Convention on October 22, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri. The speech has been adapted for this book, maintaining its original themes and ideas while refining the content for a reading audience. Through the lens of deep canvassing and the acknowledgment of practitioners’ stories, the chapter highlights how context-specific experiences shape competencies and practices. It advocates for moving beyond Anglocentric and Eurocentric paradigms to embrace inclusive approaches. By reflecting on personal journeys and collective actions, the chapter underscores storytelling as a transformative tool for fostering understanding and innovation in education technology and learning design.
Athabasca University Press recently published our book as part of the Issues in Distance Education series. Feminist Pedagogy for Teaching Online edited by Jacquelyne Thoni Howard, Enilda Romero-Hall, Clare Daniel, Niya Bond, and Liv Newman examines the experiences that interdisciplinary and global feminist educators have had-both their successes and their challenges-in infusing feminist pedagogical tenets into their online teaching and learning practices. The book is available in multiple open access formats, and I hope you will take the opportunity to browse through the chapters and discover how this freely available resource can benefit your organization and members.
About the Book
Instructors across higher education require inspiring and practical resources for creating, adapting to, and enhancing, online teaching and learning spaces. Faculty need to build collaborative, equitable and trusting online learning communities. This edited volume examines the experiences that interdisciplinary and global feminist educators have had-both their successes and their challenges-in infusing feminist pedagogical tenets into their online teaching and learning practices. Contributors consider how to promote connection, reflexivity, and embodiment; build equity, cooperation, and co-education; and create cultures of care in the online classroom. They also interrogate knowledge production, social inequality, and power. By (re)imagining feminist pedagogy as a much-needed tool and providing practical advice for using digital technology to enact these tenets in the classroom, this collection will empower educators and learners alike.
About the Editors
Jacquelyne Thoni Howard is a professor of Practice of Data at the Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science at Tulane University.
Enilda Romero-Hall is associate professor in the Learning, Design, and Technology program at The University of Tennessee Knoxville.
Clare Daniel is senior professor of practice and director of research at Newcomb Institute of Tulane University, where she teaches in the Department of Communication.
Niya Bond is an online educator, faculty development facilitator, and PhD candidate at the University of Maine studying online teaching and learning.
Liv Newman is administrative assistant professor and Associate Director of the Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching at Tulane University.
I am really excited to share that one of our incoming learning design and technology doctoral students in the Theory and Practice in Teacher Education (TPTE) Department, Romina (Mina) Wilson has been awarded the J. Wallace and Katie Dean Graduate Fellowship for the 2025 – 2026 academic year from The Graduate School at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK)!
As stated in the notification email: “By receiving this fellowship for new graduate students, you are being recognized as one of the most promising incoming students to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. We are excited to offer this award to you.”
Mrs. Wilson’s dedication and contributions to the field of learning design and technology are evident through her numerous collaborations with esteemed scholars, resulting in several journal article publications. In 2024 alone, Mrs. Wilson published two journal articles and a book chapter. She co-authored an article titled “AI-Generated Content: Guidelines, Higher-Order Thinking Skills, and Copyrights” with Taylor Allen, a graduate student at UTK, and Dr. Enilda Romero-Hall, Associate Professor at UTK, which was published in the Educational Technology journal. Additionally, she co-authored an article in the International Journal of Adult Education and Technology titled “An Inquiry into the Use of Generative AI and Its Implications in Education: Boon or Bane,” where she examined the benefits and challenges of integrating generative AI in educational settings. Her most recent publication is a book chapter titled “Redefining Learning in the Digital Age,” included in the edited volume “Integrating AI into Pedagogical Education.” – TPTE Graduate Education Committee Nomination Letter
Mina will be starting the learning, design, and technology doctoral program at UTK this fall 2025, under my advising. She will also be joining our research team (Learning Environments and Ecosystems Research Network (LEARNET). Very much looking forward to working with Mina during her studies at UTK!
“Online Ready: Designing Culturally Competent and Impactful K-12 Online Learning” (funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, #RE-250017-OLS-21) was a three-year design-based exploratory study led by Lucy Santos Green(University of Iowa) in partnership with Kristin Fontichiaro, University of Michigan, and Melissa P. Johnston, University of West Georgia. The project assessed and addressed school librarianship knowledge gaps in the design and delivery of targeted and culturally competent online learning.
As part of this grant project, I collaborated with Lucy, Kristin, and Melissa in the design and developed of the Online Ready curriculum. I also taught one of the three online asynchronous mini-courses, titled Culturally-Competent Design Mini Course. I feel so incredibly honored to have been part of this project. The Online Ready course was instrumental in allowing K-12 school librarians to reflect on their practice and their schools context while also advancing their learning design and online learning knowledge and skills.
You can explore all the mini-courses from this project by accessing the Online Ready platform available for free through the UI Learn Catalog. Please share widely with your school librarians colleagues and friends!
A few years ago, Jaigris Hodson, George Veletsianos, and Victoria O’Meara invited me to collaborate on a project titled: Online Harassment as a Barrier to Research Communication: An Intersectional Approach (SSHRC Insight Grant). As part of the collaboration, we worked on the design and development of an online learning course that illustrates the experiences of diverse researchers who are harassed when they communicate their research online.
The goal of the course is to educate others on the different types of online harassment experienced by diverse researchers and to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to engage in perspective taking activities related to online harassment. This training is designed specifically for administrators, to equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to support your faculty. By following the guidelines in this training, we can all be better equipped to contribute to a safe, respectful, equitable, professional, and ethical workplace.
Objectives of the Course
Upon completion of the training, you will be able to:
Name 3 reasons why online harassment may be underreported at your institution.
Examine how adopting a system for supporting faculty during or after an experience of online harassment can improve equity within the department.
Identify the best course of actions to take to support faculty targeted with online harassment.
Distinguish between strategies that you can use to support your faculty vs. strategies that are likely to be unhelpful.
Design Goodiness 
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