But if your institution is struggling with retention, engagement, or accreditation documentation, and you're still treating instructional design like a back-office service, you're missing the point — and the power.
At Babb Education, we've worked with institutions that thought they "had instructional design covered" until we showed them what happens when their team has help. In this article, we'll unpack the most common misconceptions university leaders have — and how to reframe ID as the strategic engine of your online, hybrid, or on-campus programs.
Misconception #1: "Instructional Designers Just Make Courses Look Nice"
This is the most persistent — and most damaging — myth. University leaders often assume the role of an instructional designer is to upload files into the LMS, create banner graphics, format weekly modules, and check for broken links. In other words, they see IDs as technicians or visual editors.
But instructional designers are not decorators — they're architects of the learning experience. At Babb Education, our designers:
- Analyze the pedagogical flow and alignment of the course
- Identify and resolve breaks between outcomes, content, and assessment
- Scaffold learning activities based on cognitive complexity
- Integrate engagement, accessibility, and student workload analysis
- Align every element to the course's mission, modality, and measurable outcomes
We don't just "make it pretty." We make it effective — and measurable.
Misconception #2: "Instructional Design Is a One-Time Task"
Another common mistake is treating instructional design like a deliverable instead of a process. A course is built, and then IDs are sent away — until the next build. But great course design doesn't stop at launch.
At Babb Education, we:
- Audit course performance data post-launch
- Collect and interpret student and faculty feedback
- Refine assignment flow and interaction strategies
- Maintain alignment with updated program outcomes or industry standards
- Work with faculty to iterate and scale successful models
Design doesn't end once the course goes live — that's when it gets tested. And tested courses need designers who stay involved.
Misconception #3: "Instructional Designers Should Stay Out of the Pedagogy"
Some leaders are wary of IDs having too much influence. Faculty control content, and IDs "shouldn't touch the teaching." But this creates a silo between subject expertise and learning science — and that's where most poorly designed courses fall apart.
Instructional designers don't tell faculty what to teach. We ensure:
- What they're teaching is organized in a way students can access
- It's scaffolded to deepen learning
- It's aligned with assessments that match the outcomes
- It's delivered using proven strategies for online and hybrid settings
- It meets cognitive load principles, so students don't burn out or disengage
At Babb Education, we work with faculty, not against them. Our IDs are trained to interview, extract, and structure — not override.
Misconception #4: "We Don't Need Design Help — Our Faculty Know What They're Doing"
Your faculty may be experts in their fields — but that doesn't mean they're trained in:
- Backward course design
- Online learning theory
- ADA compliance
- UDL (Universal Design for Learning)
- Multimodal content delivery
- Engagement strategy
- Formative assessment theory
- LMS architecture
Instructional design isn't an insult to your faculty. It's a complement to their expertise. We've worked with tenured professors, newly hired instructors, adjuncts, and SMEs with no teaching background — and in every case, our instructional design support made their courses stronger, their delivery easier, and their feedback better.
Misconception #5: "Good Instructional Design Is Just Common Sense"
If that were true, most courses would be perfectly aligned, beautifully structured, engaging, accessible, and wildly effective. But here's what we actually see:
- Weekly modules that don't match the syllabus
- Discussions that aren't connected to the course outcomes
- Assessments that lack rubrics or clarity
- Multimedia overload without context
- Confusing navigation, inconsistent labeling, and inaccessible file types
"Common sense" isn't a learning strategy. Design is. And at Babb Education, we bring that strategy to every project.
What We Do Differently at Babb Education
We Design Backward — and Map Every Outcome
Every project we take on starts with learning outcomes. We ask:
- Are the outcomes measurable?
- Are they aligned with course-level and program-level goals?
- Is there a clear assessment path?
- Does each module build toward a cumulative learning experience?
From there, we map backward — aligning readings, discussions, assignments, and assessments so that every single activity has a purpose.
We Collaborate Directly with Faculty and SMEs
We don't drop templates into your LMS and call it a day. We meet directly with instructors to:
- Translate their knowledge into learner-centered materials
- Guide them in making design choices that improve accessibility and flow
- Help them balance cognitive load, academic rigor, and student motivation
We won't overwrite the faculty voice. We structure it so students can learn from it.
We Use Research-Based Design — Not Trends
Our designs are informed by:
- Bloom's Taxonomy
- Quality Matters™ standards
- UDL (Universal Design for Learning)
- Backward Design
- Mayer's Multimedia Principles
- Online student retention research
- Emerging AI-enhanced learning research
Every decision we make — from how we structure module overviews to how we build rubrics — is backed by research, not aesthetic trends.
We Build for Students First, Faculty Always
Our designs answer both questions:
- Will the student know exactly what to do — and why?
- Will the faculty be able to teach this clearly, easily, and successfully?
We build for clarity, flexibility, and integrity — so students stay engaged and faculty stay supported.
We Make Your Institution Look Good
Whether it's for accreditation, program growth, or marketing, our courses:
- Align with strategic academic initiatives
- Reflect current industry expectations
- Position you as a serious, modern institution
- Hold up under external review or public scrutiny
When your courses are designed well, your whole institution feels the difference.
When to Bring in Instructional Designers (Hint: Before It's Too Late)
Bring in ID support early if you're:
- Launching new programs
- Growing online or hybrid divisions
- Onboarding new adjuncts
- Refreshing aging courses
- Preparing for accreditation
- Seeing declines in student engagement or persistence
- Adding AI, simulations, or other new tools into the curriculum
You don't need to wait until something breaks to bring in experts. Let us build it right the first time.
Why Institutions Trust Babb Education
We're not a vendor. We're a partner. We've:
- Designed university-level courses
- Supported LMS transitions and course migrations
- Created scalable instructional design systems for institutions that needed more than just "support"
- Worked with institutions of every size — from small liberal arts colleges to multi-campus systems
Our team isn't just instructional designers — we're faculty, curriculum leaders, and higher ed insiders who know what makes a course really work.
Let's Redefine Instructional Design — Together
The institutions that will be thriving in 2026 are the ones who recognize instructional design for what it truly is: a strategic, research-informed foundation for academic success. If you're still viewing it as support work, you're underserving your students, your faculty, and your future.
Let Babb Education help you do it right.
