Advanced Professional Diploma in Learning Experience Design and Practice

Programme Overview

The Advanced Professional Diploma in Learning Experience Design & Practice is an eight-month, practice-led development programme designed for professionals who create, deliver, or oversee learning and development initiatives and who wish to deepen their capability beyond content delivery into intentional learning experience design.

Delivered through seven two-day modules, complemented by weekly 2.5-hour practical supervision sessions, the programme supports participants in developing the knowledge, skills, and professional judgement required to design, facilitate, and evaluate learning experiences that are meaningful, ethical, and effective in real organisational contexts.

The programme is delivered online, enabling international participation, with an in-person graduation in Zurich, reinforcing professional recognition, cohort connection, and closure of the learning journey.

Rather than focusing on teaching techniques alone, the diploma emphasises:

• understanding how adults learn,

• designing learning processes aligned with human behaviour and needs,

• facilitating individual and group learning,

• and translating theory into practice through repeated application, feedback, and reflection.

Participants progressively design, deliver, test, and refine their own learning interventions, supported by continuous supervision and peer learning.

In many organisations, learning and development activities are still approached primarily as content transmission or event delivery, often disconnected from real learning needs, organisational context, or human dynamics. This frequently results in training that is well intentioned but has limited long-term impact.

The rationale for this programme is to address this gap by developing professionals who can think systemically about learning, rather than simply deliver sessions.

The programme is built on several core assumptions:

1. Learning is a process, not an event

   Effective learning requires thoughtful design across the full L&D lifecycle — from needs analysis and contracting to delivery, evaluation, and follow-up. The programme therefore begins with a strong foundation in learning and development processes and ethics.

2. Learning is shaped by human behaviour, emotion, and needs

   Understanding how people think, feel, and respond is essential for creating learning environments that are psychologically safe, engaging, and developmentally effective. The programme integrates perspectives on human potential, fear, intention, and needs as central elements of learning design.

3. Communication and facilitation are core professional competencies

   Learning professionals must be able to communicate clearly, listen actively, manage feedback, and navigate complex group dynamics. The programme develops these capabilities through structured input and extensive practice.

4. Learning experience design requires practice, feedback, and supervision

   Competence in learning design and facilitation cannot be developed through theory alone. The programme therefore places strong emphasis on repeated practice, live delivery, peer and facilitator debriefs, and ongoing supervision throughout the eight months.

5. Professional credibility comes from integration, not performance

   Participants are supported to develop an authentic professional presence as learning designers and facilitators, integrating their personal style, values, and experience rather than adopting formulaic methods.

Through its modular structure and continuous practice supervision, the programme enables participants to move from understanding learning concepts to confidently designing and facilitating learning experiences that are aligned with organisational needs and human realities.

Who Should Enrol

This programme is designed for experienced professionals who are involved in the design, delivery, or strategic oversight of learning and development and who wish to deepen their capability beyond traditional training delivery.

It is particularly suitable for:

• Learning & Development Professionals

  Who want to strengthen their ability to analyse learning needs, design coherent learning journeys, and evaluate learning impact beyond satisfaction metrics.

• HR and People Development Professionals

  Involved in developing organisational capability, leadership programmes, or internal learning initiatives, and seeking a more rigorous, human-centred approach to learning design.

• Trainers, Facilitators, and Educators

  Who wish to move beyond content delivery and develop stronger competence in learning experience design, facilitation, group dynamics, and reflective practice.

• Internal Subject Matter Experts

  Who are responsible for designing and delivering learning within their organisations and want to professionalise their approach to learning and development.

• Coaches, Consultants, and Organisational Development Practitioners

  Who integrate learning interventions into their work and want to design learning experiences that are aligned with adult learning principles and organisational realities.

• HR Leaders, L&D Managers, and Learning Decision-Makers

  Who are responsible for commissioning, selecting, or evaluating learning and development activities and want a deeper, inside understanding of how learning works in practice. The programme supports more informed decisions, stronger commissioning conversations, and more effective evaluation of learning quality and impact

Participants typically have prior professional experience in people development, education, HR, consulting, or leadership roles and are motivated to engage in practice, reflection, and feedback over an extended period.

This programme is not designed for beginners seeking an introductory qualification, nor for those looking for a short, technique-based or “train-the-trainer” course. It requires active participation, openness to feedback, and sustained engagement over eight months.

Eligibility Criteria

To ensure a high-quality learning experience and meaningful peer exchange, applicants are expected to meet the following minimum criteria:

• A completed university degree (or equivalent higher education qualification), and

• At least three years of professional experience in a relevant field of activity, such as learning and development, HR, people development, education, facilitation, coaching, consulting, or organisational development.

Applicants should have sufficient professional exposure to contribute actively to discussions, practical exercises, and supervised practice throughout the programme.

Programme Learning Outcomes

By the end of the Advanced Professional Diploma in Learning Experience Design & Practice, participants will be able to:

1. Analyse learning and development needs

   Conduct structured learning needs analyses by engaging stakeholders, clarifying context, and identifying learning priorities aligned with organisational and human realities.

2. Design coherent learning experiences

   Design end-to-end learning and development programmes, including clear learning objectives, content architecture, delivery methods, and evaluation approaches.

3. Differentiate between learning and development interventions

   Make informed decisions about when to use training, coaching, mentoring, facilitation, or consulting approaches, based on learning goals and context.

4. Apply principles of adult learning and learning styles

   Integrate adult learning principles and an understanding of learning styles into the design and facilitation of learning experiences.

5. Integrate human behaviour, needs, and emotion into learning design

   Design learning environments that take into account human potential, motivation, emotional dynamics, and psychological safety.

6. Communicate effectively in learning contexts

   Use clear communication, active listening, effective questioning, and constructive feedback to support learning and engagement.

7. Facilitate groups and manage group dynamics

   Facilitate learning groups effectively, recognising stages of group development, managing group interactions, and addressing conflict constructively.

8. Design and facilitate interactive learning activities

   Select, design, and facilitate practical learning activities (e.g. case studies, role-plays, storytelling, experiential exercises) and conduct effective debriefs.

9. Deliver learning in online and hybrid environments

   Adapt learning design and facilitation approaches to online delivery, using appropriate tools and methods to maintain engagement and learning quality.

10. Evaluate learning and development activities

    Apply evaluation methods to assess learning processes and outcomes and identify areas for improvement and follow-up.

11. Demonstrate reflective and ethical professional practice

    Reflect critically on their own practice as learning designers and facilitators and apply ethical principles in learning and development contexts.

12. Exercise professional judgement as a learning decision-maker

    Evaluate the quality of learning and development initiatives—both those they design and those they commission—with an informed, inside understanding of how learning works in practice.

Curriculum Highlights

The curriculum of the Advanced Professional Diploma in Learning Experience Design & Practice is designed as an integrated learning journey, combining conceptual foundations with sustained practical application.

Key areas of focus include:

• Learning and Development as a Professional Process

  Understanding learning and development as a structured, ethical, and context-driven process—from needs analysis and contracting through to delivery, evaluation, and follow-up.

• Adult Learning and Human-Centred Design

  Applying principles of adult learning, learning styles, and human behaviour to create learning environments that are relevant, engaging, and psychologically safe.

• Human Potential, Needs, and Emotional Dynamics

  Exploring how motivation, fear, intention, and human needs influence learning, and how these dynamics can be recognised and worked with in learning design and facilitation.

• Communication and Feedback in Learning Contexts

  Developing strong communication skills, including active listening, effective questioning, and constructive feedback, as core enablers of learning.

• Facilitation and Group Dynamics

  Working with group processes, stages of development, and group interactions, and developing the ability to facilitate learning groups and manage conflict constructively.

• Experiential and Interactive Learning Methods

  Designing and facilitating practical learning activities—such as case work, role-plays, storytelling, and experiential exercises—and conducting meaningful debriefs.

• Online Learning Experience Design

  Adapting learning design and facilitation approaches for online delivery, with attention to engagement, interaction, and learning flow.

• Evaluation, Reflection, and Professional Judgement

  Evaluating learning and development initiatives, reflecting on practice, and developing the professional judgement required to design, commission, and assess learning activities.

Throughout the programme, participants engage in repeated practice, supervision, and peer feedback, enabling them to integrate learning into their professional practice and develop confidence in designing and facilitating learning experiences.

Modules Workshops:

• September 25-26, 2026

• October 16-17, 2026

• November 13-14, 2026

• December 11-12, 2026

• January 15-16, 2027

• February 19-20, 2027

• April 23-24, 2027

Weekly Practical Online Workshops:

• Tuesdays from 18:00 to 20:30 CET (from September 29 2026, to April 27, 2027) 

Final Assessment and Completion Ceremony:

• May 14, 2027 – Live in Zurich

Investment and Value

The tuition fee for this programme reflects the depth of content, the intensive learning format, and the opportunity to apply concepts directly to the workplace.

• Standard fee: €9,777 per participant

• Early-bird fee: €9,277 per participant (for registrations confirmed at least 6 weeks before the programme start date)

The fee covers:

• Participation in all 7 two-day modules delivered over an 8-month period, including participant-led learning delivery

• Access to weekly practical supervision sessions (2.5 hours per week)

• Three one-to-one professional mentorship sessions per participant with the programme lecturer, focused on individual learning objectives, professional challenges, and the application of learning to real projects or workplace contexts

• Learning materials and supporting resources

• Use of an appropriate face-to-face venue and facilities for the final assessment and programme completion session, in line with the programme’s delivery and quality standards

Payment options

 Participants may choose to pay the course fee:

• In full prior to the start of the programme, or

• In four instalments, payable at agreed milestones during the programme duration