Department of
Instructional Design
Documentation and Academic Structure of the Department
The Department of Instructional Design examines the practical craft of building a learning experience — structuring a module, sequencing its content, and producing the actual documents that carry instruction, distinct from Curriculum Studies’ focus on what content is chosen and Learning Sciences’ focus on the environments that content is delivered through.
This Department holds the standard behind the Institute’s own document production model — the Module Specification, Study Guide, Teaching Manual, and Assessment Brief structure used across every Department’s curriculum — and studies how to build that structure so it is usable by every learner, not only those for whom it was designed by default.
This document establishes the Department’s complete academic and institutional documentation architecture across seven structural layers.
Foundational Framework
Governing Field. Human Formation, examined through the discipline of Instructional Design — the systematic study of how a learning experience is structured, sequenced, and documented so it can actually be taught and learned from.
Central Premise. A well-chosen curriculum, delivered through a poorly designed instructional structure, still fails the learner. Instructional design is the craft that turns content decisions and learning theory into an actual, usable sequence of instruction — and that sequence must be built for every learner from the outset, not retrofitted for accessibility after the fact.
Foundational Theoretical Anchor. The Department operates under the Principle of Educational Equity and Intellectual Independence established by the Department of Education, and coordinates closely with the Department of Curriculum Studies (Faculty V, what is taught) and the Department of Learning Sciences (Faculty V, the environments instruction is delivered through), holding the Institute’s own Module Specification, Study Guide, Teaching Manual, and Assessment Brief production standard.
Programme List
The Department offers a complete academic ladder from foundational study through doctoral research.
Delivery Framework
The Department is delivered online-first, using structured cohort-based study supported by Module Specifications, Study Guides, Teaching Manuals, and Assessment Briefs for every unit, consistent with the Institute’s established production standard.
Curriculum
The BA (Honours) Instructional Design curriculum proceeds across four levels, numbered IND101 through IND111, following the Institute’s core pedagogical standard: scaffolded progression from structured instruction toward fully independent, accessible instructional production.
| Level | Focus | Modules |
|---|---|---|
| Level 4 | Foundations of Instructional Design; the structure–content distinction; introduction to module sequencing | IND101–IND104 |
| Level 5 | Document production standards; accessible design for learners with disabilities; comparative instructional models | IND105–IND107 |
| Level 6 | Independent instructional design research; capstone applied production project; specialization electives | IND108–IND109 |
| Level 7 (MA) | Advanced instructional design theory; design and Human Formation; research methods; dissertation | IND110–IND111 |
Key Pedagogical Standard. Every module moves the learner from structured instruction toward the independent capacity to produce a complete, accessible instructional package — no learner exits the programme producing a module specification, study guide, or assessment brief without checking it against accessibility standards for learners with disabilities.
Research Fields and Centres
The Department maintains the following primary research fields:
Centre for Instructional Design
The Department’s standing research centre, coordinating cross-domain research with the Department of Education, the Department of Curriculum Studies, and the Department of Learning Sciences.
Assessment and Ethics
Assessment in the Department evaluates a learner’s competence in structuring and producing complete instructional materials — never a reward for an elegantly structured module that fails accessibility standards for learners with disabilities.
Because instructional materials that are not designed accessibly from the outset exclude learners as effectively as any other barrier, the Department applies a dedicated integrity principle.
Award Titles
Public-Facing Department Page
The Department of Instructional Design is where the Institute studies how a learning experience is actually structured, sequenced, and produced — built accessibly for every learner from the first draft, not retrofitted afterward. As a sibling Department of Faculty V, it holds the production standard behind every Module Specification, Study Guide, Teaching Manual, and Assessment Brief the Institute publishes.
Learners join a structured academic pathway from Certificate through PhD, moving from guided foundational study toward independent, accessible instructional production, supported at every level by the Institute’s full documentation standard: Module Specifications, Study Guides, Teaching Manuals, and Assessment Briefs.
Permanent Department Documentation Order
The permanent documentation order of the Department, restated for reference:
Delivery Framework Detail
Programme Specification I — Certificate in Instructional Design
Programme Specification II — Diploma in Instructional Design
Programme Specification III — BA Instructional Design
Programme Specification IV — BA (Honours) Instructional Design
Programme Specification V — Postgraduate Certificate in Instructional Design
Programme Specification VI — Postgraduate Diploma in Instructional Design
Programme Specification VII — MA Instructional Design
Programme Specification VIII — Specialized Master’s in Instructional Design
Programme Specification IX — MRes Instructional Design
Programme Specification X — MPhil Instructional Design
Programme Specification XI — PhD Instructional Design
Programme Specification XII — Professional Practice Certificate in Instructional Design Production
Summary Programme Table
A consolidated summary of all twelve programmes offered by the Department.
| Award | Abbreviation | Duration | Credits | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate in Instructional Design | CertIND | 6–12 months | 60 credits | ₦450,000 |
| Diploma in Instructional Design | DipIND | 1 year | 120 credits | ₦850,000 |
| BA Instructional Design | BA IND | 3 years | 360 credits | ₦2,400,000 |
| BA (Honours) Instructional Design | BA(Hons) IND | 4 years | 480 credits | ₦3,100,000 |
| Postgraduate Certificate in Instructional Design | PGCert IND | 6 months | 60 credits | ₦900,000 |
| Postgraduate Diploma in Instructional Design | PGDip IND | 9 months | 120 credits | ₦1,600,000 |
| MA Instructional Design | MA IND | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦2,900,000 |
| Specialized Master’s in Instructional Design | MA IND (Spec.) | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦3,200,000 |
| MRes Instructional Design | MRes IND | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦3,400,000 |
| MPhil Instructional Design | MPhil IND | 2 years (FT) / 3 years (PT) | 240 credits | ₦5,600,000 |
| PhD Instructional Design | PhD IND | 3–4 years (FT) / 5–6 years (PT) | 360 credits | ₦9,100,000+ |
| Professional Practice Certificate in Instructional Design Production | PPC IDP | 6–9 months | 60 credits (practice-based) | ₦1,100,000 |
Credit Framework
The Department applies the Institute’s standard credit framework: one credit represents approximately 10 notional learning hours, inclusive of guided instruction, independent study, instructional design production practicum where applicable, and assessment.
| Level | Credits (Full Level) | Notional Learning Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Level 4 (Certificate/Year 1) | 120 | 1,200 |
| Level 5 (Diploma/Year 2) | 120 | 1,200 |
| Level 6 (BA Year 3 / Honours Year) | 120–240 | 1,200–2,400 |
| Level 7 (Postgraduate/MA) | 180 | 1,800 |
| Level 8 (MPhil/PhD, research credit) | 240–360 | 2,400–3,600 |
Instructional Access Ethics Principle
Because instructional materials not designed accessibly from the outset exclude learners as effectively as any other barrier, the Department’s ethical commitments govern every module, practicum, and research activity it authorizes.
This principle governs curriculum design, instructional design production practicum, assessment design, and all research conducted across the Department, and stands alongside the Principle of Educational Equity and Intellectual Independence (Department of Education), the Principle of Learner Data Dignity (Department of Learning Sciences), the Principle of Curricular Transparency and Inclusion (Department of Curriculum Studies), the Principle of Non-Stigmatizing Educational Support (Department of Educational Psychology), the Principle of Valid and Equitable Assessment (Department of Assessment and Evaluation), and the Principle of Pedagogical Restraint in Formation Teaching (Department of Human Formation Pedagogy) as the seventh ethics principle documented within Faculty V.
Tuition Principle
Tuition for every programme is published in full above, with no undisclosed fees. Where a learner’s circumstances warrant it, the Department may offer needs-based tuition adjustment, cohort scholarships, or staged payment plans, at the discretion of the Institute’s admissions and finance offices.
Tuition figures reflect the Institute’s standard credit-based tuition model and are reviewed annually.
Final Delivery and Access Declaration
The Department of Instructional Design is delivered online-first to maximize access for learners regardless of geographic location, with structured cohort support, complete documentation for every module, and a clear pathway from Certificate through PhD. No learner shall be required to relocate to access any taught programme offered by this Department.
Final Structural Declaration
The Department of Instructional Design stands as a sibling Department of Faculty V, holding the production standard by which the Institute’s own instructional materials are structured, sequenced, and made accessible to every learner. Every award, module, and research activity documented above proceeds through the Department’s permanent structural chain:
This chain governs the Department of Instructional Design now and permanently, coordinated with, and answerable to, the Principle of Educational Equity and Intellectual Independence held by the Department of Education.