In L&D, we often focus so much on supporting others that we forget to learn new things ourselves. This can hold us back from growing and making a bigger impact at work.
To help L&D professionals like us keep learning, we’ve put together a list of learning & development courses for 2024. Our list has many options, but keep in mind it’s not every course out there. It’s a starting point covering different challenges, different budget options, as well as different providers.
What to Consider When Choosing Between Learning & Development Courses
Picking the right course means thinking about what you need:
- Why you’re signing up: Before picking a course, think about your goals. Are you looking to gain new knowledge to improve your skills, or is getting a certification that boosts your resume your main aim? Your purpose will guide your choice, making sure the course meets your career objectives.
- Your challenges: Reflect on the obstacles you're currently facing or might encounter in the future. Are there any gaps in your skills that need filling? Choose a course that addresses these specific issues, ensuring you're well-equipped to handle your job's demands and any new challenges that come your way.
- Long-term support: Learning is an ongoing process, so look for courses that provide access to communities or groups even after you've completed the program. These resources can offer valuable support and guidance as you apply what you’ve learned in real-world scenarios, helping you to continue growing professionally.
- Experienced facilitators: The best instructors are those who have firsthand experience in what they’re sharing. Look for courses led by professionals who have been in your shoes and understand the challenges of your field. Their insights and practical knowledge can provide a richer learning experience, one that's relevant and immediately applicable to your work.
- Your budget: Learning is an investment in your future, but it needs to be affordable. Consider the cost of the course and weigh it against the value it brings to your career. Remember to check if your employer offers professional development funds that you can use, and always look for courses within your budget to avoid financial strain.
Now, with this in mind, go ahead and explore the list.
Learning & Development Courses List
Partner from the start: be a consultant, not an order-taker | Starting from €340 | Action Mapping
"Partner from the Start" is a toolkit helping designers become strategic consultants, especially in large organizations. It redefines L&D's role from information delivery to performance problem-solving. With videos, interactive texts, and over 50 challenges, it guides you to engage stakeholders effectively, addressing real issues.
What You'll Learn:
- Diagnose Real Problems: Learn techniques to help your clients define their problems clearly instead of jumping straight to training as the solution.
- Set Meaningful Goals: The toolkit helps you steer conversations to set goals that are impactful for the organization.
- Identify Comprehensive Solutions: It encourages looking beyond training for solutions, considering all possible avenues to address the identified issues.
- Training Necessity and Design: If training is deemed necessary, you'll learn how to make it lean and powerful, focusing on relevant, challenging activities rather than traditional information dumps.
Strategy-Led L&D | €599 | Offbeat
“Strategy-Led L&D” is a five-week online program designed to empower you with the knowledge and skills necessary to become a more strategic L&D Professional.
What You'll Learn:
- Identifying L&D Needs: Master the ability to pinpoint specific learning and development needs within your organization by integrating both individual and organizational objectives.
- Designing Effective Programs: Learn to create impactful L&D programs that not only align with your organizational goals but also incorporate adult learning principles, instructional design models, and the latest learning technologies.
- Measuring Learning Outcomes: Gain expertise in setting up robust metrics and evaluation frameworks to assess the effectiveness of L&D initiatives, providing valuable data-driven insights.
- Developing L&D Strategies: Acquire the strategies and tools necessary to formulate a strategic L&D plan, focusing on stakeholder engagement, change management, and nurturing a culture of ongoing learning and development.
The AI Learning Design Bootcamp | 995 GBP | Dr Philippa Hardman
In this AI Learning Design Bootcamp led by Dr. Philippa Hardman, participants will explore the integration of AI tools and prompts into learning design and delivery. This hands-on program transforms traditional approaches, enabling designers to leverage AI for enhanced learner attraction, motivation, and completion rates.
What You'll Learn:
- AI-Powered Analysis: Understand how to conduct in-depth needs analyses using AI, setting a strong foundation for personalized course design.
- AI-Powered Design: Discover how to utilize AI tools and structured prompts to quickly generate and refine course outlines based on solid data.
- Rapid Prototyping & Building: Learn the skills to efficiently prototype and build engaging course content with AI, streamlining the design process.
Fundamentals of AI for L&D Leaders | €599 | Offbeat
"Fundamentals of AI for L&D Leaders" is a four-week, online program designed to bring L&D professionals up to speed with the latest in artificial intelligence. With guidance from Rita, our facilitator, you'll explore AI technologies that are set to transform the L&D landscape. From understanding AI's foundational concepts to applying them strategically within your organization, this program offers a unique blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application.
What You'll Learn:
- Demystifying AI Technology: Start with a deep dive into the world of AI, focusing on Natural Language Processing and the key players shaping the AI industry. Overcome any apprehensions and lay the groundwork for informed conversations about AI and its applications in various fields.
- Increasing L&D Productivity with AI: Discover how AI can streamline L&D processes, from automating mundane tasks to implementing AI-driven strategies for enhanced learning outcomes. Real-world case studies will illustrate AI's transformative potential in boosting L&D productivity.
- Mastering AI Prompts for L&D: Learn the craft of creating effective AI prompts to facilitate personalized learning experiences. This week covers the practical aspects of AI in designing bespoke learning personas and programs, providing you with the skills to harness AI for innovative L&D solutions.
- Exploring the Future of AI-Augmented L&D: Look ahead to the future applications of AI in L&D and beyond. Discuss emerging AI trends and how they can shape personalized learning journeys, preparing you to pioneer AI applications in your own L&D initiatives.
AI Crash Course for Next-Gen L&D Professionals | 249 GBP | Ross Stevenson
"AI Crash Course for Next-Gen L&D Professionals" is a course that tackles the hesitation and slow adoption of AI in the HR and L&D sectors head-on. If you've felt left behind by the generative AI wave, this self-paced beginner's course is your lifeline. It demystifies generative AI, specifically ChatGPT, teaching over 200 students how to seamlessly integrate AI into their work to enhance efficiency, creativity, and impact.
What You'll Learn:
- Understanding generative AI: Break down the complexities of generative AI into understandable, actionable insights. This course strips away the jargon, presenting the facts plainly and simply.
- Leveraging ChatGPT effectively: Dive into real-world applications of ChatGPT, learning to use it as a tool to work smarter. Discover practical use cases that bring immediate value to your L&D and HR projects.
- Mastering the art of prompting: With the endless prompt framework generator, you'll become adept at crafting precise prompts to get the most out of ChatGPT, turning it into a versatile ally in your work.
- Applying new skills and growing with AI: The course goes beyond theoretical knowledge, offering projects for practical application and a private community for ongoing support and networking, ensuring you continue to grow and innovate with AI.
Designing Learning for the Brain | €599 | Offbeat
"Designing Learning for the Brain" is a six-week online program aimed at educators, instructional designers, and learning professionals who seek to deepen their understanding of how the brain functions and apply this knowledge to enhance learning experiences. Merging insights from cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and educational research, the program promises a journey into the intricacies of brain-based learning processes.
What You'll Learn:
- Understanding Brain Functions: Discover the basics of how the brain processes, stores information, and what happens when we work against its natural functioning. This foundational knowledge is critical for anyone in the field of learning.
- Enhancing Learning Methods: With a grasp on the brain's operating system, you’ll learn to apply more strategic and intentional approaches to learning, both for yourself and the learners you support.
- Integrating Science into Learning Design: View your learning design practices through a scientific lens, integrating brain function and theory. This includes understanding the benefits and limitations inherent in designing learning experiences.
Building Community From Within | Starting with €950 | Handle With Brain
"Building Community From Within" is a 12-week course designed for professionals actively involved in planning, building, or nurturing an internal community of learning and practice within their organization. Tailored to fit into your daily work life, the program ensures immediate applicability of learning to your ongoing projects. With a cap of five participants per group, this intimate setting promises focused attention and tailored support.
What You'll Learn:
- Community Strategy and Audit: Begin with a strategy workshop and a personal audit of your community-building efforts, identifying your current stage, challenges, and obstacles to overcome.
- Weekly Strategic Support: Engage in weekly sessions that combine expert advice, practical workshops, and case studies to strategically advance your community-building project.
- Practical Application: Between sessions, apply the tools, frameworks, and strategies discussed to your project, with the opportunity to address challenges in real-time via a dedicated Slack community.
- Peer Learning and Networking: Benefit from the diverse experiences and insights of five other peers, creating a rich learning environment and expanding your professional network.
Negotiation Skills for L&D Leaders | €599 | Offbeat
The “Negotiation Skills for L&D Leaders" program is a four-week online journey priced at €599, designed to empower learning and development professionals with advanced negotiation techniques. This program delves into research-backed strategies for effectively negotiating with both internal and external stakeholders, focusing on building rapport and employing specific tactics for successful outcomes.
What You'll Learn:
- Preparing for Success: Learn strategies for emotion regulation, establish a bargaining range using a proven framework, and apply strategic thinking to your negotiation processes.
- Building Rapport: Discover how to quickly build trust and demonstrate commitment to mutual success, turning potential adversaries into allies.
- Crafting Compelling Offers: Understand the distinction between positions and interests to create offers that meet the needs of all parties involved.
- Closing Agreements: Master the steps to formally ratify agreements and explore methods for continual improvement in negotiation skills.
Designing Learning Spaces Online Bootcamp | €500 | Kaospilot
The “Designing Learning Spaces Online Bootcamp”, by KAOSPILOT, is a 12-week journey aimed at redefining educational spaces. This course challenges traditional teaching methods by integrating dynamic learning arches, experiences, and spaces into the educational process. It's designed for educators and instructional designers who aspire to foster connection, consolidation, and co-creation in their programs.
What You'll Learn:
- Setting the Learning Stage: Understand the fundamentals of personalizing the learning journey, culture, and style. You'll start with a 2-hour personal session to assess your current state and learning edge.
- Holding the Learning Space: Learn to maintain the momentum of learning through practical methods and interventions, focusing on skills, knowledge, theory, and methods. A 2-hour practical session will guide you through these concepts.
- Landing the Learning Experience: Discover how to conclude the learning process effectively by assessing and evaluating outcomes. The final 2-hour professional session will explore strategies for reflection and next steps.
- Prototyping and Designing Learning Arches: Throughout the bootcamp, you'll engage in LAD (Learning Arch Design) sprints, supported by triad group collaborations, to prototype and sketch your learning designs. This hands-on approach encourages creative exploration and application.
Learning Experience Design Course | €495 | Shapers
Embracing the ethos of practicing what we preach, this four-week online course is meticulously structured to immerse you in the dynamic world of Learning Experience Design. Designed to offer a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application, the course aims to equip you with the skills and insights needed to create impactful learning experiences.
What You'll Learn:
- The Power of Experience: Uncover the elements that make an experience memorable versus those that are easily forgotten. This week is dedicated to understanding the significant impact of human experiences and applying these insights to learning design.
- Learning Experience Design Fundamentals: Establish a solid foundation in LXD principles. Explore the core concepts of learning experience design, how it integrates with your role, and its relevance to creating meaningful learning journeys.
- The Application of Learning Experience Design: Dive into the practical aspects of designing learning experiences. This week focuses on the design process, the tools you'll use, and how to transform ideas into tangible learning outcomes.
- Share, Inspire, and Grow: Share your learning experience designs, gather feedback, and draw inspiration from the work of your peers. This final week is not just about concluding the course but also about propelling you forward in your professional journey in LXD.
Designing for collective learning | £1415 + VAT per employee | Huddlecraft
"Designing for Collective Learning" is a 5-week training program, requiring 3 days of commitment. Held bi-annually in May and November, it blends live sessions with self-paced resources to teach peer-led approaches. Using tools like Zoom, Mural, and Google Jamboards, it explores collective learning dynamics at all levels. Live captions and personalized access plans ensure inclusivity.
What You'll Learn:
- Self: Dive into the importance of the individual in collective learning, focusing on how intrinsic motivation and adaptability are crucial for stepping into new roles. This segment emphasizes self-awareness and growth as foundational to effective learning and interaction within groups.
- Pairs: Explore the concept of pairs as the building blocks of larger communities. Learn about different formats for structuring pair interactions, such as buddies, mentors, and stewards, and how to establish strong relational foundations for mutual growth and support.
- Groups: Examine the significant potential of small groups in amplifying learning and development. This includes navigating group dynamics, assigning roles and responsibilities, and creating equitable spaces for all members to contribute and thrive.
- Interventions: Understand how to strategically apply peer-led approaches to meet organizational objectives. This involves leveraging the power of peer-to-peer connections for change, designing effective interventions, and structuring networks to support your goals.
- Ecosystem: Consider the broader context in which peer-led interventions operate. Learn to map the cultural and power dynamics of your environment, articulate the value of peer-led approaches, and connect your efforts to larger movements of change.
Joining Forces with your Brain | $50 (will get a bump in pricing in Feb 2024) | Lauren Waldman
"Joining Forces with Your Brain" is an interactive series by Lauren, the Learning Pirate, that explores brain complexities to boost learning and individual growth. The course blends science with practical application, empowering participants to unlock their brain's potential and enhance their skills.
- Understanding Your Brain: Dive into the fascinating world of neuroscience to see how your brain functions. This foundational knowledge sets the stage for effective learning and cognitive enhancement.
- Experiential Learning: Engage in hands-on experiments that not only demonstrate the brain's capabilities but also make the learning process fun and memorable. These activities are designed to solidify your understanding of cognitive processes.
- Skill Development: Focus on building essential skills such as focus and cognitive control. These skills are vital for improving your learning efficiency and overall mental agility.
- Learning Strategies: Explore various methods, theories, and strategies that can revolutionize the way you learn. Discover techniques that leverage your brain's natural strengths, making learning faster, more enjoyable, and more effective.