Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Digital Course Creator

🎯 Role Definition

The Digital Course Creator is responsible for designing, developing, and optimizing high-quality online learning experiences that drive measurable learner outcomes. This role blends instructional design expertise, multimedia production, LMS administration, project management, and stakeholder collaboration to create engaging courses across formats (video, microlearning, interactive modules, assessments, and downloadable resources). The creator ensures content aligns with learning objectives, adult learning principles, accessibility standards, and business goals while continuously iterating using learner data and analytics.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Instructional Designer
Subject Matter Expert with content creation experience
eLearning Developer or Multimedia Producer

Advancement To:

Senior Instructional Designer / Lead Course Designer
Learning Experience Lead or Manager, eLearning
Director of Learning & Development / Head of Curriculum

Lateral Moves:

Learning Experience (LX) Designer
Content Marketing / Course Marketing Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead end-to-end course design and development for online programs, translating business goals and learner needs into measurable learning objectives, course outlines, and mastery-based assessments.
Manage full production of digital courses including scripting, storyboarding, multimedia recording, editing, authoring, and packaging for web and LMS deployment while ensuring on-time delivery and budget adherence.
Partner with subject matter experts to extract critical knowledge, validate accuracy, and convert technical or subject content into learner-centered lessons that follow adult learning theory and evidence-based instructional design models (ADDIE, SAM, Gagné).
Create detailed storyboards, interactive mockups, and UX flows that define learning interactions, navigation, feedback mechanisms, and assessment logic for developers and multimedia teams.
Author and build interactive eLearning modules using authoring tools such as Articulate Storyline, Articulate Rise, Adobe Captivate, or similar platforms; optimize modules for SCORM, xAPI (Tin Can), and LMS compatibility.
Produce and edit high-quality video lessons, tutorials, and screencasts; manage on-camera sessions, voiceover direction, lighting, sound capture, and post-production to deliver polished instructional media.
Design formative and summative assessments, quizzes, simulations, and performance tasks; define scoring rubrics, branching scenarios, and competency frameworks that measure learning outcomes and transfer to practice.
Ensure online content meets accessibility standards (WCAG, ADA) and usability best practices by implementing closed captions, transcripts, semantic structure, color contrast, keyboard navigation, and screen reader compatibility.
Implement microlearning and modular content strategies to increase learner retention, enable spaced practice, and support just-in-time performance support across mobile and desktop learners.
Optimize course metadata, descriptions, learning paths, and SEO-friendly copy to improve discoverability on learning platforms, search engines, and marketplaces.
Administer and configure LMS course settings, user enrollments, completion rules, prerequisites, and reporting; troubleshoot compatibility and delivery issues across SCORM/xAPI/HTML5 packages.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams (product, marketing, sales, customer success) to align curriculum with product releases, customer needs, certification paths, and go-to-market timelines.
Run pilot programs, beta testing, and user acceptance testing (UAT) with target learners to collect qualitative feedback and identify UX pain points prior to wide release.
Analyze learning analytics and engagement metrics (completion rates, time-on-task, assessment pass rates, drop-off points) to identify opportunities for content improvement and iterative redesign.
Maintain a content roadmap and product backlog for course updates, evergreen maintenance, localization, and version control; prioritize based on business value, learner impact, and resource capacity.
Localize and adapt courses for international audiences, coordinating translation workflows, cultural adaptation, and QA for localized multimedia and assessments.
Design certification pathways, badges, and credentialing mechanics tied to assessment rigor and business outcomes; integrate with LMS credentialing and badging systems.
Create supporting resources — facilitator guides, downloadable job aids, infographics, slide decks, and printable workbooks — to extend learning and support blended delivery models.
Establish and enforce quality assurance processes for instructional accuracy, multimedia production standards, and technical compliance across course releases.
Develop content style guides, templates, and reusable components (assets libraries, interactions, UI patterns) to increase production efficiency and brand consistency.
Provide training and enablement to internal teams on course content, learning objectives, and assessment criteria to ensure consistent delivery and messaging.
Continuously research and apply emerging learning technologies (AR/VR, adaptive learning engines, AI-driven tutoring, conversational bots) to enhance personalization and learner engagement.
Coordinate with vendors and freelance creators (voice talent, videographers, translators, developers) to augment internal capabilities while managing contracts and deliverables.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc content requests from stakeholders including sales enablement, customer success, and product teams to create bite-sized tutorials, release notes, and onboarding flows.
Contribute to the learning organization’s content strategy and roadmap by identifying gaps, market opportunities, and potential new course offerings based on learner and market research.
Assist in sprint planning and agile ceremonies when working within product or learning technology teams to estimate tasks, define acceptance criteria, and remove roadblocks.
Help maintain the course catalog, tagging taxonomy, and curriculum maps to improve internal discoverability and learner pathways across programs.
Prepare executive-level updates and impact reports summarizing course performance, ROI metrics, and strategic recommendations for investment in learning initiatives.
Mentor junior instructional designers and content producers, providing feedback on scripts, storyboards, and assessment design to grow team capability.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Instructional design methodologies (ADDIE, SAM, Bloom’s Taxonomy, backwards design).
eLearning authoring tools: Articulate Storyline, Articulate Rise, Adobe Captivate (experience with at least one).
LMS administration and standards: SCORM, xAPI (Tin Can), LTI, and hands-on experience with LMS platforms (Moodle, Canvas, TalentLMS, Docebo, Cornerstone).
Multimedia production: video recording, editing (Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro), audio editing (Audition, Audacity), screencasting (Camtasia, OBS).
Visual and UI design basics: Figma, Adobe XD, Illustrator, or PowerPoint for layout and assets.
Assessment design and psychometrics: rubric creation, item writing, adaptive/quasi-adaptive assessment strategies.
Accessibility and compliance: WCAG guidelines, captioning workflows, and inclusive design best practices.
Learning analytics and data use: Google Analytics, LMS reporting, xAPI statements, Excel/Google Sheets, and basic SQL or analytics tools for insights.
Content optimization and SEO for course pages and learning marketplaces.
Version control and project tools: Git basics, Jira, Trello, Asana, or Monday.com for tracking deliverables.
Localization workflows and translation management systems (TMS) familiarity.
Experience with microlearning platforms, mobile-first content, and responsive HTML5 delivery.

Soft Skills

Strong stakeholder management: ability to elicit requirements, negotiate scope, and align priorities across cross-functional teams.
Project management discipline: timeline creation, milestone tracking, risk mitigation, and resource coordination.
Creative problem solving and instructional creativity to make complex topics digestible and engaging.
Excellent written and verbal communication for scriptwriting, learner guidance, and cross-team collaboration.
Empathy and learner-centric mindset with experience conducting learner research, interviews, and usability testing.
Attention to detail and quality orientation for content accuracy, accessibility, and technical compliance.
Adaptability and continuous learning mindset to keep pace with educational technology trends.
Facilitation and coaching skills for live workshops, train-the-trainer sessions, and stakeholder enablement.
Data-driven decision making and comfort using metrics to iterate content and prioritize improvements.
Organizational skills for managing multiple concurrent course projects and release cycles.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Instructional Design, Education, Communications, Multimedia, Human-Computer Interaction, or related field (or equivalent practical experience).

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Instructional Design, Learning Sciences, Educational Technology, Curriculum & Instruction, or MBA with L&D focus.
Certifications such as ATD Instructional Design, Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP), or vendor-specific authoring tool certificates.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Instructional Design / Educational Technology
Multimedia Production / Digital Media
Communication / Technical Writing
Human-Computer Interaction / UX Design
Adult Education / Learning Sciences

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7+ years designing and producing digital courses, with demonstrable portfolio of online programs and measurable learner outcomes.

Preferred:

5+ years experience in eLearning development or digital course production for corporate training, higher education, or professional certification programs.
Proven track record of improving completion rates, learner satisfaction, or business KPIs through course redesign or new course launches.
Experience operating within a product-driven or agile environment and scaling content production using templates, design systems, and outsourced partners.