Learning Design & Adult Learning
Professional Development for Instructors
A curated library of learning-design and adult-learning resources for veterinary technology educators — from free foundational readings to formal, CV-ready certificates.
Compiled September 13, 2026 from each organization's own website.
Foundational Theory
Free readings on adult learning theory and inclusive, universal course design.
Adult Learning Theories (Fact Sheet No. 11)
LINCS / U.S. Dept. of Education
A concise, plain-language summary of andragogy (Knowles), self-directed learning, and transformational learning — the fastest way to get grounded in adult-learning theory without reading a full textbook.
Open the resource →UDL Guidelines
CAST
The standard framework for designing courses that work for learners with varied needs from the start, rather than retrofitting accommodations later. Includes a downloadable graphic organizer.
Open the resource →Teaching in a Digital Age (2nd ed.)
Tony Bates
A full open textbook on how learning theory should actually shape online and blended course-design decisions — practical, not just theoretical. Widely used in higher-ed instructional-design circles.
Open the resource →Veterinary & Health-Professions Specific
AAVMC's own faculty-development programs and JVME, the field's teaching journal.
AAVMC Professional Development
AAVMC
AAVMC's own faculty-development hub for veterinary teaching faculty — workshops, webinars, and resources aimed specifically at veterinary educators.
Open the resource →Veterinary Educator Collaborative
AAVMC
A peer community specifically for veterinary teaching faculty to share teaching practices and get feedback from colleagues in the field.
Open the resource →Journal of Veterinary Medical Education (JVME)
University of Toronto Press / AAVMC
The field's peer-reviewed journal on teaching and curriculum in veterinary medicine — regularly publishes practical teaching-tip articles alongside formal research.
Open the resource →Communities of Practice
The broader higher-ed instructional-design and educational-development network — useful even outside veterinary medicine.
POD Network Resources
POD Network (Professional & Organizational Development Network in Higher Education)
The main U.S. professional network for educational developers and instructional designers in higher ed. Their resource page links out to dozens of university teaching centers' own free guides.
Open the resource →Center for Teaching and Learning Matrix
POD Network
A directory of teaching-center resources from universities across the country, organized by topic — a fast way to find a specific how-to guide without searching from scratch.
Open the resource →Formal Certificates
Credential-bearing programs if you want something documented for a CV or annual review.
Quality Matters Course Design Certification
Quality Matters
The widely recognized rubric and certification process specifically for online course-design quality. Many institutions require or prefer QM training for online faculty.
Open the resource →OLC Certificate Programs
Online Learning Consortium
Shorter, practitioner-focused certificates in online teaching and instructional design, built for working faculty rather than full graduate programs.
Open the resource →ACUE Certificate in Effective Online Teaching Practices
Association of College and University Educators
A structured, cohort-based certificate in online teaching practice. Many colleges cover the cost for faculty as part of professional development.
Open the resource →Free Coursework
No-cost ways to get a working introduction to instructional design.
Instructional Design Foundations and Applications
University of Illinois (via Coursera)
A genuinely solid introduction to instructional-design models like ADDIE and backward design — free if you audit rather than pay for the certificate.
Open the resource →Instructional Design Course Directory
Class Central
Not a single course, but a continuously updated aggregator of free and paid instructional-design and adult-learning MOOCs — useful for browsing what's currently available.
Open the resource →Know a resource we've missed?
If there's a course, journal, or program that's helped you grow as an educator, let us know — this library grows with member input.
Suggest a Resource